Parents say the crowded elementary school needs more staff. The district says that is easier said than done.
School overcrowding
Posted inSchools
School board votes on short-term overcrowding solutions
The Berkeley School Board voted unanimously Wednesday on a two-year stop-gap solution to handle overcrowding in schools in the coming years. Although the discussion for the long-term solution, which involves replacing the Berkeley Adult School with an elementary school, was not discussed by the Board, the issue drew over 200 people, including over 100 BAS […]
Posted inSchools
Berkeley School Board primer: Decision time for board on overcrowding
The Berkeley schools Board of Education meets tonight, Jan. 14, for a closed session at 6 p.m., followed by its regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. See the Jan. 14 agenda packet here. (It’s a large file that may take time to load.) The board is expected to decide how to handle overcrowding in the schools in the coming three […]
Posted inSchools
Berkeley School Board primer: Discussion of overcrowding solutions continues
The Berkeley schools Board of Education meets tonight (Wednesday, Dec. 10) for a closed session at 6 p.m., followed by its regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. See the Dec. 10 agenda packet. Ty Alper, elected in November, will be joining the board tonight. The board will continue its discussion of solutions to overcrowding in the schools. See past coverage […]
Posted inSchools
Time-lapse video: A Berkeley school gets new classrooms
Over the summer, Washington Elementary School in Berkeley got a new set of portable classrooms. The new classrooms replaced a group of portables which dated back to the 1960s, even though they were installed originally as a temporary measure. The new ones come from Berkeley High School. They were removed from there in order to complete the high school’s […]
Posted inSchools
School Board considers options for tackling student surge
With an extra 250 students projected to crowd into Berkeley schools in the coming three years, the school board considered a long list of options for creating space at its Nov. 5 meeting. The board will narrow down the choices at its Dec. 10 meeting, and decide on a plan of action in January. After hearing […]
Posted inSchools
Berkeley School Board primer: enrollment and capacity, recess restriction, emergency preparedness
The Berkeley schools Board of Education meets tonight (Wednesday, Nov. 5) for a closed session at 6 p.m., followed by its regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. Follow along via the Nov. 5 agenda packet. The board will discuss possible solutions to overcrowding in the schools and will hear the first draft of a policy on using recess restriction as […]
Posted inOpinion
Op-ed: School district overcrowding is an opportunity that begins as a problem
Last week’s Berkeley School Board meeting kicked off a series of important community input meetings to address the issue of overcrowding in our schools. Parents from local elementary schools shared observations about how increasing demands on our teachers, classrooms, schoolyards and cafeterias undermine the quality education that we want for Berkeley’s kids. Although our schools […]
Posted inSchools
Berkeley School Board primer: English Learner master plan and increasing enrollment are on the agenda
The Berkeley schools Board of Education meets tonight (Wednesday, Oct. 8) for a closed session at 6 p.m., followed by its regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. Follow along via the agenda packet. The board will discuss the district’s English Learner Master Plan. It will also begin a four-part process of addressing the challenges of increasing enrollment. (Read more about school […]
Posted inSchools
State-mandated kindergarten program explains perceived student numbers squeeze at Berkeley schools
When the Berkeley school district added two new kindergarten classes – one to Cragmont school and one to Malcolm X — just before school began, some parents were concerned about what impact the move would have on the schools, which, they said, were neither spacious nor overstaffed. In an opinion piece published on Berkeleyside, Joshua Room, former President of […]
Posted inOpinion
Op-ed: Berkeley schools are victims of their own success
I am a proud graduate from, and enthusiastic supporter of, the Berkeley public schools. I am a lifelong resident of Berkeley, and have chosen to raise my family here. I love the school that my children attend, and have had nothing but tremendously positive experiences with all of the teachers and staff that have been […]