The brand-new Brentwood Elementary School was supposed to be ready for the upcoming school year, but it isn’t. Weather issues and a lack of manpower caused the delay.
“Obviously we were disappointed in the fact that we couldn’t get in there Sept. 8,” Superintendent Dr. Amy Burch said. “We had built all this excitement, but I ask for the community’s patience.”
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Burch says the Baldwin Borough School District has been monitoring the progress of the new Brentwood Elementary School along Brownsville Road and Willock Road.
But during a tour last week, school officials saw things just aren’t ready.
“So, when we walked the building last Thursday, we realized the roof wasn’t going to be finished, the flooring wasn’t going to be finished and the gym wasn’t going to be finished, so we had to make that tough decision at that time and say, ‘OK, let’s open at the current elementary buildings,’” Burch said.
This week, Burch posted a letter on the district’s website sharing the news that students at Elroy and Moore Elementary Schools will each start the school year at their old buildings Sept. 8.
Brentwood parents and students say that, while it’s disappointing, they’ll make the most of it.
“Yeah, a little bit, ‘cause I still get to see my old school and then go to the new school after,” Moore Elementary Melissa Magar said.
The new Brentwood Elementary School is set to be finished by the end of October, but students won’t move in until January because the state doesn’t allow a mid-semester move.
“As long as they have a school to go to, it’s fine,” Brentwood School District parent Kiran Gurunz said. “Transparency is the key here, so as long as they are being transparent, everything’s good.”
“The amenities that we have in the new building from the playground on the roof to the sensory rooms to the rooms for English language learners are truly going to be so impactful that taking this extra time is going to pay off in the end,” Burch said.
Burch says the contractors are responsible for any extra costs related to the delay.
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