New interim principal at Berkeley High Kristin Glenchur. Photo: Biotech Partners Kristin Glenchur, vice principal at Berkeley High for the last six years, has been appointed interim principal of BHS for the 2014-15 school year by the BUSD superintendent and board. Glenchur’s appointment comes after a brief search for a replacement for Pasquale Scuderi, who […]
School enrollment
Posted inSchools
4 new principals appointed to elementary and middle schools, search continues for new head of Berkeley High
Cragmont Elementary School in Berkeley: one of four schools to have been appointed a new principal last week. Photo: Cragmont School Four new principals have been appointed to Berkeley elementary and middle schools, and the Berkeley Unified Board has decided to conduct a second-round search for a candidate to replace Pasquale Scuderi who is leaving […]
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2 Berkeley school principals move to new district roles
Pat Saddler: moving up from post as principal of Longfellow Middle School. Photo: BUSD Berkeley Unified School District is promoting two of its school principals to new district-level director positions. Longfellow principal Pat Saddler will be the director of special projects and programs, and Jefferson principal Maggie Riddle will be the director of schools, both […]
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BHS principal Scuderi moves to assistant superintendent
Berkeley High principal Pasquale Scuderi will become district assistant superintendent at the end of this school year. Photo: Emilie Raguso Pasquale Scuderi, principal of Berkeley High School since 2010, will become Berkeley Unified’s assistant superintendent for educational services at the end of this school year. Scuderi will take over the role from Neil Smith who is retiring […]
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Illegal enrollment is boon and burden to Berkeley schools
Parents desperate to get their kids into some schools, including Berkeley High School, cheat their way in. Photo: Frances Dinkelspiel When Sarah James went to the first meeting for her daughter’s freshman crew team at Berkeley High School, she wanted to form a carpool for the 6 a.m. practices. But James (not her real name) lived in Oakland […]
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Enrollment surge necessitates three new kindergartens
BUSD officials informed the principal of Rosa Parks Elementary School, Paco Furlan, just nine days ago that he would have to add another kindergarten class. Photo: Frances Dinkelspiel So many new students have unexpectedly enrolled for kindergarten for the 2013-2014 school year that the Berkeley Unified School District has to add three new kindergarten classrooms. […]
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B-Tech graduation rate soars under inspired leadership
Sheila Quintana Principal at B-Tech, with students. Photo: Mark Coplan This Friday, nearly 800 students from Berkeley High will attend their graduation ceremony at the historic Hearst Greek Theatre. But with equal fanfare, they’ll be joined by 62 seniors from Berkeley Technology Academy (B-Tech). Compared to the many hundreds from BHS, that might not sound […]
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School budget ‘cautiously positive’ despite challenges
The Bonar Street headquarters of the Berkeley Unified School District. Photo: Kaia Diringer “Prudent budgeting” has allowed Berkeley’s school district finances to weather obstacles such as rising employee health care costs and insufficient revenue from the state, officials said earlier this week. “We have heard about the pain in other school districts from furlough days, significant […]
Posted inOpinion
Time to consolidate Berkeley’s dual immersion programs
One of the crown jewels of Berkeley’s public school system is the District’s Two-Way Immersion (TWI) program, also called “dual immersion,” which was developed primarily to increase the academic achievement of English Learners. The basic idea is that first teaching English Learners in their native language promotes long-term academic achievement and confidence, as well as […]
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Berkeley school district cuts to tackle $3M deficit
BUSD Superintendent Bill Huyett: looking to balance the budget Berkeley school district Superintendent Bill Huyett published an open letter yesterday outlining the BUSD budget for the next school year. Specifically he addressed the district’s need to find savings to make up for a $3 million deficit. Below is the letter which precedes a public budget […]
Posted inOpinion
Berkeley High’s long decline in math, English proficiency
Did you know Berkeley High students as a whole are less ready for college math and college English than other students in Alameda or California? This is one of the many alarming facts contained in the report prepared by Berkeley High in anticipation of a school visit by the WASC accrediting team on March 19-21. […]
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Concerns raised over expansion of Jefferson School
Rendering of new library and offices at Jefferson School/ WLC Architects The Berkeley Unified School District is planning a major expansion to Jefferson Elementary School in 2013, but the plan to add new offices, classrooms, and a gleaming new library has drawn criticism from some parents. The school district does not have enough space in […]
