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Board approves MOU letting select Teach For America special‑ed interns credential through Oakland program
Summary
The board authorized a memorandum allowing seven Teach For America special‑education interns to credential via Oakland Unified’s Practitioner Teacher Program; the agreement includes a modest per‑intern administrative payment and drew requests from commissioners for a fuller committee briefing on TFA results and placement policies.
The board authorized an MOU to permit a small cohort of Teach For America (TFA) special‑education interns to credential through the Oakland Unified School District’s Practitioner Teacher Program rather than the previously used university provider. Staff said the MOU covers seven interns and that the arrangement is functionally similar to a university partnership—Oakland runs the district internship program and can credential candidates from other districts.
Sarah Kasick, manager of the Oakland Practitioner Teacher Program, explained that Oakland’s program had a successful first year with special‑education interns and that Teach For America approached Oakland to provide practitioner‑based credentialing for a small number of interns. The arrangement includes an administrative pass‑through (about $500 per intern) to match typical university partner stipends; staff said the funds are not from SFUSD’s general fund and are a small administrative amount to compensate the placement process.
Several commissioners asked that Teach For America return to a personnel or curriculum committee meeting with outcome data and a fuller briefing on how TFA placements align with the district’s strategic priorities—particularly whether TFA placements are concentrated in higher‑need schools or in stronger schools, and how that aligns with the district’s goal to recruit experienced teachers into underperforming sites. Superintendent Garcia and staff said they would schedule a personnel committee briefing early in the new year to give the board a fuller picture and comparative data from the first year.
The board approved the MOU by roll call (7 ayes).
