Oakland school board set to discuss possible school mergers NBC Bay Area [Video]

Some major changes are looming for the Oakland Unified School District.

Under a new proposal, several schools would merge in an effort to balance the district’s ailing budget. It’s a plan the district says would ultimately benefit students in the long run, but many families don’t see it that way.

The proposed merger would turn 10 schools into five. All of the schools are already located on shared campuses.

Some major changes are looming for the Oakland Unified School District. Velena Jones reports.

The district says the goal is to maximize student benefit and cut costs.

“The days of industrial type mass production education is over,” school board member Jorge Lerma said.

Lerma represents District 5, which is where the majority of the proposed school mergers are located. The area is also home to a large minority population, which some critics say isn’t coincidental.

Lerma believes school restructuring needs to …