The Pleasant View R-VI School District is located primarily in Grundy County with a small parcel of land extending into Livingston County. Parts of or all of the following townships are a part of the district: Jackson, Trenton, Marion, Wilson, and Lincoln in Grundy County and Cream Ridge in Livingston County. The school is located in the center of the district approximately two miles southeast of Trenton just off Highway 65.
Thirteen small rural schools made up the Pleasant View R-VI District. These include: Liberty, Pleasant Grove, Prairie Valley, Independence, Skinner, Belshe, Reed, Ream, Mt. Pleasant, Grundy Center, Union, Baker, and White Oak. In 1951 these 13 districts were reorganized into the Pleasant View R-VI School District using four of the existing school buildings. The first Board of Education elected to serve included: J.W. Kilburn, Winston Flentje, Don Woodard, Harry L. King, Wendell Veatch, and Lyman S. Shaw. The first meeting of the new board was held May 24, 1951, at the Independence School. The four schools operated by Pleasant View R-VI were Skinner, Independence, Ream, and Mt. Pleasant.
In 1956 voters of the Pleasant View R-VI District passed a $65,000 bond issue to build one building and combine the four schools. Members on the Board of Education at that time were Winston Flentje, Huel Campbell, Clayton Davis, Ralph Jobe, Robert Whitley, and Ervin Gray. The cost of the new building (the one presently in use although additions were added later) was approximately $100,000. This was financed by the $65,000 bond issue, $25,000 from the state, and the remaining $10,000 from the school building fund. The building was finished in December 1958, and students started occupying on January 5, 1959. The four school buildings in use until that time were sold at public auction on July 28, 1958. The Skinner building and grounds, toilets, and coal shed sold for $2,732. The Independence building and grounds with toilets, well pump, furnace, and blinds brought $2,053 while the Ream building without bell and blinds brought $850 with toilets sold separately at $34 each. The Mt. Pleasant building without bell brought $260, the coal building $50, and the toilets $11 and $5.
By 1966 enrollment had increased, mainly because of the Lake Trenton housing addition within the R-VI District. At the regular Board meeting on March 2, 1966, plans were discussed for an addition to the building to accommodate the large enrollment. It was decided to meet with a contractor to discuss costs on a metal building. At the next meeting on March 12, 1966, there was discussion on costs of a metal building and plans for the same. It was decided to vote a $30,000 bond to build and furnish the new building and to make repairs to the existing building. The Board of Education then met at a special meeting on March 15, 1966, to gather information to be presented at the Community Club meeting to explain the school election and bond election. At a special meeting on March 18, 1966, it was moved by Robert Whitley and seconded by Donald Woodard for the district to vote on a $30,000 bond issue to erect a building approximately 32 feet by 96 feet for additional classroom space, to equip and furnish the new building, and to make repairs to the existing building. All board members voted yes-Whitley, Woodard, Campbell, Fletcher, Boyd, and Parker. The bond issue for the building was held on April 5, 1966, with 76 voting in favor and 11 voting against. The bonds were sold on April 19, 1966, at an interest rate of .0397%. On August 1,1966, a bid of $28,005 by Blomberg Construction was accepted to build the addition.
Enrollment continued to increase and more room was soon needed. On March 6, 1968, the Board decided to vote on a bond issue in the amount of $125,000 for the addition of a new gymnasium and classrooms, furnishings for the new addition, expansion of the kitchen, and additions to present facilities. A vote was held on April 2, 1968, with 96 voting in favor and 25 voting against the bond issue. The Diven Company submitted the low bid of $91,000 and was granted the contract to build. With this addition the facility was capable of accommodating up to 200 students.
In October 1970, Trenton annexed the Lake Trenton housing area, which included many of the Pleasant View R-VI students. For the next two years, the Boards of Trenton R-IX & Pleasant View R-VI met to discuss the damage to the R-VI district. The R-VI building had been built specifically to accommodate the large number of students only to lose many through this annexation. Finally on June 20, 1972, the Board of Arbitration awarded R-VI $65,000 for the damage done through the annexation. The R-IX Board appealed this decision to the circuit court and a hearing was held on October 4, 1972. The judge ruled in favor of the Board of Arbitration and R-VI school, upholding the decision of $65,000 damage to R-VI. The Trenton R-IX Board appealed this decision to the State Supreme Court. The court heard the case on May 15, 1974, with the Supreme Court upholding the lower Courts' decision.
On November 4, 1997, voters in the Pleasant View R-VI District were asked to consider "waiving" or giving up, the annual reduction in the property tax rate known as the Proposition-C rollback. The language appearing on the November 4 ballot was "Shall the School Board of Pleasant View R-VI School District be authorized to eliminate the reduction in the operating levy for school purposes as provided under Section 164.013 RSMo?" (Proposition-C rollback.)
Because Pleasant View R-VI is classified as a K-8 district by the state of Missouri, high school students that are residents in the district can choose any surrounding high school to attend. The majority of the resident high school students attend Trenton High School, with a few attending Chillicothe High School and Grundy R-V in Galt.
The Pleasant View R-VI School District has many things to offer and students receive an excellent education. Small class size stands out as a real advantage in this district. Because of these advantages, the Pleasant View R-VI School district has received the Missouri Department of Education’s Distinction in Performance Award each of the last 7 years, making it one of the top performing academic schools in the state of Missouri
