The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
East School to close
Vote paves way for redistricting of the city’s elementary schools
TORRINGTON — The Board of Education voted to close East School on Wednesday, paving the way for the redistricting of the city elementary schools.
East School will be closed for the 2018-19 fiscal year, allowing for consideration of the building and grounds, per the motion approved by the board Wednesday.
There are two options on the table for the East School building — repair and renovation or permanent closure.
Renovating the school entirely is estimated at approximately $41.4 million, or $18 million after state reimbursement, board member Ken Traub said Wednesday.
At least $4.4 million in repairs are required in the near term, according to the proposed capital budget considered by the board.
Traub said the building has needed work for years, but the project had been put off repeatedly. The building’s two-story layout means students cannot not attend the school while repairs take place, Traub said.
“It’s not getting better; it’s getting worse,” said Traub. “There’s no can left (to kick) — we don’t even have a lid.”
With East closed, the plan is to redistrict the elementary-age student population in Torrington before the next school year, Superintendent Denise Clemons said.
There is sufficient room to redistribute the students into the other elementary schools while remaining within contractual limits for class sizes, board members and Clemons said. Some East School staffers would be retained to work in other city schools, Clemons said.
Students could continue to attend their current school, but a firm plan has not yet been determined, Clemons said. The plan is to inform parents in the spring, where their children will attend school next year.
Clemons said redistricting would allow the district to address a racial imbalance in the city schools, which has been cited by the state as an issue in past years.
Parent Keri Hoehne and East School first-grade teacher Kathleen Pelkey voiced concerns about the decision during the Wednesday meeting. Hoehne noted that people could move if the decision is not well-communicated and explained, asking them to delay the decision, while Pelkey asked the board to be aware the human impact of the choice.
“This is really personal to a lot of people. It’s personal to the families, it’s personal to the residents, and it’s personal to the staff,” said Pelkey.
Hoehne decried the decision in a letter to The Register Citizen Thursday.
“For the lack of transparency, for the lack of communication with Torrington families, and for the lack of a solid understanding of the costs to taxpayers of a move like this, the board of education as well as Superintendent Clemons should be ashamed of themselves,” said Hoehne.
Board member Jessica Richardson, who voted against closing the school, said there was a special sense of community at East and noted the potential impact of the decision, saying the rationale should be communicated to the public “in a million ways.”
“It’s a big deal; it’s an emotional thing,” said Richardson. “We have to really not to screw this up.”
Board member Peter Vergaro said that, given the variety of factors at play — including the needed work at East, the racial imbalance, and financial pressures discussed with the Board of Finance — the decision is logical.
“Change is difficult. No one is happy with change — and I know we’re going to hear about that,” said Vergaro. “But it just makes sense.”
Board members have repeatedly considered closing a school in recent years in the face of mounting financial pressure, discussing Southwest, East, and Vogel-Wetmore alternatively.
Determining the future course of the city schools, and by extension, East School, will be left to the incoming Board of Education. Several incumbent members took part in their last meeting Wednesday.
Clemons has proposed building another elementary school on the grounds of Torrington Middle School in the long-term, which is estimated to cost $53 million, or $21.5 million after state reimbursement, according to Traub.
If that plan was put into action, another city elementary school would be closed as well.
City residents would have to approve the renovation of East School or the construction of a new elementary school at referendum, board members said.
East School opened in 1976, according to the Torrington Historical Society.