Brentwood Borough School District
SUPERINTENDENT’ S
M E S S A G E
BY DR. AMY M. BURCH rentwood Borough SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS
After much anticipation and planning, the start of a new school year has arrived. The summer was filled with working on district goals, welcoming new staff members, and collaborating with administration and Board of School Directors. Each year we strive to offer exceptional academic programs that provide our students with opportunities and experiences that will enhance learning and prepare our students for the world beyond our walls.
Our supportive community and parents, along with our experienced staff, administrators, and support staff, enable us to be confident that our students will be successful. We are consistently refining our curriculum and reflecting on sharpening our focus to ensure that we move beyond memorization to critical thinking and problem solving. From our youngest kindergarten students to our graduating seniors, the Brentwood Borough School District offers a variety of programming for social growth through our extracurricular activities that include athletics, clubs, and volunteer work. Course offerings are expanding again this year in the high interest area of computer science. Our youngest learners will experience the addition of the reading room where foundational skills critical to reading will be stressed. We are entering our second of three years for our NMSI grant which motivated more students than ever to strive to complete the Advanced Placement Exams in the areas of Literature & Language, Calculus AB / BC, Physics C, Physics I, Computer Science, and Statistics.
The administrative team and Board of School Directors are monitoring workforce trends. The Pittsburgh Business Times recently reported that the five largest sectors that have seen the widest gap in hiring are as follows; health, retail, education, finance, and government( Pittsburgh Business Times, July 30-August 2, 2018). The Allegheny Conference reports that half of the graduates from the region’ s 61 higher education institutions are leaving for other regions. Of the 12,189 local job openings 85 percent require a four-year degree. Couple this with a need for specialized and soft skills employers are struggling to identify qualified candidates. It is our goal to provide a well-balanced academic and social education to prepare our students to enter post-secondary education or the workforce with the necessary skills.
The physical infrastructure of our buildings is in desperate need of repair. A renovation committee continues to meet to discuss prioritizing the capital improvements. Finally, the district website has been completely updated to provide timely information.
We must continue to work together toward our common goal of the success and well-being of our students, we look forward to another wonderful school year.
62 BRENTWOOD-BALDWIN-WHITEHALL