Arielle Fleisher for OUSD District 2 School Board

The Case for Change

When we come together and put our children first, we can accomplish great things for Oakland.

Leadership matters — especially when it comes to our kids.

Oakland's public schools are full of incredible students, dedicated educators, and families who care deeply. But right now, our schools are in crisis. OUSD is on the brink of financial collapse, less than a year after finally regaining local control. Only 1 in 3 Oakland students reads at grade level. Just 1 in 4 is proficient in math. For Black and Latino students, it's worse. Meanwhile, OUSD spends roughly $27,000 per student — among the highest in California — with no coherent plan to turn these outcomes around.

Rather than meeting this crisis with clear-eyed leadership and resolve, the current OUSD Board has lurched from one short-term fix to another. There's no vision; there's no plan. Our kids deserve better than that.

I'm running for school board because I believe the root problem is leadership — and the November election is our chance to change it.

I am an OUSD mom, a proud public school graduate, and a neighbor deeply invested in Oakland's future. I founded a 300+ member moms group, serve on the PTA, co-lead my neighborhood council, and am active in local and state Democratic Party leadership.

I've spent my career solving complex public policy challenges. I understand how systems break down — and how to make them work better. From managing vaccine clinics to advancing affordable transit and safer streets, my work has always been rooted in service and accountability.

This moment calls for clear-eyed leadership that is grounded in honesty, focused on results, and willing to ask hard questions. If elected, I'll focus on three things: stabilizing the district's finances, centering every decision on student outcomes, and restoring accountability to the board.

This November, I hope you'll give me your vote.

About Arielle

Meet Arielle: Mom and Public Policy Expert

Arielle Fleisher has called Oakland home for more than a decade, and she's spent much of that time working to make it a better place — most urgently, for kids in our public schools.

As a mom of a Kindergartner at Crocker Highlands Elementary, she doesn't just follow OUSD's challenges — she lives them. She's been sitting at school board meetings, asking hard questions and creating independent analysis to help other parents cut through the confusion.

A public policy expert with a unique combination of public health, design thinking, and transportation planning expertise, Arielle brings rare skills to school governance: the ability to make sense of complex systems, hold institutions accountable with data, and turn analysis into action. She's a strong advocate for transparent, responsible government and, in her own words, genuinely loves "untangling complex governance challenges."

Arielle brings both heart and experience to this work. She's a proud public school graduate, a PTA member, co-leads her neighborhood council, and founded a 300+ member moms group. She is also active in local and state Democratic Party leadership.

Professionally, she has built a career solving complex public policy problems. She understands how systems break down — and how to make them work better. From managing vaccine clinics to advancing affordable transit and safer streets, her work has always been rooted in service and accountability.

She's running for school board to bring steady leadership, real accountability, and a clear focus on helping every Oakland student learn, succeed, and thrive.

Platform

What Arielle Will Fight For

Arielle is committed to student-outcome focused governance, where every decision starts with what will help more Oakland students read on grade level, succeed in math, and experience joy and belonging at school. That means building a district that is financially stable, clearly focused, and accountable for results. Not for its own sake, but because that's what our students, teachers, principals and staff need to thrive.

Fix the Budget. For Real This Time.

OUSD is once again facing serious financial challenges, just months after regaining local control. Rather than making the structural decisions required to stabilize the district, the current board has repeatedly chosen short-term fixes. That ends here. Arielle will bring rigorous analysis, the willingness to make tough, necessary decisions and a commitment to working across differences, and staying grounded in equity.

Create a Vision for Oakland's Schools

We need a real plan for the future—what great schools look like, how we get there, and how every neighborhood benefits.

Improving Student Outcomes & Closing the Opportunity Gap

Every decision should be measured against a simple question: does this improve outcomes for kids? Arielle is committed to evidence-based policymaking, closing opportunity gaps, and ensuring Oakland students graduate ready to succeed. That means aligning budgets, policies, and decisions around what helps students learn — and staying focused long enough to see real progress. Every child in Oakland deserves not just access to a classroom, but the opportunity to learn, grow, and reach their full potential.

Transparent Governance & Parent Empowerment

Hiring and firing a superintendent is among the most important decisions school boards make, and the process should be transparent and include the community. Last year, the Board pushed out the Superintendent with no explanation. This year, they silently extended the interim superintendent, again with no public announcement and no process. We can't keep doing this—families deserve to understand how their schools are run. Arielle is an experienced policy expert, who will ensure a national search and a fair process to choose a new district leader that involves families and community. She'll make the board more open, responsive, and less opaque.

Safe & Welcoming Schools

Student well-being and academic performance are linked. Arielle supports investments in community well-being, mental health, and a physical environment that makes kids want to show up and learn. As a transportation planner, Arielle will use her expertise to make it safer to walk and bike to school.

Post-Secondary Readiness for Every Student

K–12 is only part of the journey. Arielle will push for stronger college and career pathways, workforce development partnerships, and collaboration with community colleges so every Oakland graduate has a wide range of options ahead of them.

News & Media

Arielle in Action

CBS News Bay Area

February 2026

On the Budget Deficit

"The board didn't show that leadership. They didn't do any of that hard work. They kicked the can down the road, and now we're in this place of crisis."

— Arielle Fleisher, CBS News Bay Area, February 2026

CBS News Bay Area

April 22, 2026

On the Superintendent Search

"When it comes to the superintendent, we were promised a community process and that has not happened, and that needs to happen."

— Arielle Fleisher, CBS News Bay Area, April 2026

OUSD Board Meeting

Public Comment

Focused on "Cool the Schools"

Arielle speaks to the urgent need for climate-safe learning environments — making the case that students can't focus when they're sweltering, and that this is a matter of equity.

OUSD Board Meeting

Public Comment

On Castro's 2nd Interim & the April 30th Deadline

Arielle raises the alarm about the board's lack of discussion around OUSD's 2nd interim financial report and the looming state deadline — demanding transparency and urgency from elected officials.

Arielle
Fleisher

When we come together and put our children first, we can accomplish great things for Oakland.

Meet Arielle: Mom and Public Policy Expert