Middle School Referendum Fails in Enfield

ENFIELD, CT — A referendum question asking Enfield voters to approve up to $35.5 million to expand and renovate the John F. Kennedy Middle School building and facilities was defeated during municipal balloting Tuesday.

Unofficial totals show 3,638 votes against the project, with 3,197 residents voting in favor.

Estimated cost of the actual work was about $95 million, with town taxpayers liable for no more than $35.5 million. The remainder would be made up by an approved 70 percent reimbursement from the state of Connecticut.

A "renovate-as-new" proposal was made by a pre-referendum committee, similar to the recent conversion of Enfield High School in its consolidation with Enrico Fermi High School. Among other things, it would have included a complete overhaul of the building, eliminated the temporary outdoor trailers that have been in use for more than a dozen years, and renovated the athletic fields to get them into playable condition.

The actual ballot question read:

Shall the Town of Enfield appropriate $95,000,000 for the expansion and renovation of the John F. Kennedy Middle School, and authorize the issuance of bonds, notes or temporary notes in an amount not to exceed $35,500,000 with the balance funded by grants and other available funds?

District 1 councilor Joe Bosco, whose district includes the middle school and whose business is diagonally across the street, said he was "both happy and sad" about the referendum's failure to pass.

"The school needs to be done, no ifs, ands or buts about it," Bosco said in an interview Wednesday. "The problem is it was just way too expensive. The building committee had built such a temple that they could drop the price quite a bit, but ethically, if the taxpayers of Enfield voted on a 95 million dollar school, and let's say they could drop it 50 percent by cutting back and doing what they needed, is that an ethical thing to do? Is that fair to the taxpayers after they voted for the Taj Mahal?"

Bosco and fellow councilor Mike Ludwick had publicly stated on several occasions their opposition to the $95 million deal.

"It's not that we didn't support it, we didn't support $95 million," Bosco said.

Mayor Scott Kaupin, who did not seek re-election to the town council after serving 12 terms, said he was disappointed in the referendum vote.

"I feel the town missed an opportunity to expand and renovate John F. Kennedy Middle School in a similar fashion as we successfully did at Enfield High School," he said Wednesday. "I hope the newly elected Town Council and Board of Education focus on this issue early on in their term, and perhaps offer a revised project plan for referendum next election. Everyone, including the voters, need to reflect on this defeat and come up with a plan for a first class middle school here in Enfield."

Superintendent of Schools Chris Drezek said, "It's disappointing because the school is in need of upgrades and repairs due to its age. But I certainly understand the community's hesitancy given the fiscal climate we're in."

"I’m disappointed that it failed," school board member Tina LeBlanc said Wednesday. "I’m sorry for the families and educators in this town. Talking to teachers and families yesterday at the polls, many of them were hopeful that the ref would pass. Today, they have reached out or posted on social media explaining that they feel education is not valued in the town of Enfield. It’s a sad day for the students, teachers, families and all the residents of Enfield."

Patch file photo