Mollering Field Lights Divide Neighbors and Athletes as Bond Gap Looms

Carleton Street neighbors and Berkeley High athletes squared off Oct. 21, 2026, over plans to light and turf Tim Mollering Field, while facilities staff confirmed the lights remain in the project's environmental review. The Berkeley Unified School District Board of Education took no action on the field. It also heard a $44 million Measure G funding gap, demands for action after Unity Day violence and a test-score report that prompted the board president to call for a deeper intervention review.

---

• Mollering Field lights: Neighbors demand the environmental study be withdrawn; athletes and coaches want lights and turf soon
• $44M Measure G gap as staff preview a possible March 2028 bond against a $1.8B facilities need
• Unity Day violence and an Oct. 16 assault on a student with a disability draw calls for urgent, concrete action
• Students and teachers urge the board to appeal a state finding against Palestine posters
• Test scores flat at 71.7% ELA, 66.5% math; board president orders review of Black student intervention

---

Mollering Field: Lights, Turf and a Broken Promise

The basics: Under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the district must study a project's environmental effects. A Notice of Preparation (NOP) opens public comment on what an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) should cover.

Why it matters: The project would give Berkeley High tennis five courts and baseball a turf field. Neighbors say promised outreach never happened, that they are organized, and that their council member supports them.

Where things stand: Five Carleton Street neighbors spoke against the lights. Manu Sait said promised design meetings never occurred and that "after 10 months of silence, the district released a formal initial CEQA study with no notice to the neighbors." He also called the planned 200-square-foot bioswale, a landscaped drainage feature, inadequate.

"Please withdraw the study, drop the lights, and hold the community meetings that you promised," said Sait, a public commenter.

Peter Waller asked to restart the process. Bima Sheridan, parliamentarian of the Berkeley High PTSA and a Carleton Street resident, said "We'd really rather not have big lights across from our houses," though she thanked the district for higher netting. Stefan Pastine said the street is "adamantly opposed to what's going on."

"Students spend 4 years there, but we the neighbors spend decades here," said Leona Weller, a Carleton Street native who said she supports student safety but wants solutions other than lighting.

The other side: Girls varsity tennis players thanked the board for approving the courts and urged lights for safety, practice time and fewer missed classes. Co-Athletic Director Robin Vecht called the arguments against lights and turf obsolete. Baseball parent Eli Berland backed lights and turf as soon as possible, citing flooding and dangerous field conditions.

Staff response: Assistant Superintendent of Facilities John Calise said the plan includes five courts, restrooms and changing facilities. "We had to have 5 courts for our teams to be viable and be able to host," said Calise.

He said the lights are being studied in the EIR, with lighting infrastructure designed as a bid alternate, an option the board can accept or decline when bids come in. He said 40-foot field netting is planned to address errant baseballs, and that the bioswale is engineered to handle drainage.

What's next: The NOP comment period runs to early November. "If the board actually would like, we can extend that," Calise said. Construction is tracking for a summer 2027 start. Board President Ka'Dijah Brown asked that community engagement be held at BTA, near the site, with outreach through city partners.

---

Measure G Nearly Spent as Bond Talk Begins

Why it matters: Measure G bond money is nearly exhausted, state funding is not guaranteed, and the board faces a decision on whether to put a new bond before taxpayers.

Where things stand: Ashley Del Rio, program manager with Van Pelt, said the program still faces a roughly $119 million deficit, and a final $75 million Measure G issuance will not cover it. "That'll be the remaining funding available for Measure G, which leaves us with a gap of $44 million," said Del Rio.

Staff hope state Proposition 2 hardship funding for seismic work at Longfellow and the Berkeley Community Theater will move the district up the state's funding line. Calise called confidence in that funding extremely high.

Brown pressed for a fallback. "I want to know what our contingency plan is if we hear those nos," said Brown. Calise answered that "the only project that we would be able to stop would be the community theater."

The bigger bill: The district's facilities condition assessment is trending toward about $1.8 billion in need. Calise said a bond would not cover all of it: "We're not going to ask the board to approve a $1.8 billion bond, right?" The facilities master plan, expected to finish around May, will inform the request.

Staff cited cumulative bond rates of $216.40 per $100,000 against a prior commitment capping them at $172.80 per $100,000. Those figures do not reconcile as presented and are worth checking against the staff report.

Project roster: Calise reported the $125 million Little Theatre seismic retrofit and Longfellow trending at about $93 million, with students returning in August 2028. He also reported a crisis alert system of about 1,600 devices targeted to go live in January 2027 and a 28-classroom Berkeley High expansion above the parking lot. Summer work included heat mitigation fans and blinds, security fencing at Cragmont and MLK, new stadium turf and a modular special day class facility, whose design a board member urged the district to replicate.

