Superintendent Updates

Dear Brentwood Families, 
 
I hope everyone enjoyed a summer filled with excitement and relaxation. As the new school year approaches, it is my great privilege and honor to welcome back both you and our precious students. It is truly a privilege to begin the 2024-2025 school year as your Superintendent of Schools.

Over the summer, we have been hard at work on numerous projects and initiatives aimed at enhancing our facilities and expanding our educational programs. Our goal is to create even more learning opportunities for our students, ensuring their continued success. For example, we have made significant renovations across many of our schools, including updates to cafeterias, gymnasiums, bathrooms, libraries, auditoriums, and science classrooms. We have also added parking space at Central Administration.

Our coordinators have collaborated with teachers on summer curriculum projects and professional development planning, while the Cabinet and Office of Funded Programs have continued to work diligently on grants and Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways. Administrators, clerical staff, and support staff have been meticulously preparing for a smooth start to the year. Our food service workers made sure that students received healthy meals during the summer and have already started planning menus for the new school year.  Regardless of the type of work performed this summer, every effort has been centered on our wonderful students to guarantee they have a warm welcome back and a successful school year ahead.

Last school year, we celebrated numerous achievements and milestones, highlighted by our highest-ever graduation rate. We also began the initial planning stages of the District’s strategic plan, grounded in the Board of Education’s vision and goals. As we begin this new school year, we aim to build on this exciting momentum with our new vision, Graduation Plus+. At Brentwood, we believe every child has the potential to achieve greatness, and we are committed to being a significant instrument in guiding their success throughout their school career. We will empower them beyond high school graduation by offering opportunities to leave high school with college credits, enrollment in a post-secondary program, or preparation to enter the workforce with the necessary skills, certifications, or licensure. Pathways will be aligned with students’ strengths, preferences, and interests, equipping them to lead productive, meaningful, and joyful lives.

Throughout the school year,  you and your children will learn more about these K-12 initiatives and the opportunities we are creating to help them understand why school is important. We will guide them in finding their “Plus+” by exposing them to opportunities that explore their interests and prepare them for a bright and successful future. It is only by working together that we can build on this momentum.

On September 4th, we will welcome 18,000 students back to our district, along with 702 UPK students in Shepherds Gate, Family Service League, Head Start, and MDQ. For those of you who are new to the Brentwood School District, you will soon see that we are deeply committed to making decisions in the best interests of our students. Our students are the BEST, they are educated by the BEST, and we will continue to give our BEST. 😊

To my wonderful community, please know that I am incredibly proud and humbled to serve as your Superintendent of Schools. Thank you for your cooperation, commitment and for entrusting us with your children’s futures. On behalf of the Board of Education and the Cabinet, we look forward to our partnership and to working alongside our dedicated staff and remarkable students as we begin another exciting and successful school year. 
 
Welcome back and have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

Wanda Ortiz-Rivera
Superintendent of Schools     

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