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Brownstown Township residents may have a lot in common, but there is one
thing that separates them: the school districts their children or
grandchildren attend. Unlike many other cities Downriver in which the school
district's borders mirror the community's boundaries, Brownstown instead is
served by three different school districts. While that trio of school
districts may differ in size and makeup, all three also share something in
common: In a time when spending has become increasingly difficult, all three
continue to work to provide the best education possible for its students.
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The Northern section of Brownstown is split between the Taylor and
Woodhaven School Districts (as illustrated in this map).
The Central and Southern portions of Brownstown use the Gibraltar School
District. |
Woodhaven-Brownstown School District
Until 1998, those attending this school system actually were attending the
Woodhaven School District. That makes sense, though, since the vast majority
of the students in the district were from Woodhaven. Over the years,
however, the makeup of the district changed. A tremendous amount of building
in the township starting in the late 1980s meant many new families for
Brownstown, and many new students for the school system.
In 1998, however, the name "Brownstown" was officially added to the
district's moniker to better represent the makeup of the district. The
growth has meant more than just a name change, however. It also has meant
more schools: Just a few years ago the district reopened Patrick Henry
Middle School, a facility that had been closed for 10 years. The move brings
eight the number of schools within the district.
They are: Woodhaven-Brownstown High School, Brownstown and Patrick Henry
Middle schools and Bates, Erving, Gudith, Wegienka and Yake elementary
schools. The growth has meant many changes, but one thing officials stress
has not changed is the commitment to excellence for the students, and a look
at recent history certainly shows that to be true.
In December, Gov. John Engler announced that Gudith Elementary School was
one of less than 200 schools around the state to be selected as a winner of
the Golden Apple Award. The award brings more than just congratulations. It
also brings a handsome award, with winning schools receiving a minimum of
$50,000 for the district. Supt. Bill Meadows, at the time the first awards
were announced, said that money would be used for additional library books,
more computers and other supplies for the schools.
The School Board meets the first Monday of every month at the board offices,
24975 Van Horn Road. For more information, call Meadows at 783-3300.
Gibraltar School
District
Change is a common theme throughout
the Brownstown Township, and it's certainly the case throughout the
Gibraltar School District.
Just 10 years ago, the district had a population of about 2,700 students and
operated three elementary schools, a middle school and Carlson High School.
Today, there are four elementary schools and a student population of 3,423,
an increase of 27 percent in the last 10 years. That steady growth led in
2000 to the reopening of Weiss Elementary School.
Schools in the district are: Carlson High School, Downriver High School (an
alternative school operated by the Downriver Technical Consortium), Shumate
Middle School and Weiss, Chapman, Hunter and Parsons elementary schools.
The district has also seen a number of changes with its leadership. Several
full-time and interim superintendents have been in place over the last 10
years: R. Nick Johns, Don Pobuda, James Vollmar, Thomas Riutta and Eric
Federico, who was appointed to the position in January.
The Board of Education consists of Elton Laura Jr., Timothy Dean, Kenneth
Jacobs, James A. Crapko, Linda Andrzejewski, Edward Camilleri and Marsha
Kozmor.
Regular meetings of the board are held the second and fourth Tuesdays of
each month at the board offices, 19370 Vreeland Road, in Woodhaven.
For more information, visit the district's website at
http://www.resa.net/gibraltar.
Taylor
School District
Although the vast majority of Brownstown children attend school in either
the Woodhaven-Brownstown or Gibraltar school district, a smaller number are
part of the Taylor School -District, the largest district Downriver.
Taylor has changed somewhat in recent years -- in the mid 1990s, one of its
three high schools was closed --but district still operates two high
schools, three middle schools and 15 elementary schools. In total, the
district serves more than 10,000 students though an operating budget that
exceeds $80 million.
In addition to the traditional schools, the district also operates the
Taylor Career Center, a training-based facility that stresses job skills in
specific professional and industries areas such as allied health, business
services technology, cosmetology, computer systems, construction technology
and culinary arts. The career center provides more than just classroom
training, instead putting the emphasis on real-world scenarios students soon
will face once they are working.
Throughout the district, there are a number of program place to target
specific areas of student performance. Among those programs is Project:
T.L.C., or Technology Literacy Curriculum. The program provides teachers
with four weeks of comprehensive instruction in the use of technology for
classroom applications. Following that training, some teachers are elected
to be "technology coordinators" to serve as in-school technology liaisons.
The end result, then, is technology experts throughout the district, right
where the students can use them the most. The School Board meets the second
and fourth Monday of each month at the district's offices at 23033 North
Line Road. For more information, call 374-1206.
Trenton Veterans Memorial Library
Constructed on the same site, the new library covers 21,000 square feet
making it capable of increasing its book collection to over 90,000 volumes.
Patrons have access to Internet, electronic information, increased
programming for children, access to Trenton's historical documents. The new
building is designed to adapt to future changes in library technology. For
over seventy years Trenton has provided a library to the community. As the
new millennium approaches, Trenton can take pride in continuing its heritage
and tradition of providing quality library services.
 Brownstown Township
21313 Telegraph Road
Brownstown, MI 48183-1399
SE corner of Telegraph / King Road
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