Brentwood Borough plans to consolidate 2 elementary schools, build new one

BRENTWOOD, Pa. — Brentwood Borough School District is preparing to consolidate its two elementary schools into one new state-of-the-art school.

Wednesday night, district leaders laid out plans for the $35 million project in a community meeting.

“We have an opportunity to construct a new building that is going to take us into the next hundred years,” said Superintendent Dr. Amy Burch.

The district purchased the now-closed St. Sylvester school and convent on West Willock Road in June.

The church will remain open and in place, but the district will soon begin demolishing the other buildings to make way for the new four-story elementary school, which is designed to hold up to 650 students.

“When we heard that, unfortunately, St. Sylvester’s was closing, that opened an opportunity for us to reevaluate what we could do with the property that we do have and that’s what’s enabling us to move forward right now,” Burch said.

Moore Elementary was built in 1914 and Elroy Elementary was built in 1920.

Both were last renovated in 1997, according to the district.

Both buildings are set to be sold after the new school opens.

“We want to make sure that all of our students have equal and equitable opportunities and the best way to do that is to have them in the same building,” Burch explained.

According to Burch, designers are drawing inspiration from the Children’s Museum and other new schools in the region.

Their goal is a cutting-edge learning environment.

“Pittsburgh is known as an area of innovation and we’re producing the next workforce. So, if we can design a building that’s going to prepare our students for the jobs that we don’t even know exist yet, that’s only going to make our region stronger and better,” Burch said.

Currently, developers are working to remove asbestos from the buildings sold by St. Sylvester’s before they can be demolished.

The district aims to break ground on the new school in 2024 and have it open by 2026.

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