Willard-Middle-School
BUSD’s Willard Middle School
BUSD’s Willard Middle School

In an op-ed published on Berkeleyside yesterday, Mark Lemkin, a long-time Berkeley resident with two children at local schools, says it’s time Berkeley Unified School District had a Facilities Master Plan.

“For the past 14 years, BUSD has authorized $327 million in capital improvements,” he writes. “That represents approximately $15,000 in taxes per household, or about $35,000 per student, a generous investment by Berkeley residents. Most people are surprised to learn, however, that BUSD has allocated these resources without a Facilities Master Plan. 

Read why Lemkin believes such a plan is essential in the op-ed published in our Opinionator section —  and join the conversation by leaving your comments there.

Berkeleyside welcomes submissions of op-ed articles. We ask that we are given first refusal to publish. Topics should be Berkeley-related, local authors are preferred, and we don’t publish anonymous pieces. Please email submissions to us. Berkeleyside will publish op-ed pieces at its discretion.

Berkeleyside is Berkeley, California’s independently-owned local news site. Learn more about the Berkeleyside team. Questions? Email editors@berkeleyside.org.