Stege Elementary relocation could last ‘two to three years,’ superintendent says

This story was updated to correct the name of the district’s associate superintendent of human resources.

Stege Elementary families are adjusting to the reality that their children will attend a middle school campus for the foreseeable future while the school is renovated to correct long-standing maintenance issues and safety hazards.

West Contra Costa Unified School District officials met Monday night with Stege parents, students and faculty to prepare them for the move to DeJean Middle School. 

The district unexpectedly shut Stege down last month, stating that “environmental hazards” were discovered during summer repair work. The announcement came just days after the district was named in a civil rights lawsuit alleging that it failed to address complaints about the 81-year-old building filed over the last two years.

When WCCUSD Superintendent Chris Hurst was asked at the meeting how long Stege will be closed, he said the modernization process would take “two to three years.” 

Last week, attorney Lakisha Mitchell-Keith presented a slideshow detailing building issues at a parent meeting held at St. Peter Christian Methodist Episcopal Church in El Cerrito.

Mitchell-Keith showed pictures of how the school failed to comply with state standards for public schools and classrooms, including classrooms without air conditioning and other HVAC system issues. Other problems, she said, include the discovery of asbestos, water damage, a lack of clean water sources, rampant pest and vermin infestations, inadequate fire sprinklers and fire extinguishers and exposed electrical wiring inside and out.

Stege pupil Giovanni Speech, whose mother spoke at the church meeting, came prepared Monday with his own mini-presentation, holding up a “Saving Stege,” poster peppered with photos of problems at the school, including shots showing a missing fire extinguisher and a ceiling without a fire suppression system.

At the meeting, held at Booker T. Anderson Community Center, Hurst told families that the district will listen to their concerns and is committed to fixing problems at Stege.

He said that in May staff members were already meeting with concerned Stege parents. But when hazardous materials were detected during a window pane removal in early July, he said, it became necessary to close the school. DeJean Middle School was chosen on July 24.

In a presentation, Hurst explained that school staff will ensure that all students and faculty will get the same level of services at DeJean. The district will bus approximately 250 students to DeJean, which has more than 380 students, according to the state Department of Education. School will start at 8:30 a.m. for all, with different buses and dismissal times depending on grade level. An additional bus will operate for students running late, arriving at DeJean by 8:45 a.m. Students will have a free breakfast in their classrooms, which will be located within two buildings along 35th Street. 

The school is being outfitted to help the new students find their way around. Upgrades are to include a new intercom system and play area for Stege children, as well as age-appropriate desks and tables. No equipment from Stege can be used at DeJean unless it’s been cleaned by a licensed professional, staff added. 

The district said the move to DeJean will not impact Stege’s academic programs and emphasized in its online FAQ that both school communities would operate independently with limited interactions. It’s exploring whether the city can support giving Stege students access to after-school programs taking place at Booker T. Anderson Community Center. The city would have to approve the use of a community center for off-campus programs.

Stege Principal Claudia Velez, who is new in her role at Stege, said she’s a lifelong district resident, a parent of district graduates and was a teacher and vice principal in the district for more than 20 years. 

“I can’t wait to reimagine what we want Stege to be for our students and our community,” Velez said. “My door is always open, you can always call me, you can text me. When you come to school, do not hesitate to come and talk to me.”

The district also said ongoing staffing problems at Stege, one of the issues raised in the civil rights lawsuit, are being addressed. Camille Johnson, WCCUSD associate superintendent of human resources, said that new support, nutrition, custodial and outreach staff members were transferred there.

However, the school is still seeking one fifth-grade teacher, and Thompson said she is still learning how many students will be attending Stege. Students may often have rotating teachers, and funding for the relocation and afterschool programs is still being settled, as the district’s 2024-25 budget has not been approved by the school board. It’s also unclear if there will be enough restrooms for the additional students attending  DeJean.

Hurst read aloud written questions from parents for staff to answer, rather than passing around a microphone.

Some parents questioned why the district chose this summer to act on the renovation despite lacking a set budget, when many issues were already well-known at the school for years. 

Vernetta Buchner, former Stege student and a grandmother of a student, told Richmondside she’s concerned that the district had already decided to relocate Stege students without gathering input from the community, noting that they weren’t allowing public speakers at Monday’s meeting.

“They’ve already decided. We have no input,” she said. “You’ve made the decision based on your budget and the whole school district when you could have implemented it years (ago).” 

Hurst said many parents that evening submitted numerous questions about environmental hazards at Stege. He said that the district will host another meeting, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 14 at Booker T. Anderson Community Center, to discuss the hazardous materials that were found at the school and other school refurbishment details. 

Hurst told Richmondside in an email last week that the refurbishment of Stege will cost about $43 million using non-bond state funds.