At its meeting on Tuesday, April 15, the Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) Board of Education explored the schematic designs for a new gym at Encinal Jr. & Sr. High School and heard an update on classroom cooling strategies.
Planning for new Encinal gym underway
Mark Quattrocchi of Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA)—the design firm behind the modernization of both Alameda High School and Encinal Jr. & Sr. High School and currently leading the modernization of Wood Middle School and Otis Elementary School—revealed the latest schematic design plans for a new gymnasium on the Encinal campus.
A key part of AUSD’s Facilities Master Plan and Measure B approved project list, the new gym is intended to complement the main gym facility and features multi-sport striping for basketball, volleyball, and other court sports, along with bleachers and a weight room that looks out onto Willie Stargell Field. Design and programming were refined through a series of site design committee meetings between staff and QKA starting in fall 2024.
Quattrocchi walked through several features of the building’s design and called attention to the use of Kalwall facades on the gym’s walls that are translucent and designed to let in natural light without direct sun exposure. Construction is expected to begin in summer 2026 and open in time for the 2027-2028 school year. The project is expected to cost $21.3 million, and is funded by a $69.2 million Measure B allocation for the entire Encinal site.
During the public discussion of this presentation, only one speaker, Paizley, had a comment, and she suggested that the new gym include a new space for wrestling, which she said is a growing sport in Alameda.
Trustee Jennifer Williams thanked Quattrocchi for his work and expertise over the past decade, following his announcement that he would be retiring.
“Your amazing work in this community not only helps us make good decisions,” said Williams, “but the public and this community puts faith in us when they pass bonds because your beautiful work is on display.”
Update on classroom cooling strategies
The next item was an update on the ongoing process to develop a plan to address classroom temperatures at schools across the district. This process began in October 2024, following a week of unprecedented high temperatures early that month. AUSD staff have since been experimenting with installing ceiling fans at several school sites while also working to develop a weighted rubric that will help prioritize cooling solutions for the 198 classrooms across the district without air conditioning or fans. The rubric assigns a score to each classroom based on the level of sun exposure, the amount of time it is used during the school day, and several other factors based on use and location.
Several public speakers suggested strategies that included trees, shrubs, and other green solutions that can both provide and become cool spaces on school campuses. However, during his presentation, Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Shariq Khan noted that greening schoolyards would require comprehensive and compliant plans that take into account fire and emergency vehicle access and a facilitator who is well-versed in the development of these plans. At this time, Khan concluded, the recommendation is to not contract with a facilitator but to instead continue working with a small group of volunteers on a limited scale.
During discussion that focused on project budget and funding, Student Board Member Eugene Krueger inquired whether it was actually necessary for all of the district’s classrooms to have some sort of cooling, and if some of the lesser priority classrooms might get by with no intervention at all.
“It’s a good point,” noted Superintendent Pasquale Scuderi. “On the back end of the rubric, they’re probably going to include the classrooms you’re talking about. So there is room to analyze as we go along.”
Work to install cooling strategies will be spread out over five summers, starting with nine key classrooms at Maya Lin and Paden Elementary schools in summer 2025 before expanding to classrooms at Bay Farm, Edison, Franklin, and Island High in summer 2026. The $1.5 million project will be completed in-house by the district and will be absorbed into maintenance and bond funds. AUSD staff will continue experimenting to determine if fans are sufficient rather than installing full-blown air-conditioning systems, which could further reduce the project cost.
Other notable items
- In a thorough presentation, Scuderi summarized several ongoing areas of focus for AUSD that have garnered public attention from past Board meetings, such as student performance, enrollment, and budget, and explained the tradeoffs and decision-making process.
- The Board unanimously approved an amendment to extend Scuderi’s term of employment by one year and increase his salary equivalent to the percentage of salary increase negotiated for all district employees, or 6%, whichever is greater. Board members, particularly Vice President Ryan LaLonde, defended the decision, citing Scuderi’s track record in leading the district through the COVID-19 pandemic and noting that several neighboring school districts have lost their superintendents amid financial crises.
Ken Der is a contributing writer for the Alameda Post. Contact him via [email protected]. His writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Ken-Der.
