Longfellow Middle School is getting a much anticipated facelift. Construction on a $33 million project that will modernize most of the campus began last month and will wrap in time for the 2025 school year.
The school will get a modern glass entryway and pedestrian walkway, renovated classrooms and a redesigned courtyard and garden area. The exterior buildings will be redone in white and rainbow colors inspired by an Umoja mural, a nod to the importance of the Black student affinity group at the school.
The modernization is one of the largest campus overhauls paid for by Measure G, a $380 million school construction bond approved by voters in 2020. It’s intended to make the campus more inviting and safe. Next year, Sylvia Mendez Elementary will undergo a $49 million renovation project.
“We at Longfellow are very excited about this long-awaited vision finally starting to materialize,” Paz Melendez Canales, a parent of students who attended Longfellow said at a school board meeting last year. “I can’t wait to see what the campus will look like in a few years.”
A new glass facade will replace the wrought-iron gates that mark the entryway into the school, which facilities director John Calise said are uninviting and are often left open. The new, more welcoming design will route directly to the front office, requiring visitors to sign in before entering the campus. The school will also get three gender-neutral bathrooms.
“It is overdue,” school board director Jennifer Shanoski said at a school board meeting in October. “I know everyone is really anxiously awaiting the new school.”
The schoolyard will get a new look, too, with a more central school garden, which will be moved from the side of the school, and new athletic fields.
The fields were initially designed with astroturf, which sparked pushback from some parents and teachers who pointed to a link between chemicals in astroturf and negative health outcomes like cancer. A bill banning turf with certain chemicals passed the legislature but was vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last year.
As of September, the design and facilities teams were assessing whether they could switch to natural grass while addressing drainage issues, according to a document addressing the frequently asked questions for the project.
Parents have complained about issues caused by campus construction, which was supposed to begin over the summer while students were off campus. The start date was delayed by the state architect’s slow approval process, according to the same document.
As was the case at Sylvia Mendez Elementary, where parents also voiced concerns about students attending school in a construction zone, facilities director John Calise said that keeping students at the school was the best option
Construction has left students unable to use the school library, which is getting new flooring, paint and furniture, or the locker room, and closed off a few school restrooms. Construction on the library, locker room and athletic fields is expected to be completed next fall.
