This last year has seen our District community moving forward in many areas. We have completed our grade reconfiguration, begun two years ago; now elementary students can spend their first six years at the same primary school, while sixth, seventh and eighth graders attend one of three middle schools. Additionally, as of February, 1997, students in three primary grades will be in classrooms of no more than twenty, thus realizing a long-time district goal.
We are using technology to expand our horizons. By the end of 1997 all of our schools will be wired for access to the internet, and all of our school libraries will be automated, opening unlimited reading and research possibilities for students at every school. To aid us in integrating technology into daily instruction, we applied for and received a multimillion dollar federal grant. In the arts we are creating wonderful new traditions. This April, hundreds of our students from every grade will showcase their talents in the Second Annual Celebration of Youth Arts. Throughout the district our teachers, administrators and schools continue to win awards for innovation and excellence, bringing our rich community resources into our curriculum, from the High School's Biotech Academy to the Edible School Yard at King Middle School.
Our building program is also progressing. Last year marked the opening of three newly refurbished buildings: Washington and Whittier Elementary Schools, and the High School G Building. The High School H Building is scheduled to reopen in the Spring of 1997, and in September we will celebrate the opening of Columbus, our first brand-new school in almost thirty years. The following year we will open the new Cragmont School and the remodeled Malcolm X.
We could not have achieved what we have without the support of our entire community. Principals, teachers, classified staff and parents worked countless hours to implement the new class size reduction program at our elementary schools. Net Day saw the participation of dozens of community volunteers, as well as tens of thousands of dollars in donations of money and supplies. The ongoing support of Berkeley citizens funds both our building program and our Berkeley Schools Excellence Project, whose enrichment benefits every student every day.
I am proud of what we have accomplished and I am looking forward to what lies ahead, as we work together to insure that every student begins each day with eagerness and ends each with the sense of achievement and personal satisfaction that comes from a job well done.
Sincerely,
[scan in Jack's signature]
Elementary Schools
Emerson
John Muir
Malcolm X
Cragmont
Oxford
Washington
Berkeley Arts Magnet at Whittier
Columbus
Thousand Oaks
Jefferson
Middle Schools
Longfellow
Martin Luther King
Willard
East Campus Continuation School
General Information
The New Enrollment Process
Enrollment Checklist
Enrollment Calendar
Acknowledgments
Berkeley schools are as diverse and exciting as the community they serve. In 1996/97 the District has an enrollment of 8,772 students, kindergarten through 12th grade. Our student population is 42% African-American, 34% white, 13% Hispanic, 9% Asian, and 2% of all other ethnic groups. Berkeley students speak more than 60 languages at home.
This diversity is a primary value in our community. In 1968 Berkeley was the first major school district in the country to voluntarily desegregate its schools. We are committed to continue this important and precious legacy as we implement a new configuration of elementary and middle schools and a new method of insuring district-wide equity.
Over the course of five years, from 1989 to 1994, the Berkeley school district and the community re-examined how our elementary schools are organized. From the time the original integration plan was adopted in 1968 until Fall, 1995, Berkeley used a "paired school" system. Students attended one school for grades Kindergarten through third, and another for grades fourth through sixth. Students then moved on to a two-year junior high school, and eventually to Berkeley High. The goal was to allow children to attend schools in their neighborhoods for part of their elementary school years and to be bussed to another neighborhood for a few years, providing a balance of races at all schools.
Over time, due to demographic changes, closures of schools, and attendance patterns, a number of schools became racially imbalanced. Many parents and teachers were concerned about disruption that occurred when students changed schools after third grade, and many did not like having junior highs at which students stayed only two years. It was felt that a longer stay at each school would provide a stronger bond between families and school staff.
After lengthy consideration, research, and consultation with staff and parents, the School Board decided to change to a system of K-5 elementary and 6-8 middle schools, beginning in the 1995-96 school year. Parents are now given a chance to choose a school for their children, as long as racial integration is maintained throughout the district. This system of "controlled choice" is one that has been used successfully in other districts, and worked well in Berkeley this year.
This booklet has been designed to help you learn about Berkeley's public schools, their programs and characteristics. While all of our schools have the same strong core curriculum, they also differ in many ways. Some schools have a special emphasis on technology, others in the performing arts. We even have one school with a farm right in the middle of the campus! This booklet can only provide a "flavor" of each individual school. Please come by and see them for yourself.
School descriptions are set out on pages . General information about the district, its policies and procedures are set out on pages . Our staff is ready to assist you in answering questions or placing you in contact with principals and others at the school site. If you need personal assistance, please see the telephone list on page .
Under state law AB1114, parents may also request that their child be enrolled at any age-appropriate school in the district. However, residents of the school's zone will have first priority for admission. Transportation will be provided at the elementary school level, but only within each zone, with certain exceptions for special needs children (see page ).
Limited English proficient students may enroll in Jefferson (for Chinese-speaking students) and at Columbus, Cragmont or Thousand Oaks (Spanish-speaking students), to the extent of space availability in programs located at those schools. Bussing will be provided to those students; they do not need to live in the school's attendance zone.
The district will make every effort to grant parental preferences, as long as space is available and racial integration guidelines are maintained throughout the district.
1997-98 marks the third year in which Berkeley parents have a chance to choose a preferred school among a number of elementary schools within their attendance zone. The district is divided into three attendance zones for elementary schools (see map on opposite page). For middle schools, the attendance zones for Willard and King are the same as they were in previous years. Parents from both middle school zones can request that their children be placed at the "magnet" Longfellow Performing Arts and Technology Middle School.