Residents Urge Officials To Support Riverside School Renovations

GREENWICH, CT — Riverside School was recently ranked the fourth best elementary school in the state by U.S. News & World Report, and residents are now asking town officials for the building to match the level of education provided to over 400 students.

There was a noticeable amount of red attire in the audience at Tuesday's Board of Estimate and Taxation Budget Committee meeting, as speakers showed support for the Riverside Red Hawks and made impassioned pleas to finance officials to approve funding to get the ball rolling on much-needed renovations.

Included in the proposed $523 million budget for fiscal year 2026 is $2 million for architectural and engineering work for the renovations, and $48 million is forecast for fiscal year 2027 for construction to address a lack of accessibility, program and classroom space, undersized cafeteria and main office spaces, security, and health and safety, among other issues.

Riverside fifth-grader Alonso Gutierrez spoke during the nearly two-hour public hearing that followed budget presentations from First Selectman Fred Camillo and Superintendent of Greenwich Public Schools Dr. Toni Jones and Board of Education Chair Karen Hirsh.

Last year, Gutierrez broke his leg and had to attend Riverside School in a wheelchair for three weeks. Since the building is not equipped with an elevator, Gutierrez was unable to get to his class on the second floor, so the school had to swap rooms with another teacher and move his class into a smaller space on the first floor.

"Being separated from other fourth grade classes made things very difficult for everyone, not only students but also teachers," Gutierrez said. "Art and music classes had to come downstairs to accommodate my needs and it wasn't the same as having those classes in the art room or the music room where we have all the materials needed to succeed."

After about a month, doctors put Guttierez in crutches, and he was excited to return to school.

"But I didn't know the worst was yet to come for me," he said.

On a rainy morning, while going upstairs on his crutches, Gutierrez slipped on the wet floor and hit his still-broken leg and arm on the steps.

"This wasn't fun at all, and after that, I didn't feel comfortable at all using the stairs, but I didn't have any other choice as Riverside School isn't equipped with an elevator," he said. "This is why I'm asking you to please vote to make all the renovations my school needs as soon as possible so that the others don't have to go through the same chaos that my teachers, fellow students and I all went through."

Gutierrez received a loud round of applause following his comments.

Riverside School Principal Jason Martín also spoke, and said compromises are a part of everyday life inside the building.

"These compromises affect every aspect of our school, from teaching practices to students' experiences and even our ability to present ourselves as a top educational choice in Greenwich," he said.

"Every day, our teachers make sacrifices, compromising dynamic and engaging teaching practices due to cramped, inflexible classrooms. They work tirelessly to deliver exceptional lessons, yet their ability to adapt their environments for hands-on learning, small group instruction, or innovative projects is hindered by the physical limitations of the building," Martín added. "These compromises impact our students who are short-changed experiences that their peers in other schools with more modern facilities take for granted."

In his role as principal, Martín also said he finds himself making compromises for his vision for activities, events and even routine meetings.

Mitch VanZandt, a Riverside School parent, called the renovations an "absolute necessity."

"The cafeteria is so small that my daughter often only has time to buy her lunch and throw it away because lunch period is over by the time she gets through the line," VanZandt said. "Closets and hallways are being used as instructional spaces, and there is not a single third, fourth or fifth grade student at Riverside whose classroom meets the minimum size required by the state of Connecticut."

Above all, VanZandt continued, parents want students to be safe at the school.

"The building is not equipped with a fire sprinkler system, which has been mandated by our own state building code for decades," he said. "The security infrastructure, sadly such a critical component to even elementary education in today's world, is far behind today's standards."

He urged the BET Budget Committee to support funding for the project.

"Let's please make this investment in our town's future, and ensure that this school that's been an anchor of our community for nearly a century never becomes an anchor on the development of our children."

In the coming weeks, the BET Budget Committee will do its departmental reviews as part of its consideration of the budget.

The Board of Education is slated to go over its capital and operating budgets on Feb. 6. The budget committee will continue its reviews throughout February, culminating in a "decision day" on March 4.

The Representative Town Meeting will then consider the budget in May. The RTM can only make budget cuts, not additions.

Budget documents and schedules for 2025-2026 can be viewed here.