Ferguson-Florissant School District
Transformation of Berkeley Middle and
The Ferguson- McCluer South-Berkeley High School The Ferguson-
Florissant School Florissant School
District District
Communications Summary
This document provides information about plans to transform Berkeley Middle School and
McCluer South-Berkeley High School and the benefits those changes will bring to
students, employees, parents and the larger community.
Q. What will be changed?
A. Berkeley Middle School and McCluer South-Berkeley High School are on a
government list of “persistently low performing schools” and are therefore eligible for
federal funds to improve performance. The district embraces the opportunity to apply for
resources that will enable us to make bold, transformational changes.
Missouri schools identified as persistently lowest-achieving will be eligible to benefit from
approximately $50 million received by the state in Title I and ARRA funding over the next
three years. Funds will be made available to school districts and schools through “school
improvement grants” (SIG).
Q. What is the biggest change?
A. We propose to merge Berkeley Middle School (BMS), which currently serves seventh-
and eighth-graders, and McCluer South-Berkeley (MSB), which serves ninth- through
twelve-graders, into one building. What is most important is that:
(1) all students will participate in an entirely new educational model that focuses on
college and career readiness for all students,
(2) Students will receive at least 180 hours of additional instruction in literacy, numeracy,
humanities, and AP and Honors courses--totaling at least 25 extra days of instruction,
(3) Staff will receive at least 180 hours of job-embedded professional development and
collaboration time for grades seven through twelve and college and career path course
alignment in order to adjust our teaching to students’ greatest needs, academic
support activities, and college and career readiness (vocational and technical).
Q. When will these changes occur?
A. We plan to have everything in place for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Q. What will be done differently?
A. A bigger picture, longer-term approach will allow us to provide better opportunities,
teaching, and support for our students. There will be more learning time each school day
and on Saturdays. We will add field trips, mentors and enrichment activities. And we hope
for greater parent and community involvement.
Q. What are specific benefits for high school students?
A. We plan to provide students with more opportunities for college credit coursework at
St. Louis Community College and the University of Missouri at St. Louis. We will help
students with college applications, entrance exams, and preparation for ACT tests. BMS
will have computer and industrial tech classes. In addition, MSB will receive a full-time
band teacher, more AP and Honors courses, and a later start time for school.
Q. How about middle school students?
A. They will receive academic and career path inventories and plans from seventh-grade
through college and parents will be invited to participate more in this process. There will
be more reading, writing, and math help during and after school. We also plan to add
activities not currently available to middle schoolers, including sports teams, drama,
speech and debate, robotics, school newspaper, and National Junior Honor Society.
Q. Who will be principal of the new school? And who will be other administrators?
A. Those decisions have not been made. As soon as we have the leadership team in
place, we will communicate the news to staff, students, parents and the community.
Q. What will be the name of the new school?
A. The school names will remain the same: Berkeley Middle School and McCluer South
Berkeley High School.
Q. Will any employees lose their jobs when the schools are merged?
A. No.
Q. What about the four elementary schools whose sixth-graders thought they were
attending Berkeley Middle School next year and now will be in a much larger
building?
A. We recognize that this plan includes lots of changes. It also includes lots of benefits.
We plan to make students, parents and staff members feel as comfortable as possible.
Ideas include asking current McCluer South-Berkeley students to serve as tour guides for
younger students during orientation and as mentors after school begins. In addition,
classes for seventh- and eighth-graders will be held in one wing of the school that will
have its own entrance and bus pickup area. Younger and older students will have
separate lunch times, as well.
Q. McCluer South-Berkeley High School already has about 600 students. How will
you have room for about 270 more now attending Berkeley Middle?
A. McCluer South-Berkeley High School has space for 800 students and 1000 students
at capacity. Currently, classrooms, the natatorium, and other areas are not used at all
times during the school day. Some rooms are not used completely, such as, the
wrestling room. With middle school within the high school, these rooms will be used
more throughout the entire day and the teacher will be required to move from class to
class as is the case with the other high schools in the school district. Also, more students
than ever will be away from the campus in added programs such as dual-enrollment at
UMSL and Florissant Valley College, Gateway to College, North County Tech School, the
alternative school, and others.
Q. What is the timeline for learning more about staffing decisions, bus schedules,
class schedules, etc?
A. On June 15th DESE will receive a draft plan for the Transformation for Berkeley Middle
School and McCluer South Berkeley High School. On July 15 th DESE will receive the final
plan for the BMS and MSB Transformation? The district will post this information
electronically via websites (school and district sites) for the community and by email for
effected staff. Bus schedules and class schedules will occur at the normal time during
the month of August.
Q. What will happen to the current Berkeley Middle School building? Will it be
closed? Will it be used for another purpose?
A. The Berkeley Middle School building will not be closed. Discussions are occurring for
this school building.
Q. How much money do you expect to receive through this federal grant? What if
you receive less? Will plans be scaled back?
A. DESE was granted over $50 million for the School Improvement to distribute to 52
schools throughout the state. Ferguson Florissant School District expects to receive
around $1 million per school. Over 200 key stakeholders help to devise a plan for the
transformation of Berkeley Middle School and McCluer South Berkeley High School.
Combining these two schools allows for the major components (more staff development,
course offerings and academic support activities, and curriculum alignment) of the plan to
still occur if Ferguson Florissant School District receives no funding.