What's Next For Madison Schools After Residents Vote Down Referendum?

By Jack Kramer, Correspondent

MADISON, CT – Now that residents have given a resounding thumbs down to plans to build a new Ryerson School and renovating Jeffrey School as a long-term solution to Madison’s duel problem of declining school enrollment and aging buildings, the question remains – what’s next?

Voters, by a 2-1 margin, on September 26th rejected the $34.284 million plan that was three years in the making. If approved, the town was slated to receive between $4 million and $5.7 million in state reimbursement for the project.

Of immediate interest to many parents is the future of the Island Avenue School.

Superintendent of School Tom Scarice, in a newsletter sent to the Island Avenue parent community, addressed the issue directly.

Scarice said the Board of Education would be discussion Island Avenue at two different meetings this month – first on Tuesday, Oct. 3rd and then also on Oct. 17th.

He stressed: “There is no action item on the October 3 agenda for the Board of Education to vote on closing Island Avenue School.”

Scarice did add, however, that there will be an opportunity during the meetings for the public to give input on Island Avenue.

The superintendent went on, however, to state that the school board is committed to reducing the number of public schools in Madison from six to five.

He said the Board of Education’s responsibility is to make decisions on schools. He said the earliest a vote on closing Island Avenue would be taken is at the Oct. 17th meeting.

Scarice said: “The Board of Education remains committed to addressing the basic maintenance facilities issues and will work with professional consultants to prioritize and sequence these projects over, potentially, a 10 or more year period through the town’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP).

“When the Board of Education takes action on the closure of Island Avenue (again, not on Oct. 3rd), the administration will work to make programmatic recommendations as a result of school reconfiguration,” Scarice said.

Scarice said he knows the issue of closing a school is “complex and emotional."