School Board Makes Its Pitch Before Referendum

By Eliza Hallabeck

Less than a week before the high school expansion project went to referendum, the Board of Education held an informal meeting to allow Newtown residents to ask questions about both the referendum and the project. The meeting was conducted on October 1 at the Reed Intermediate School library.

Drawings of the planned addition for the school were brought in and put on display for the meeting by Fletcher Thompson, the architectural firm on the project, and coffee and cookies were set up for residents who attended.

Board of Ed Chair Elaine McClure started the meeting by giving a brief history of the project up until the point of coming in over budget by more than $6 million, and explained a few reasons the school is in need of an addition.

“We’ve been trying to make the case for the vote to pass on Tuesday,” said Ms McClure. [Voters rejected a $6 million additional appropriation for the NHS expansion on October 7. See story on page A1.]

Newtown High School holds 1,600 students now, and is using space that has been created in closets and by breaking down larger classrooms to create more classrooms. Seven hundred students, according to Ms McClure, currently overpopulate the school.

“We’re all taxpayers like you are,” said Ms McClure, “and none of us want to pay more money. But now we have to.”

Superintendent of Schools Janet Robinson sat in the front line with the Board of Ed facing the roughly 20 people who showed up to hear the board’s reaction to public questions.

“All the projections show [the population at the school] going up then going down slightly by about 2014,” said Dr Robinson.

Board member David Nanavaty said the state may start requiring different classes to be taken by each student before graduation in the near future, and where those requirements put the students will determine which areas of the school will be overcrowded more.

Karen Aurelia was the second member of the community to ask questions to the board, and she questioned the decision to hire the Morganti Group for the project.

Public Building and Site Commissioner Robert Mulholland was one of the members in the crowd for the meeting, and he responded that the selection of the Morganti Group was an extensive process. “We decided with a project this big, we must have an architectural firm,” he said.

Mr Mulholland also said that the Morganti group has done their “due diligence” and he is extremely happy the group was chosen for the job.

George Schmidt, another member of the public who attended the informal meeting, suggested the bids had come in during the height of financial problems.

Arthur Lindley, from the Morganti Group, said if the project went out for a rebid then money might be saved, but the project would never save $6 million by going out again.

Teachers have their desks lined up one on top of the other at the school now, according to Dr Robinson, and if students need help, there is no room for them to speak to their teacher.

“In a few short weeks,” said Dr Robinson, “the students will be sitting on the floor in the hallways eating their lunch because there isn’t enough space in the cafeteria.”

Newtown High School Assistant Principal John Tusch said the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) has regulations on how many classes outside of the core requirements each student has to take, and because of this the school needs more classrooms that are equipped for elective classes.

“Our cafeteria right now is set for 400 kids,” said Mr Tusch. “We now have 1,700 students in four lunch waves. So you do the math, and we will have 100 more students next year.”

Newtown resident Carol Brown said the money burden on the taxpayers will be extended over time, and the burden on each household would be cheaper than buying a pair of sneakers.

“As a community I want the voice to go forward,” said Ms Brown. “I want Newtown to stand for a future that will be brighter than tomorrow.”

More assistance for the students is the only option that will give more back to the community, Ms Brown said. “My two children won’t enjoy this high school, but I will fight for this school,” she said.

Karen Aurelia, a Newtown resident also in the audience at the meeting, said she feels the minimal effect on each household in Newtown will be felt. “All our taxes are going up,” said Ms Aurelia.

Ms Aurelia then questioned why the addition had to be as large as it is planned to be.

Matt Holst of Fletcher Thompson said all of the new classrooms will have natural light, and Fletcher Thompson did extensive work on deciding what was needed in the school without being too grand.

“Children learn 20 percent better in a space with natural light,” said Mr Holst.

The photographs that Mr Holst showed of the planned addition to the school displayed a large glass wall on the side of the new “cafetorium,” which will be both a cafeteria and an auditorium, glass windows in the classrooms, lights with photosensors in each classroom, so when there is too much light the power use will be minimized, and an outdoor playground for the children’s daycare program in the school. The new culinary classrooms would be “above and beyond” what is now in the building, according to Mr Holst.

“As a community we are not unique,” Board of Ed member Richard Gaines said. “There are other communities in Connecticut with projects under way that come in over budget.”