In honor of the First Day of School 2008, I offer you the following facts, courtesy of the district’s back to school report:

Estimated enrollment (as of Aug. 22): 39,227 36,731.

Amount of moola spent on summer modernization projects: $51.4 million

New teacher hires: 300

Teacher transfers: 145

Vacancies: 4

How was opening day at your school? Does it feel good to be back? Tell us your stories.

A voter-approved tax levy is allowing Chabot Elementary School to scrap its World War II-era portable classrooms. Needless to say, parents, teachers and students at the Rockridge area school couldn’t be happier about the prospect of a trailer-free education.

Polly Winograd Ikonen, co-chair of the Chabot: Way to Grow! campaign, wrote me a note detailing Saturday’s celebration to mark the start of the $17.5 million construction project.

It’s too soon to put any holes in the ground — there are still four more days of school — so Chabot dad Michael Bettendorf marked the occasion by destroying an old wooden bench with a sledgehammer. (Apparently, he did it in one swing. Doesn’t that sound oddly therapeutic?)

I hear Chabot alumni from the 1930s and 1940s even came. Dozens of photos are posted here.

Are other schools are celebrating the prospect of portable-free futures? Do you feel the funds are being distributed fairly? If you want to see how the $435 million in bond measure money Read the rest of this entry »

When I picture an arsonist, I imagine a stealthy, grown man, wearing dark clothing and a mask. He’s deranged, shadowy, and possibly drug addicted. Maybe I should adjust my mental picture.

Remember the fire last week at Sobrante Park Elementary School? Two brothers, ages 12 and 16, have since been charged with arson and vandalism. They live in the neighborhood and used to go to school at the school they are accused of damaging. Read the rest of this entry »

Parents and teachers at Tilden Elementary School, which serves a large number of disabled children, showed up to the board meeting tonight to ask why the school still doesn’t have a working fire alarm or intercom system.

“The potential for disaster with tragic consequences is far too great,” said Kathleen Boos, a teacher at Tilden.

Boos said teachers have to run up and down, knocking on doors, whenever there’s a drill or a crisis. The phones often don’t work, she said, and the school was recently encouraged to buy Walkie-talkies as a temporary solution. Read the rest of this entry »

When Sobrante Park Elementary School kids came to school this morning, they saw a burned out portable classroom where they used to make art projects.

The fire happened last night, and firefighters say it looked suspicious – much like the arson at Peralta Elementary School last year. (Here’s a brief on last night’s fire.)

Carmen Denhams, the school secretary, told me this is the third time in a year this has happened. Read the rest of this entry »