Camillo: I Understand Frustration Surrounding Old Greenwich School

GREENWICH, CT — In his weekly newsletter to the community on Friday, First Selectman Fred Camillo said if $1.1 million is enough to keep the Old Greenwich School renovation project moving along for fiscal year 2024, he'll advocate for it to be included in this year's budget proposal.

When he presented his proposed budget last month, Camillo said that $24.5 million for Old Greenwich School to fix critical ventilation, sewage and ADA issues and bring the building into compliance would be bumped to fiscal year 2025. He said the Central Middle School replacement project was priority No. 1.

"We only do one project at a time. Right now it's Central; Old Greenwich School would be next. These are all worthwhile projects that need to be done," Camillo said at the time.

In the public comment portion after Camillo and the BOE's budget presentations on Jan. 24, school staff and residents urged the town to complete school renovation and replacement projects without delay.

OGS principal Jen Bencivengo said a student was injured skiing in December, and is not able to access his classroom on the third floor of the school.

"His cast prohibits him from climbing the 77 steps from the ground floor to his classroom each day, leaving him limited to a wheelchair on the ground floor of the school with a substitute teacher," Bencivengo said. "Other students with permanent physical limitations have to be turned away at times, and often we have to offer options of more accessible schools in Greenwich to attend. In 2023, as an educator and a mother, it is unconscionable to think a child with a physical limitation 33 years after ADA was passed is not able to attend their neighborhood school. It's shameful."

Joe Angland, chair of the Democratic Town Committee, submitted an op-ed to Patch criticizing town republicans for what he said was a lack of support to the Greenwich Public Schools over the years.

In his newsletter Friday, Camillo said that after his initial budget presentation, he spoke to the Old Greenwich School Building Committee about the OGS project.

"They suggested I could include $1.1 million in the budget to keep the project moving. That is a reasonable request and had the Board of Education come to me with this proposal earlier I would have included it. If this amount is what is needed to keep the project from being stalled, I will be advocating for it to be included in this year's budget proposal," he said.

Camillo, who recently toured OGS, went on to say he understood the frustration from residents who have waited for the project to go forward.

"I want this project to happen as much as anyone because our students deserve buildings that will meet all their needs and compliance with the ADA is very important," he said. "But that is no excuse for the tone I have seen in some of the emails and social media posts about Old Greenwich School. I know the wide majority of parents and community members just want this project to go forward but the tone of some residents is over the top.

"This is not a political issue and some in town are insisting on making it one. All they’re doing is putting out inaccurate information and making everything more complicated for a project we all support. We are looking for reasonable alternatives to move this project forward and make the improvements that we all agree are needed for this beloved neighborhood school."

The BET Budget Committee is in the middle of budget hearings, which are scheduled to conclude at the end of February. The committee will then vote on a recommended budget, which will then be considered by the full BET.

The BET will hold a public hearing on the spending plan before voting on the budget April 4. The RTM will have the final say and vote in May. The RTM can't add funds; it can only make cuts.