EBI has leased the Alcatraz campus from the Catholic Diocese of Oakland since 2006. In 2023, the Diocese entered bankruptcy proceedings, creating uncertainty about our long-term ability to remain at the site after our lease concludes in June 2026.

Since 2023, the Diocese and EBI have been actively discussing options for the lease. Ongoing discussions with the Diocese have resulted in an arrangement that allows EBI to extend the lease at the Alcatraz campus for one year (through the 2026–27 school year) within a smaller footprint.

While PK and TK will remain at the Alcatraz campus for the extension year, school leadership and the EBI Board of Trustees have determined that consolidating kindergarten through grade 8 at the EBI-owned San Pablo provides lasting stability for our school community.

While the decision was prompted by the Catholic Diocese of Oakland bankruptcy process, the transition brings important opportunities to strengthen our educational program, streamline operations, enhance community connection across grade levels, and better support EBI’s long-term growth. We believe this is an exciting new chapter that will allow us to build an even more vibrant and fully-integrated EBI experience for all students and families.

No, all programs will continue as usual for the current (2025–26) school year. This transition will not take place until the beginning of the 2026–27 school year.

Our goal is to create a seamless transition and ensure every learning environment effectively supports our students. Based on our preliminary plan, classrooms will be organized as follows:

• First Floor: Kindergarten through grade 4 classrooms will be located on the first floor.

• Second Floor: Grade 5 will move to the second floor, joining grades 6–8.

Alongside these indoor arrangements, we are exploring how to create age-appropriate, safe, and enriching outdoor spaces that will give students across all grade levels the room they need to play, grow, and build friendships.

PK and TK classrooms will be located on the first floor of the Alcatraz campus. We will continue to have access to our first-floor office spaces, the art & music room, and the cafeteria. To ensure our students have ample space for activities, the large cafeteria will be adapted for multi-purpose use, including broader EBI programming.

This has been top of mind as we’ve negotiated with the Diocese. In the early years of EBI’s presence at the Alcatraz Campus, the space was shared successfully between EBI and the Pacific Boys Choir, so we know that a shared model can work well. Today, we also share the campus with St. Augustine’s Parish and various subtenants that use certain spaces, such as a karate class and a basketball league.

At this time, the Diocese has not indicated that they have a specific tenant in mind for the second floor. However, EBI has worked carefully to ensure that our lease includes guardrails protecting the safety and integrity of our PK/TK program. These guardrails set clear parameters around the types of tenants permitted and require that any future use be consistent with a safe, secure, and developmentally appropriate early childhood environment.

The Diocese shares our commitment to maintaining a safe and nurturing campus, and we will work together to ensure that any future use aligns with these shared values and includes appropriate physical and procedural protections.

We will keep our community informed if the Diocese identifies a second tenant and will share updates about any additional measures we take to maintain a safe and secure environment for our community.

EBI will continue to engage with the Diocese to determine if our PK and TK programs should remain at the Alcatraz campus beyond the current lease extension. Given the unknowns of the Diocese’s bankruptcy process, we do not have guarantees past summer 2027. However, this extension provides us with essential time to plan for the future of our PK and TK program, whether that involves a longer term lease at Alcatraz or a new location. To guide this effort, a dedicated committee has been tasked with identifying viable options, conducting thorough evaluations, and making recommendations to ensure an enduring home for PK and TK programs.

We are dedicated to supporting our faculty and staff through this transition. With the new structure, some roles will shift to the San Pablo campus, while others specific to PK and TK will remain at Alcatraz. We will work closely with each individual to define their roles as this transition plan gets underway.

This decision was prompted by the Catholic Diocese of Oakland bankruptcy proceeding. Concurrently, as part of our strategic priorities process, school leadership and the Board of Trustees have been exploring how best to support EBI's long-term mission. Consolidating more grade levels onto one campus (a common model for schools like EBI) allows us to align our operations with our current size and invest more intentionally in what matters most: our programs, our people, and the student experience.

Over the past few years, EBI has taken thoughtful steps to ensure our operations are sustainable and responsive to changing conditions. This move is a continuation of that approach, which is designed to steward our resources wisely and position the school for long-term success.

While this transition will bring some changes, we believe it will ultimately enhance the daily experience for all students. 

• PK/TK: Our youngest learners will have a dedicated home at the Alcatraz campus, where our Reggio Emilia-inspired program can thrive in a nurturing setting focused on early childhood development. We will continue fostering cross-campus connections to ensure a smooth transition to the San Pablo Campus for kindergarten.

• K–8: Bringing grades K–8 together at the San Pablo campus will unite more of our community, allow for more direct investment in instruction, and strengthen the continuity of our bilingual, inquiry-based IB curriculum. This alignment will create deeper cross-grade connections and a seamless learning journey for every child.

We are hosting office hours and community meetings to provide more information about the transition. Our goal is to answer all questions well ahead of the start of the next school year. Please see the meeting details below:

Drop-In Office Hours

Alcatraz – Advancement Office

• Thursday, October 23: with Ben Griggs (Head of School)

  • 8–9 a.m.

  • 10–11 a.m.

  • 2–4 p.m.

• Friday, October 24: with Ben Griggs (Head of School) and Josh Aycock (Trustee and parent)

  • 8–11 a.m.

  • 1–4 p.m.

San Pablo – Head of School’s Office

• Friday, October 24: with Lisa Omar (Director of Advancement) and Caitlin Bilotti (Trustee and parent)

  • 8:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.

Additionally, we will be hosting school-wide Community Forums to provide further information and direct engagement with school leadership regarding the operational transition for the upcoming year. The details for these forums are as follows:

School-Wide Community Forums

Tuesday, October 28

• Location: Alcatraz (Church Sanctuary)

• Time: 6–7:30 p.m. (Hybrid Meeting)

• Details: Childcare available for EBI students. Please RSVP via ParentSquare.

Thursday, October 30

• Location: San Pablo (Gallery)

• Time: 6–7:30 p.m. (Hybrid Meeting)

• Details: Childcare available for EBI students. Please RSVP via ParentSquare.