Land deal: Responding to Brown, Calise said the district is exploring a land swap with the city involving 1720 Oregon and 1707 Russell.

What's next: Staff would return "no later than March of '27 to actually ask for approval to put it on the March of '28 ballot," Calise said.

---

Unity Day Violence Puts Board on Defense

Why it matters: Parents, special education advocates and a district advisory committee say the response to off-campus violence after Berkeley High's Unity Day has been inadequate. Board members promised action but offered no specifics.

Where things stand: Superintendent Enikia Ford Morthel opened the meeting by addressing the incidents. "I want to reiterate that the behavior reported was unacceptable," said Ford Morthel. She said after-action reviews are under way and that the district is talking with the City of Berkeley and the Berkeley Police Department.

Parents described escalating violence. Mari Metcalf, a Berkeley High parent, asked the district to analyze what happened and act. "I think the school district should be on high alert and in crisis mode right now," said Nathan, a ninth-grade parent.

The disability lens: Eliza Ngo, chair of the Superintendent's Disability Equity and Special Education Advisory Committee (DESEAC), cited "the October 16th assault on a BUSD student with a disability, which was so egregious that hospitalization and police involvement was required." She called the district's Oct. 20 statement tepid and offered to collaborate on a Disability Pride and Belonging Initiative.

Susan Snyder of the Berkeley Special Education Parent and Caregiver Group said disability discrimination and violence are routine. A commenter named Lindsay said earlier recommendations were ignored.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: No action was taken. "I support the district's taking effective and transparent action to protect students with disabilities and all students from violence, bullying, discrimination, and harassment," said Board Member Beatriz Leyva-Cutler. Board Member Mike Chang said "we're working hard on it with the superintendent and her team." Families of students with disabilities are still waiting for a concrete plan.

---

Poster Finding Draws Organized Student, Teacher Push

Why it matters: A California Department of Education (CDE) finding against Palestine posters in a Berkeley Independent Study classroom has become a fight over speech, teacher protection and antisemitism complaints.

Where things stand: Students, including Jewish students, and teachers spoke in a coordinated bloc. They said the posters in Room 202 are not antisemitic and that the finding and district trainings silence students and teachers. Student Maha said the posters call for justice, not discrimination. Emmett, a Berkeley High journalist, said a related CDE finding on the yearbook threatens the right to protest and to document protests.

Speakers also cited AB 715 and the cost of repeated complaints. "A congressional report was released today exposing 40 teachers in BUSD by name," said Cory Wade, a teacher at Berkeley Independent Study. Yvette Palarka of the BAM Caucus faulted the district for not challenging the finding. A commenter named Ilana said a small group files the complaints.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: No board member responded and no vote was taken. A student board member urged the district to appeal.

---

Scores Flat, Gaps Persist for Black Students

Why it matters: Overall proficiency held roughly flat while disparities for Black students persist. The board president described the situation as an emergency requiring a stronger targeted response.

Where things stand: Staff reported 71.7% proficiency in English language arts and 66.5% in math, still above county and state results. Science reached 58.11% in its first year as a California Dashboard accountability measure. Chronic absenteeism worsened from yellow to orange, and two student groups landed in red in math. Participation was 97% in grades 3-8 and 87% in high school ELA.

Black students gained about 6 points in both ELA and math, compared with 1 to 1.4 points for other groups. Still, Brown called 30% proficiency among Black students startling and asked for expected outcomes and a plan. Staff pointed to intervention models at Longfellow, Sylvia Mendez, Ruth Acty, Muir and Thousand Oaks. Other board members requested cohort data, classroom-level analysis and evidence on the science curriculum.

What's next: Brown directed staff to return with a presentation or study session on the district's Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) across Tiers 1-3 for focal student groups. The board extended the meeting to 11:15 p.m. by voice vote to finish the item.

---

Minor Items

• Consent calendar: Approved by voice vote, with no tally announced. Moved by Leyva-Cutler, seconded by Board Vice President Jennifer Corn. Item 12.4 was pulled.
• Field trips (12.4): Berkeley High girls varsity water polo overnight trip approved by voice vote; China/Shanghai trip returns Nov. 4.
• AI moratorium: Parent Bren Darrow said Berkeley Unplugged has 638 members and 824 petition signers. A board member said ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini were recently blocked.
• Bell schedule: Parent Emma S. said families were shut out of the Berkeley High schedule overhaul, which is slated for a December decision.
• Closed session: The board reported a settlement and two other items approved unanimously.

---

Looking Ahead

Watch for the Mollering NOP comment deadline in early November and the China/Shanghai trip on Nov. 4. Staff must bring a March 2028 bond request no later than March 2027.