School Board Keeps Its Options Open On 5/6 School

By Jeff White

These days, the Newtown Board of Education has a lot of material to read, and some tough decisions to make.

Before them is an official enrollment tally for the 1999-2000 school year, with numbers that only underscore the already-acknowledged need for an elementary school for fifth- and sixth-grades. Added to the evidence of a growing student population was a letter submitted to the board by Becker and Becker Associates’ (B&B) President Bruce Becker last Tuesday night, supplying some specific financial figures for a new school at Cochran House. Mr Becker is seeking the school board’s endorsement for his firm’s development plan for Fairfield Hills.

It was the first time that the New Canaan firm asked explicitly for the board’s support in its bid to redevelop Fairfield Hills, hoping that the board’s endorsement will expedite the state and town’s decision on the issue.

With the board’s support, B&B would be able to take the next steps to organize reimbursements, develop drawings and finalize funding commitments, design details, and construction documents, Mr Becker said over the phone this week.

The need for a new school was the conclusion reached last year by a Board Space Study Committee that indicated “a definite need” for a new school by the start of the 2001 school year. B&B has long emphasized its willingness to “fast track” the Cochran House redevelopment to meet this objective.

In a 30-minute presentation, Bruce Becker tried to clear up some confusion over the costs of the proposed project along with outlining some reimbursement schemes for which Newtown would qualify.

“We’ve always needed certain specific details about project costs in order to compare this suggested plan to that of new construction,” said Superintendent of Schools John Reed.

B&B gave a bottom line figure of $14,538,473 as the net cost of redeveloping Cochran House after state reimbursements and historical tax credits; with an additional $3.8 million in costs should the board support developing Cochran House’s third floor fully to accommodate administrative offices and adult education.

Significant in the final cost is the $3,250,000 in historical tax credits for which the project will be eligible, an assessment made by B&B’s preservation consultant, who deemed Cochran House an eligible building for National Register status.

Still, school officials came away from Tuesday’s board meeting unsure about specific aspects of the financing scheme for B&B’s project. District Director of Business Ron Bienkowski, who will do the board’s financial analysis of its options as members draw closer to making a decision, would like to get “confirmation that the state will participate in the different financing scenarios Becker and Becker has proposed.”

“Some might require more detailed review on the part of the state,” Mr Bienkowski added.

For Board of Education Secretary Elaine McClure, the issue of Cochran house hinged on what money B&B intended to put into the school, and the firm’s assurances that classrooms would be adequate for student habitation.

Ostensibly, the purpose of B&B’s financial presentation was to allow the board to compare costs between redeveloping an existing building, or constructing an entirely new school. B&B’s financial rundown included a such a comparison; the firm estimated a new school would be significantly more expensive to build.

“The board is trying to compare apples to apples, and this is a challenge,” Dr Reed said. “The project is going to be more expensive because we’ve fallen behind.”

When Kaestle Boos Associates gave initial cost estimates for a new school to the board almost a year ago, the costs assumed an architect would be employed by April of 2000. But the decision to move on the project was postponed last spring by town officials until the fate of Fairfield Hills was known. Dr Reed commented that the nearly seven months of delay in taking action has pushed the proposal of building a new school into a period where construction costs are elevating.

The board felt it needed updated financial figures from the new school track to get that “apples to apples” comparison with B&B. It is a comparison the board believes it needs to make, in order to conclude the best way to bring a 5/6 school to Newtown in time enough to deal with a swelling student population.

 

The Numbers Behind The Need

“I want a 5/6 school, and I want it as soon as possible,” Mary Thomas-Crement, an active parent in the district and a mother of three, said recently. “The elementary school numbers are getting very high; a lot of schools are very crowded.”

Newtown school officials recognize this reality, and statistics confirm it. Student population has risen by over 200 students since last year’s September enrollment. Currently, a total of 4,714 students attend Newtown schools, with 2,333 students in elementary schools and 1,116 student in the middle school, according to October 1 enrollment figures supplied by the Superintendent’s office.

In his annual report to the Board of Education Tuesday night, Dr Reed said, “The Board of Education’s guidelines, keeping classes at 20 or less in kindergarten through second grade were unmet in 26 classes when school opened this year.

“The board’s guidelines of 20 to 25 were met in all but seven third-, forth- and fifth grade classes. We opened the middle school this year with eight cluster classes over 25.

“Also there were 64 classes in other subjects that exceeded 25 students.”

The projections made by the Connecticut State Department compound the problem. According to the state, elementary school population will rise to 2,564 from its current 2,333 students by the start of the 2001 school year.

Middle school population will also rise, though not as remarkably: from 1,116 to 1229 by 2001.

These numbers have given and air of urgency to the board’s research of potential school sites and development plans. Besides B&B’s plan to redevelop Cochran House, the board has considered a new school for the site currently occupied by Watertown Hall, which the town owns.

As Bruce Becker left Tuesday night to review the feedback he had received, the board unanimously affirmed their desire to keep all options opened, approving Dr Reed’s recommendation to hire Jeter, Cook and Jepson architects for $15,000.

The Hartford firm will review Kaestle Boos’ work on their way to providing “a conceptual design.” Besides supplying the board with numbers that can be readily compared to B&B, the decision to hire Jeter, Cook and Jepson would prepare the firm should the board decide to go ahead with a new school.

“This will answer a lot of the questions we had tonight. I think it’s the right thing to do,” board member Vincent Saviano said.

“New construction all along has been preferable,” board chairman Amy Dent said. But she recognized the constraints of time and money on the decision process.

On Thursday, October 21 board members might be closer to deciding which route they will choose to support. They are scheduled to meet with the Fairfield Hills Advisory Board and give a statement on their position concerning a 5/6 school at Cochran House.