Brentwood School District marks 100 years, promotes bond passage

By
Doug Miner
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8
106

Brentwood School District was established on March 3, 1920 — less than a year after the City of Brentwood’s incorporation in 1919. One hundred years later the school district is promoting Prop E, seeking authority from voters to issue $29 million in bonds to update the district’s two elementary schools.

The district sent out this update last week:

“We are incredibly proud to continue the tradition of excellence that has distinguished Brentwood for the past century,” said Superintendent Brian Lane. “A lot has changed in 100 years, but our dedication to student success and well being has not.”

The district has seen a lot of changes since its inception. Most recently, Brentwood High School and Brentwood Middle School are undergoing major renovations to provide better building accessibility, improved safety features, and modern learning spaces to keep students competitive in a changing educational landscape. “We look forward to inviting the community to see the completed buildings in the fall,” Lane said. “In the meantime, updates are available on our Prop B construction blog at brentwoodblog.org.”

More improvements are being sought for the district’s elementary facilities as well. “The average age of our elementary buildings is 73 years,” Lane explained. “We don’t teach the same way we did in the 40s and 50s. In addition to aging structures, these buildings need to be designed to serve the needs of today’s students.” Some of those needs include Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) lab spaces, flexible learning areas to adapt to modern curriculum and teaching styles, and infrastructure to support today’s technology needs. “The elementary buildings also need accessibility and safety improvements to meet modern standards,” Lane said.

To meet these needs, the district has placed Proposition E on the April 7th ballot. Prop E seeks voter authority to issue $29 million in bonds, which would result in an additional 47-cents per $100 of assessed valuation in taxes. If successful, Prop E would put Brentwood in the middle of St. Louis County districts for total tax levy. “Prop E will help keep our financial picture stable for the next 9-10 years while providing much needed improvements to our elementary facilities,” Lane said.

While March 3rd marks the official 100 year anniversary, a celebration will wait until Fall when the high school building renovation is complete. “We want the public to experience the bridge between the district’s historic legacy and its bright future,” Lane said. “Once construction is complete, the middle and high school campus will continue to serve many generations of Brentwood students with the tools they need to be successful.”

In the meantime, the community is encouraged to follow Brentwood School District on social media. The anniversary month of March will be dedicated to a look back at Brentwood schools over the years. You can find the Brentwood School District on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @BrentwoodMOSD or on our website www.brentwoodmoschools.org.

The Brentwood School District will host two Town Hall meetings to address questions related to Proposition E. The Town Halls are scheduled at each of the elementary buildings. Tours of the buildings will be available immediately following for any community member who wishes to see the building needs.

Town Hall Meeting @ Mark Twain
March 12, 2020 • 6:00 PM
Mark Twain Elementary
8636 Litzsinger Road • Brentwood, MO 63144

Town Hall Meeting @ McGrath
March 23, 2020 • 6:30 PM
McGrath Elementary
2350 St. Clair Avenue • Brentwood, MO 63144

This photo was taken in the late 1930s by Ed Beekman, who lived in the house visible in the photo. The view is from Bridgeport Avenue looking west toward BHS. The Beekmans’ house was completed in 1930, 3 years after the original BHS building, and is still standing. At one time, it served not only as the Beekmans’ residence but as a luncheonette-confectionary for BHS students. The young, bright-green tree in the front lawn of the high school near the left edge of the photo is the post oak. (The oak died and was removed this year.) Photo courtesy Barry Williams

 

8 COMMENTS

  1. I’m sorry, but given past shennanigans in Brentwood, I just can’t trust statements & figures coming from the city or school district. They go with the old playbook for getting a tax increase…threaten to close schools. Then tell us we’re underfunding schools, and don’t believe your lying eyes. When you’re #3 on the chart, behind only Clayton & Ladue, cries of underfunding ring hollow. My feeling over the 25+ years I’ve lived in Brentwood is that working for the city is a pretty cushy gig. Everybody makes out. Teachers & administrative staff included. Civic pride is a great thing, but reflexively voting for constant tax increases is going to become counterproductive at some point. You’re going to push people out of Brentwood with this tax burden. I suggest finding another way to finance whatever plans you wish to implement.

    • It is the same thing happening in Maplewood, too. They will get the taxes to a range that the average family won’t be able to afford to live there any longer.

  2. It’s time to address Brentwood’s elementary schools, they are old and the district wastes hundreds of thousands on maintenance and utilities on these aging and inefficient buildings. I will be voting YES on Prop E.

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