Ridgefield News
December 12, 1998

School Board Brainstorms New School Plans

State Funding For New School May Be In Jeopardy

$610,000 Saved In Referendum To Cost Town $6,000,000?

The school board met this Saturday morning in special session; virtually no members of the public attended,and the normal bustling Town Hall Annex conference room was full of empty seats.

Dec. 12 -- The Ridgefield school board met today to brainstorm new approaches to solving the school overcrowding crisis. In the course of reviewing alternatives, Superintendent Dr. Ralph Wallace explained the State of Ct. procedures surrounding approved reimbursements for local school construction projects.

Earlier this year, the town had received approval from the State for 23.21% reimbursement of construction costs for the then-planned Grade 5-6 middle school project. Based on cost estimates of more than $30 million, the reimbursement would have meant that over $6 million of State funding would be coming to the town. A $610,000 budget item for design funding for that project was defeated in two successive referenda this year, and both the school board and Board of Selectmen have declared that particular project dead.

Dr. Wallace (right) explains state funding rules. To his left are Board member Kitty Fischer and Board Chairman Linda Bunyan.

Dr. Wallace explained that State reimbursement approval is only for the project which had been proposed, and any changes to the proposal will require new state approval. Supt. Wallace explained that the State will normally allow some flexibility in the project outline, but not unlimited changes. He offered his opinion on the following potential changes to the old plan:

• Disaggregating the project - modifying the plan to build two smaller schools instead of one large one: Dr. Wallace felt that this would not be agreed to by the state
• Relocate the proposed single large Grade 5-6 school to another physical site: Dr. Wallace felt this would definitely be okayed by the state
• Change the grade configuration from one large Grade 5-6 school to, say, one large Grade 5-7 school: would probably, but not definitely, be agreed to by the state
• Downsize the project to one somewhat smaller school: almost certainly would be agreed to by the state
• Upsizing the project to one somewhat larger school: almost certainly not acceptable to the state

While the Town could certainly develop a completely new project and submit it to the State as a brand-new request for reimbursement, Dr. Wallace cautioned that a new project request, submitted now, would probably not be approved and returned to Ridgefield until summer or fall of 1999. Given that we are effectively starting over with the school project, that delay would further postpone the eventual opening of the new school.

Nick Caruso (standing) of CABE facilitated the brainstorming session, and offered news of developments on the State scene. Democratic school board member Bob Opotzner is in the foreground.

Nick Caruso, representing the Ct. Association of Boards of Education (CABE), cautioned that new school reimbursement requests, submitted after June, 1999, would probably be subject to stringent new state requirements. These new state rules could possibly include Scheff v. O'Neal provisions which could have the effect of reducing reimbursement levels below those currently in place. This could mean that Ridgefield would forfeit some of the $6 million which had been promised by the state for the Grade 5-6 project on the Ippoliti site. Based on this new factor, school board members were mindful of which alternative new plans would be most likely be allowed under the state's previously approved 23% reimbursement.

The Ridgefield Board of Education, joined today by Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ralph Wallace and First Selectman Abe Morelli

The alternative school projects which were proposed and discussed were:

1. new Grade 6-7-8 intermediate school, smaller than the previously planned 1,000+ student Grade 5-6 school, with additions to existing elementary schools
2. new smaller Grade 6-7-8 intermediate school, PLUS a new elementary school
3. Grade 5-6 intermediate/middle school (as in the rejected plan) at a different site
4. brand new Grade K-8 school, or possibly colocated/connected K-5 and 6-8 schools, with all existing schools continuing as is
5. new K-6 elementary school
6. new Grade 7-8 intermediate/middle school
7. new Grade 5-8 school, AND renovate East Ridge to bring it to parity with the new school

Each of these alternatives was discussed and analyzed along a number of dimensions, including:

• fit within current state-approved project
• alleviate overcrowding both at East Ridge and at elementary schools
• number of sites needed
• number of construction projects needed
• construction costs and operating costs
• size of school
• flexibility
• adress town's long-range needs vs. short-term fix
• likelihood of voters' approval
• maintaining equity with existing/upgraded current schools
• degree of change/disruption to current environment to be imposed on students and parents

Particpants indicate their preference for sites by posting colored stickers on the charts. Supt Wallace (foreground, gray-and-white sweater) and First Selectman Abe Morelli (foreground, blue jacket) joined school board members in the straw poll.

At the conclusion of the two and one-half hour brainstorming session, the CABE facilitator asked each Board member, and Supt. Wallace and First Selectman Abe Morelli, to indicate their preference for the proposed alternatives. This was not a vote, and was not in any way binding, but was rather to be an indication of people's immediate reactions, on both a logical and emotional level, to the ideas just discussed. Participants "voted" by affixing colored stickers to the chart showing each alternative. Here's the result:

(Left to right) School board members Bob Opotzner, Maureen Kozlark, and Frank D'Angelo, and a visiting reporter

After the brainstorming session, the Board took up approval of the proposed new school site committee, known as an "oversight committee." Several members, including Bob Opotzner, asked that the Committee's charge be modified to explicitly reflect the fact that it was to recommend several site options, without in any way limiting the Town to specific sites. The Board agreed to the proposed clarification, which will now go back to the Board of Selectmen for their approval.

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