Board of Ed Comes Down to Earth on Facilities Plan

The Board of Education acknowledged Tuesday night that a facilities plan calling for $58 million worth of school renovations over the next four years was pie-in-the-sky dreaming.

"We can make a decision now to move forward to do this, but it's not going to happen. It's not going to happen," Board of Education Vice Chairman Pam Iacono said. "We're not getting Holland Hill, Mill Hill and Dwight in the next four years, and we'll be lucky to get Riverfield."

The facilities plan, which covers the 2011-12 through 2014-15 fiscal years, calls for a $9.5 million renovation at Holland Hill School in 2013-14, a $12 million renovation at Mill Hill School in 2014-15 and a $4.5 million renovation at Dwight School in 2014-15 (which follows $1.2 million of work on Dwight a year earlier.) The plan calls for Riverfield School's $9.1 million renovation and addition to take place in the 2011-12 fiscal year, which starts July 1.

Supt. of Schools David Title said the $58 million price tag, which totals $46.4 million when anticipated state grants are factored in, was significantly higher than First Selectman Ken Flatto's capital plan, which called for $24 million worth of work on schools over the next four years.

The school board also was reviewing its plan a night after the Representative Town Meeting rejected $280,000 to replace two boilers in Dwight School and cut in half a $250,000 request to repair bathrooms in Jennings School. "The way the tenor of things are going right now, we better set a more realistic picture for ourselves," Iacono said.

School board member Tim Kery said his top three priorities were the expansion and renovation of Riverfield School, Fairfield Ludlowe High School and Holland Hill School, while Iacono said Riverfield and Ludlowe High were "where we have big problems."

The plan identifies work at Riverfield as an addition to eliminate portable classroooms, bringing the school up to current building, life safety and fire codes, a new fire sprinkler system, a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, more lockers, and upgrades to "core facilities," which usually refer to a school's cafeteria, library and all-purpose room.

Ludlowe High's work is identified in the plan as six additional classrooms, more lockers, an addition onto the cafeteria, a new HVAC system to cover the entire school, and bathroom renovations. Ludlowe High's enrollment is projected to climb from 1,541 in 2011-12 to 1,705 in 2015-16 and 1,839 in 2020-21. The school's capacity is identifed by the Board of Education at 1,400 students.

But while the board seemed to agree that the $58 million plan was only a wish list, the board didn't agree on what to do with it.

Paul Fattibene, a board member, wanted to identify priorities within each fiscal year, while board member Sue Brand said the board should identify priorities over four years and within a price tag of $24 million to $27 million.

"I think it's our wish list," Brand said of the $58 million plan, "and it's understandable, but we need to be very thoughtful about what we're doing because there are limited funds."

"I think we need to explain to town bodies what would fall into $27 million. I think we need to condense it to real essentials that would fall into that pocket of $27 million," Brand said.

The board also disagreed about whether or not to send the facilities plan back to a subcommittee for revisions, which exasperated Kery, a subcommittee member, and Title.

Kery said the subcommittee already had "multiple three-hour meetings with the administration about this," while Title said, "This is like the third time it's been before the full board."

"I don't know when we're going to finish. We'll be in 2014-15 before we're done with this," Title said.

But board member Perry Liu said it was difficult to significantly revise the facilities plan at a full board meeting, which prompted Iacono to say the debate about the plan could "go on forever."

Iacono said the plan already caused the defeat of a $250,000 funding request to install new ceilings and light fixtures in Mill Hill School because the school was listed for a $12 million renovation in 2014-15 and town officials didn't want to install ceilings and lights if they'd be ripped up four years later.

"I watched the Mill Hill project die because of the way we set this up," Iacono said.

While the board debated the merits of identifying priorities in each fiscal year and whether each year's priorities should be in the plan or a separate document, board member Catherine Albin said, "I'm sorry, Dr. Title. I'm looking at the clock too."

Title replied, "I've got all night. I'm not going anywhere. Pull the cot out and get up tomorrow."

The board eventually decided to postpone its vote until May 10 so the plan could be revised.

Title said the school board shouldn't revisit a facilities plan, after it approves the current one, until May 2014. "I'm very concerned that the board consumes a lot of its valuable time," Title said. "I just want to be sure this doesn't become the monster that ate Manhattan."