Board Approves Merger of Oakland's First Charter School

The OUSD Board of Education convened a special meeting on March 4 and unanimously approved two charter school consolidations — one closing Oakland Charter Academy, the city's first charter school, into Downtown Charter Academy, and the other uniting Francophone Charter School's split campuses under one roof. Both votes reflected a district reckoning with declining enrollment and the practical limits of operating small schools across scattered sites.

• Oakland's first charter school will close as Amethod Public Schools (AMPS) merges Oakland Charter Academy into Downtown Charter Academy, with a new permanent enrollment priority for homeless students

• Francophone Charter School wins approval to consolidate two campuses separated by I-580 into a single private facility, ending a cross-highway commute that consumed hours of parents' days

• Board members praise both operators for thorough responses on special education, governance, and fiscal health

• Thirteen public speakers — students, parents, teachers, board members, and staff — spoke unanimously in support of the two charter revisions

• Closed session: Board gave direction on one anticipated litigation matter (4-0); discussed two additional legal matters with no action reported

Why it matters: Oakland Charter Academy (OCA), founded in 1993 as the city's first charter school, will formally close as Amethod Public Schools (AMPS) right-sizes its network amid citywide enrollment declines. The merger creates a more diverse student body and establishes a new enrollment pathway for unhoused youth in the Fruitvale and San Antonio neighborhoods.