Op-Ed: Cheshire Committee Presents Possible School Upgrades

From the Cheshire School Modernization Committee

Here in Cheshire we have regularly heard of the great success of our school system and its students. Unfortunately, these successes have taken place despite the fact that Cheshire’s school facilities are some of the oldest in the State and badly in need of updating. With this in mind, the Town Council created the School Modernization Committee (SMC) in the fall of 2019 to develop a plan to update all of our school facilities. The School Modernization Committee consists of members of the Town Council, Board of Education, and citizens of the town. Over the past year the SMC has:

• Heard reports from the school staff on the state of the educational system and its facilities including a look at previous studies
• Heard reports from town officials on financial obligations of the town
• Hired a consulting firm (Colliers) to provide professional support to the SMC.
• Hired a firm (Milone and MacBroom) who has completed an updated study on enrollment and school capacities.
• Met with the teachers and other staff in each school to gain their insight into the needs at each facility.
• Visited several other school districts that have recently built new schools or renovated older schools to gain their insight.

The SMC now has all the information it needs to begin to look at various options for upgrading Cheshire’s school facilities. Over the next few months the Committee will be analyzing various possible plans: looking at both the educational needs of the schools and the financial needs of the town.

At its meeting on November 2, a subcommittee presented a FIRST DRAFT of four different scenarios.

• Scenario 1:

• Build a new elementary school
• Move the present Pre-K and close Darcey
• Elementary school stay K-6
• Enrollment number for the new school to be determined but estimated at 600 to 700 (75,000 TO 90,000 S.F.)
• Dodd Middle School remains as a grade 7 and 8 school with alterations and capital improvement projects
• Possibly size the new elementary school to minimize additions required at other schools
• Possibly use Chapman School as swing space for renovations to other schools.
• Renovate the high school or perform capital improvement projects
• Scenario 2:
  • Build a new middle school to house grades 6 to 8
  • Approximately 200,000 gross square footage based on projected enrollment of 1,172
  • Requires a roughly 25-acre site based on state recommendations
  • Re-purpose present middle school as an elementary school, re-district elementary schools as K-5, and possibly close Chapman School. Gains approximately 80,000 square foot of space to house 446 additional students.
  • Perform alterations and renovations to the remaining elementary schools using Dodd or Chapman as swing space
  • Renovate the high school or perform capital improvement projects
  • Would require the need to re-district elementary school students
• Scenario 3:
  • Start with the renovation of the high school
  • Requires prioritizing the physical needs of the high school over the upcoming need for elementary school space. Demographic study showed that capacity needs at the elementary schools will worsen as years progress
  • Large anticipated cost
  • Proceed with scenario 1 or 2 to address elementary school needs
  • Perform capital improvement plans to middle school.
• Scenario 4:
  • Construct a new high school
  • Subject to confirming if property is available
  • Based on assumption that physical plant needs of existing high school are high
  • Demolish existing high school upon completion of new high school or re-purpose as a middle school, grades 5-8
  • Re-purpose Dodd as an elementary school, close Chapman and Darcey, re-district elementary schools.

The potential details of each of these scenarios can be seen on the Cheshire School Modernization Committee Facebook page. We welcome your input and comments. Please send them to the School Modernization Committee at mailto:Comments@Cheshirect.org.

Rich Gusenburg, Kate O’Donnell, Jeff Pangaro