Editor's note: This story was originally published in the Belleville News-Democrat.
For the past two and a half years, the 90-some students of Venice Elementary have been going to a makeshift school in Granite City after their old building at 300 S. 4th St. was condemned in September 2020 and later demolished due to structural issues.
Friday morning, the community came one step closer to a new school as Venice Community Unit School District 3 broke ground at 700 Broadway, where the former Venice High School used to be.
Despite the change in weather that started bringing freezing temperatures and sleet into the Metro East, hundreds of students, parents, school staff and leaders, community members and elected officials gathered for a ceremony to mark the beginning of construction of a 47,400-square-foot, $26 million school that will open its doors to students in August 2025.
“This groundbreaking is not just about the physical start of construction. It signifies the commencement of a journey toward enriched learning, growth and community development,” Superintendent Cynthia Tolbert said.
“This elementary school is more than just bricks and mortar. It will be a nurturing space where young minds will flourish and dreams will take root.”
Board President John Cortez Williams spoke of the board’s vision for the future school back when the former was being demolished.
During a board meeting amid the demolition, Cortez Williams recounted, fellow board member Tisha Glasper, who has a doctorate in education, recommended the school move its marquee from the location at 300 S. 4th St. to 700 Broadway to keep the public updated about events and other developments at the school. The board unanimously agreed to do so, he said.
“This board right here had a vision,” Cortez Williams said. The board envisioned that one day the marquee would not just share information about sporting events and other happenings, but would flash the news of a groundbreaking for a new school.
In remarks that garnered a standing ovation from the crowd, fourth grade student Dallas Liddell talked about his and his classmates’ excitement for their new school.
“My classmates and I are looking forward to moving into our new modern school,” he said.
Our current building is very, very small. We are very excited about having the space to spread out, do our research and create our projects in the new school.”
He and his classmates are especially excited about having their own gym, a real cafeteria, lockers, a playground and a library where they can check out books, Dallas added.
“Get ready to see what we can do,” he said.
School details
Venice District 3 has been working with FGM Architects on the design for the new school, and during the ceremony, Tolbert gave a presentation with renderings of what the exterior and interior of the building will look like.
After going through a bid process last fall, the board approved Holland Construction as the general contractor for the school at its December meeting.
Last May, the board also formalized an agreement with Ed Hightower as an owner’s representative and project manager for the new school construction. Hightower, who has a doctorate in education administration from St. Louis University, is the former superintendent of Edwardsville District 7 for more than 19 years and longtime NCAA basketball referee.
The project is being funded exclusively by a $26 million emergency construction grant from the Illinois Capital Development Board the district was awarded in September 2022.
At the Friday morning event, state Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, said he remembered the day that he, Sen. Chris Belt, D-Swansea, and former Rep. LaToya Greenwood, D-East St. Louis, got the call that Venice Elementary was no longer safe for use.
The three got together and called Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office, Hoffman said.
They identified emergency school funding for cases like the one in Venice. Unfortunately, Hoffman said, Venice didn’t meet the criteria for the funding.
As a result, the local politicians — with the help of Pritzker and his staff — passed a bill that amended the School Construction Law to make Venice eligible and then worked with the Capital Development Board to make the $26 million grant a reality.
“Today, I’m so happy for Venice,” Hoffman said. “Because every child, every child in the state deserves the best facilities, the best technology and the best education we can give them.”
Belt emphasized the impact a new school building can have on student performance, notably by increasing test scores and improving attendance, as well as community pride as schools often serve as the hub of their communities.
“There is something about a brand new building … that you take pride in,” he said.
“This is a momentous day for the city of Venice,” Belt concluded. “I can’t wait to see the day those doors open and we all walk in.”
Redevelopment plan
The new Venice Elementary School is one piece of a larger redevelopment plan in the southwestern Illinois city.
Hightower said that about three years ago, Mayor Tyrone Echols, who was also present Friday morning, asked him to help develop a plan to revitalize the Venice community.
The now-retired educator wrote a white paper that included the new elementary school, a grocery store to alleviate the current food desert, a healthcare facility, 40 new homes, the reconstruction of Broadway with a bike trail and other developments.
In August, Gov. J.B. Pritzker visited Venice to sign legislation that authorized the release of $20 million in state money to help keep small grocery stores open or help get one started in “food deserts” like Venice.
In December, the Illinois General Assembly passed legislation authorizing the state to sell 3.37 acres of property previously owned by the Illinois Department of Transportation to the city of Venice for $1. The bill was sponsored by state Belt, Hoffman, and State Sen. Sue Scherer, D-Decatur. The land will be used for new health care and recreation facilities, according to Belt.
Kelly Smits is a reporter with the Belleville News-Democrat, a news partner of St. Louis Public Radio.
