Kids don’t walk to school like they used to, which is causing traffic to back up and parents to sit in cars as they drop off and pick up students at McGrath Elementary School in Brentwood. The school district is planning to attack the problem with a new road.
The new road would be one-way westbound — feeding from High School and exiting onto St. Claire.
The school district needed approval from the city for the curb cut onto High School, which they got: 7-3 from planning and zoning and unanimously from the board of aldermen at the June 21 meeting.
Mayor Chris Thornton said in the meeting that he’s a veteran of the McGrath drop-off. He said approximately 220 students arrive at the school between 7:30 and 8 a.m., and the plan would add about 120 cars onto High School during the peak times.
The plan trades traffic on St. Clair, which is ill-equipped to handle it, for traffic on High School, which is better equipped to handle it, Thornton said, and allowing the stacking that occurs on to St. Clair to be on the property. He said it’s a “vastly improved plan.”
Ward 1 Alderman David Dimmitt said residents have told him they’re concerned about a backup on High School as cars wait to turn left onto the drive. He said the amount of time parents spend in line will be unchanged — the traffic will just be redistributed.
A fence is planned along the south side of the road, separating it from the playground. A gate will allow pedestrians to get through the fence and enter the school from the gym.
School board president Keith Rabenberg said he’s lived on St. Claire for 20 years, and about 10 years ago his daughter was excited because she got to be a crossing guard in fifth grade at White and St. Clair.
“We don’t do that anymore because there are many, many, many more cars in the morning,” he said. “If you go by at 7:55 it’s a mess. It’s a safety issue, and we have to pay attention to that,” he said. “Dispersing the traffic only makes sense. We could have a bad accident, and only one would be a horrible thing.”
Superintendent David Faulkner said he hates to spend money on schools that won’t show an educational outcome, but safety of the children is really more important than that.
Faulkner said he’s been in district for 13 years, and has seen an increase in traffic, along with complaints. He said three adults are outside to manage traffic.
The district received a large amount of tuition money from some unaccredited transfer districts that wasn’t built into the budget — the funds will come from that. Faulkner said by email that the project is out to bid, and can’t say what the cost is.
Some residents opposed
A group of resident opposed to the road plan to go to the board of education meeting on August 16 to express their opinions, according to resident Barry Williams.
Williams pointed out to 40 South that 13 mature trees are set to be removed if the plan goes through — each one with an X painted on it. He also said that with the obesity problem America is facing, why isn’t the school district trying to find a way to encourage walking to school. He also suggested that the school could stagger the schedule so everyone doesn’t arrive at once.
He said the BOA approved the curb cut on High School Drive not knowing of the growing public uncertainty and opposition to the proposal.
Living across from Mark Twain School I have an issue with the traffic pattern during drop off and pick up times. I have addressed this at the Public Safety Meeting and but never got any answers, yea or ney for my idea to make the driveway exit at the east side of property a right turn only exit. When busses are present and cars parked on both sides of Litzsinger, it becomes a cluster. I have had my side mirror hit a couple of times. One other change I would like to see is to make the stop signs made into permenant stops vs. the stops only during school hours. I have canvesed several of the residents on this 8600 block and nobody had an issue with that. The speeding is out of control.
I truly believe that the kids walking to school would become more invigorated in the process, and therefore, be ready to learn when they arrive at school. (Instead of rolling out of bed in the morning, getting dressed and jumping in the car, just to be dropped off at the front door of school). Then walking home from school would revive them after sitting in a classroom all day!! For those rainy days you can buy them an “umbrella!” Maybe the PE/Health teachers can present a class on the benefits of walking to get the kids motivated! The parents need to get on board with this idea also. Our kids walked to elementary school. It was just a part of their routine. In the long run, it is best for everyone, and healthier too!!
McGrath doesn’t need more pavement. What it does need are smart officials who will manage the school’s existing assets more wisely. If they stagger class times so that 100% of students don’t arrive and depart simultaneously, the traffic issues would be remedied at no cost to the taxpayer or the environment. I’m troubled that district officials didn’t adopt this benign, no-cost alternative instead. I hear they’re already strategizing on how to ask us for another school tax hike, and, in light of this wasteful plan, I will not support it. In fact, I will work to kill it.
In a region where many school districts are struggling with legitimate challenges — e.g., insufficient funding, lost accreditation, violent crime — here’s Brentwood with its compact 2-square-mile district, walkable schools located in safe neigborhoods, and no bullets flying or pupils being snatched by predators, and the School District wants to squander our tax dollars on something like this?! This plan would actually encourage the driving of students to school by replacing McGrath’s green space with lots of new, spacious asphalt for a road, additional parking lot, and something called a “Student Loading Area.” District officials need to scrap this ridiculous plan and find the backbone to tell parents to stop driving their kids to school. Walking would be good for the taxpayers, the environment, and the children.
Lazy kids go figure. Our maybe it’s the helicopter mindset of the parents who won’t let them out of sight. Why not put the money in an account and give the kids that walk a few bucks for every mile they walk each week. Bet it cuts down on the “ADHD” also.
Right on! Rather than spend all this money to spoil the campus, damage the environment, and harm student health (loss of exercise), why not use this money instead to reward good student behavior (walking)? You could justify this expense as “traffic congestion mitigation.” Or, at the very least, establish a program to publicly recognize and thank those students who walk to/from school. Make walking “cool” again. Perhaps give them some free cafeteria meals or Cardinals’ baseball tickets.
Better yet, let’s just pave the soccer field and make it a ginormous parking lot. Then nobody would be so put-out having to walk uphill both ways half a mile to get to school. We don’t need our kids getting false hopes of having the burden of exercise and fresh air in their lives later on – just pull the plug as soon as possible.
What a pity tearing down all those trees. Doesn’t anyone walk anymore?
I see parents walking their kids to Mark Twain all the time.
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