Oakland Unified School District
DATA-DRIVEN ADVISORY AND PLANNING SERVICES
Equitably rightsizing a changing school district to improve school performance
When Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) first engaged MKThink almost 15 years ago, the school district was enrolled at half of its physical capacity and had profound achievement gaps among its black and brown students caused by over a century of segregation. At that time, OUSD didn't see any solution other than closing schools at their point of failure, a practice that rightfully ignited outrage and distrust among impacted communities. Through its ongoing advisory and planning relationship, MKThink has helped OUSD develop a new culture of system-wide, data-driven decision-making and clear, transparent framework plans for rightsizing facilities that integrate strategic planning, operational planning, and capital decision-making. The result of MKThink's work so far? Stabilizing student enrollment with two successful facility master plans under its belt (2012 and 2020) has paved the way for prioritized investments of over $1.2 billion to improve student experience, equitable learning outcomes, and effective, sustainable district operations. MKThink continues to advise the district across multiple domains, including planning and change management, around the future of work-district-wide.
BREAKDOWN:
DATE: 2022
CITY: Various: San Francisco, Harford, Sonoma, Arcada +
SIZE/SCALE: 6 million SF and 108 Campuses System-Wide
CITY: Oakland
MARKET: K-12
SERVICES: Facilities Master Plan (2012), Facilities Master Plan(2020), Education Specifications and Design Guidelines (2015), Asset Management Plan (2014), and Cole Return to Work Plan (2021-2).
PROJECT:
CHALLENGE: Declining enrollment and changing demographics created uneven enrollment patterns and excess school site capacity in certain district areas.
APPROACH: Through its ongoing advisory and planning relationship, MKThink has helped OUSD develop a new culture of system-wide, data-driven decision-making and clear, transparent framework plans for rightsizing facilities that integrate strategic planning, operational planning, and capital decision-making.
RESULT: Stabilizing student enrollment with two successful facility master plans under its belt (2012 and 2020) that have each paved the way for prioritized investments of over $1.2 billion to improve student experience, equitable learning outcomes, and effective, sustainable district operations. MKThink continues to advise the district across multiple domains, including planning and change management, around the future of work-district-wide.
