Please see below for questions and answers regarding the temporary moves of Longfellow Middle School and Berkeley Adult School (BAS) for Fall 2024. This FAQ will be updated as more information becomes available. Please check back regularly during June – August 2024.
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Longfellow at Berkeley Adult School (BAS) Questions
Q: How long will Longfellow be at BAS?
A: We believe for at least the 2024-25 and the 2025-26 school years. However, at this time, we are unable to say with certainty until the repairs are fully designed and approved by the State Architect.
Q: How will students get to school?
A: Please check back soon. We will update our community with transportation information as it becomes available.
Q: Will the school hours change?
A: At this time, we don’t anticipate changes to the bell schedule.
Q: Would the middle school assignment zoning change?
A: Enrollment zoning would not change because of the temporary move.
Q: Will all the same Longfellow programs be offered?
A: We believe the new facility will allow us to maintain our current programs and classes. The facility has a gym and we are evaluating location options for after school outdoor sports and will provide additional information when it is available.
Q: Will breakfast and lunch be available?
A: Yes.
Q: Is there a gym?
A: BAS has a multi purpose room.
Q: Is Berkeley Adult School the same size as Longfellow?
A: The size is comparable.
Q: Can you tell me more about the Berkeley Adult School facility and campus?
A: The Berkeley Adult School served as a primary school campus for many years, serving our younger student population. This campus is typical of school design and offers the needed classroom, office, and ancillary spaces to operate a middle school efficiently.
Q: Will a gender neutral restroom be available for students at the new location?
A: Yes.
Q: I have an incoming 6th grader, how possible is it that they will never attend school at the Longfellow campus?
A: At this time, we believe that Longfellow will be temporarily hosted at BAS for at least the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years. We will share additional timing information as it becomes available.
Q: Will there be a sign at the BAS site that says “Longfellow?”
A: Yes, we expect to have signs that identify the temporary home of Longfellow.
Q: When will orientation occur and will students be able to walk around the new temporary campus?
A: More information about orientation will be provided in early August.
Longfellow Facility Questions
Q: Is the safety issue only in a particular building or the entire campus?
A: The safety issue is in the main academic building at Longfellow, but this creates an imminent risk for the entire campus.
Q: If it’s only in the main building, why does the entire school have to move?
A: Although the academic building is the only building that has been red-tagged and deemed unsafe, the impact is on the entire campus. The reason the building has been deemed unsafe is that it is at risk of collapse in its current condition. The Longfellow campus is constrained, and movement throughout the entire campus poses a safety risk with the building in its current condition. Additionally, construction activity and noise will increase once the reconstruction of the academic building is fully designed, approved, and begins.
Q: Why wasn’t this discovered sooner?
A: While some testing was done on the site in accordance with design standards, there was no way to discover the level of damage behind the stucco, which could not be discovered until the stucco was removed.
Berkeley Adult School (BAS) Questions
Q: Why does BAS have to move?
A: The Longfellow Middle School campus is unsafe for occupation. This was discovered the afternoon of June 7. There was no way to anticipate the discovery of the structural problems on the Longfellow campus. There are no vacant facilities within BUSD where Longfellow could be located. BUSD contacted neighboring school districts in search of a vacant school site large enough to hold Longfellow Middle School; none are available. There are different legal and logistical constraints on the operation of middle school than there are on adult education. This is what makes moving Longfellow to the BAS site the only viable solution for Longfellow for the district to honor the legal and logistical constraints on middle school operation. In this emergency situation, there are no ideal solutions.
BUSD has every intention of returning adult school operations to the BAS campus when the construction at Longfellow is complete and the middle school returns to its home.
Q: How will instructional materials and such be moved to the new site(s)?
A: BUSD facilities has previously engaged the services of professional movers who have very successfully managed school moves. Professional movers will pack materials at BAS and move them to the assigned classrooms in the new locations(s).
