Report: Fairfield Short by Equivalent of One Elementary School

The school district's Long Range Facilities Plan that recommends $49.4 million worth of work on 13 of the town's 16 public schools over the next four fiscal years isn't the only report that will be discussed Tuesday night by the Board of Education.

Another report that will be discussed, based on a report from MGT of America, Inc. in Olympia, Wash., last December, says Fairfield's 11 elementary schools have an overall shortage of 60.5 rooms, or 62,600 square feet, when current programs, such as special education, literacy courses and music and arts instruction, are given dedicated space in school buildings that date to the 1960s.

Older elementary schools in Fairfield are less than 50,000 square feet, while the two newest schools - Burr Elementary and McKinley School - are 70,794 square feet and 73,425 square feet, respectively.

The Long Range Facilities Plan from the school district's Central Office does include projects that would expand some elementary schools - such as a six-classroom addition at Riverfield School, a four-classroom addition at Holland Hill School, and an unspecified addition at Mill Hill School - but most of the work envisioned at elementary schools in that plan involves renovations to existing space, extending warranties on roofs or roof replacements, and replacing boilers.

The three elementary schools identified as having the greatest space deficiencies by MGT of America are also the three elementary schools listed for additions in the Long Range Facilities Plan - Mill Hill, Riverfield and Holland Hill.

Mill Hill has a space deficiency of 11.5 rooms and 11,960 square feet in MGT's report, while Riverfield's space deficiency is 10 rooms and 10,400 square feet and Holland Hill's is nine rooms and 9,360 square feet. The square footage calculations include 30 percent for common areas.

Cost estimates to eliminate the space deficiencies in the "Elementary Schools - Space Deficiencies Report" are $9.5 million for Mill Hill, $8.5 million for Riverfield and $8.2 million for Holland Hill.

The district's Long Range Facilities Plan calls for expanding those three elementary schools but not to the extent cited by MGT to eliminate space deficiencies. Riverfield's six-classroom addition is projected at $3.1 million, with another $3 million for upgrades to core facilities and $160,169 for a major roof warranty extension; Holland Hill's four classroom addition is pegged at $2.3 million, with another $3.6 million for upgrades to core facilities; and Mill Hill's unspecified addition and renovations are projected at $7.7 million.

MGT of America arrived at space deficiencies in the three elementary schools by noting that:

* Holland Hill, among other space deficiencies, lacks a science room, conference room, computer room, dedicated copy room and office for a Spanish teacher and has two regular classes and music in portable classrooms (portable classrooms are not included as rooms in the analysis.) The report also notes that Holland Hill doesn't have enough space for special education and holds instrumental music on its stage.

* Riverfield, among other space deficiencies, has five portable classrooms (three house regular classes, two house music and instrumental music); doesn't have enough space for special education; holds Language Arts in a staff lunch room; and needs space for Spanish, a gifted program, a social worker and gym (two gym classes are held at the same time.)

* Mill Hill's space deficiencies include five classrooms in portables; music in a regular classroom; a computer lab in the library; no science room, gifted room or Spanish office; occupational and physical therapy on a stage; not enough space for special education; literacy classes in closets; and a social worker in a book storage area.

Town officials have predicted Fairfield's elementary school population is on the wane, and MGT of America's enrollment projections in the near term back that up, though the kindergarten through fifth grade enrollment is projected to begin climbing again before the decade is out.

The enrollment in Fairfield's 11 elementary schools is now 4,758 students and is projected by MGT to drop to 4,736 in 2013-14. But by 2017-18, enrollment in elementary schools is projected at 5,119 students, and the last year of the projections, 2020-21, predicts 5,258 students.

Among the three elementary schools listed for expansions, Mill Hill School, which now has 474 students, is projected to have 469 students in 2013-14 and 489 students in 2017-18.

Riverfield, which now has 451 students, is projected to have 428 students in 2013-14 and 472 students in 2017-18.

Holland Hill now has 333 students and is projected to have 319 in 2013-14 and 325 in 2017-18.

The school board's meeting Tuesday night is at 8 in the Education Center, 501 Kings Highway East.