An Oakland charter school serving grades 6 through 12 skirted state law when its leaders quietly voted in May to eliminate the high school without seeking the required authorization, forcing nearly 200 students to find another option over the summer break, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
The East Bay Innovation Academy, or EBIA, faces a vote Thursday by the Oakland school board, either approving the grade change after the fact or rejecting it. If the board rejects the request, the school would be in violation of its charter agreement, which could lead to closure, the Chronicle reported. This story does not report the outcome of that Thursday evening vote, which had not been held when the Chronicle published.
The school, focused on project learning, opened in the fall of 2014 after the district approved the charter and started phasing in high school grades in 2016. Officials said enrollment declined during the pandemic, especially in the high school, and that the middle school later rebounded while the upper grades did not. The EBIA board of directors voted to eliminate the high school at the end of the 2025-26 academic year.
"I can authentically promise you all this was the most fiscally responsible decision at the time," current Principal Rachel Viegas said in public comments at the first school board hearing in early October, the Chronicle reported. Interim executive director Monique Bonilla said operating only as a middle school would let the school concentrate its resources, noting that sixth-grade enrollment this year was double that of last year. The middle school started the year with 275 students and has predicted 330 next year. Bonilla also acknowledged that leadership did not follow the law when it shuttered the high school without school board authorization first. "Now we've taken the necessary steps to correct our misstep," she said.
Oakland Unified staff said the middle school's academic performance had consistently exceeded the district average in math and English language arts, while the high school saw significant declines in 2024-25, with proficiency dropping more than 20 percentage points, including down to 18% proficient in math from 41.7% the year before. A staff report said EBIA implemented the grade truncation before requesting or obtaining OUSD approval, "raising concerns about the governing board's oversight of compliance obligations," and that the decision came after the typical enrollment period had ended, restricting transfer options for high school students.
EBIA board chair Brett van Zuiden told district officials that "the advice from our legal counsel at the time" was that the decision did not need a school board vote. That was wrong, he added, saying they should have sought additional legal advice. If Thursday's vote denies the request, the district could launch a process to revoke the school's charter. The school is up for charter renewal in 2027. The board is expected to vote Thursday evening, a day later than usual because of the Veterans Day holiday. The agenda also includes a review of an outside fiscal analysis that found the district at "high risk" for insolvency, the Chronicle reported.