RIDGEFIELD, CT — The Ridgefield Board of Education Strategic Planning Committee on April 24 advanced early discussions on a long-term facilities master plan, focusing on school configuration, capital priorities and financial constraints, while setting a timeline to bring options to the full board later this year.
The meeting centered on defining guiding principles and identifying key decisions that will shape the district’s long-term approach to school buildings and enrollment.
At the outset, Public Works Director Jacob Muller provided an update on construction at the Prospect Ridge campus, including the district’s alternative high school.
Muller said the lower level is largely complete, with ceilings, painting and flooring underway, while work continues on the main level. The building’s elevator is now operational, and the project is entering final stages.
“We’re really getting to the finishes in the final steps here,” Muller said.
The bulk of the meeting focused on refining the district’s facilities master plan, with consultants from MMP Planning presenting early analysis and incorporating feedback from committee members.
Consultant Mike Zuba, of MP Planning Group, said the next phase will involve “crunching a lot of different things and working through the options” over the coming months.
The committee reviewed a set of “pillars” to guide the plan, including health and safety, educational quality, facility utilization, fiscal responsibility and community transparency.
Committee members discussed whether to reconsider how grade levels are organized across schools, emphasizing the need to avoid being constrained by existing buildings.
Committee member Rob Martire said the district should not limit its thinking early in the process.
"For example, if we do have underutilized space in the high school, is it possible that maybe we use that underutilized space for an eighth grade level?" he suggested.
Other members agreed that planning should start from educational goals rather than existing facilities.
“I don’t think we should let the tail wag the dog,” committee member Wyatt Lipman said, adding that decisions should be driven by what best serves students and teachers.
Superintendent Susie Da Silva said the district will evaluate the educational implications of different configurations as the process continues.
Consultants highlighted several challenges facing the district, including roughly $200 million in projected capital needs, capacity constraints at some elementary schools and imbalances in middle school enrollment.
They also noted limited opportunities to expand pre-kindergarten programs under current conditions.
Zuba said the district is projected to approach “90 to 100 percent districtwide utilization” at elementary schools, increasing pressure on space planning.
Committee members spent significant time discussing how to communicate financial realities to the public and evaluate long-term costs.
Member Kathryn Graff emphasized the importance of showing both upfront capital costs and ongoing debt service.
“I think it’s really important that … the town [understands] what is the all-in, baked-in cost,” Graff said.
Martire urged the committee to develop a baseline financial model showing the cost of maintaining current facilities without major changes.
“I think what we ought to communicate to the town is, if we don't do anything, this is the implication of what's in front of us, and that's why the work of what we're doing is so important,” he said.
Consultants recommended first identifying “priority one” health and safety needs that must be addressed regardless of long-term plans, while continuing to develop broader scenarios.
The committee also explored potential expansion of pre-kindergarten programs and whether to consolidate or reconfigure schools.
Members discussed the possibility of fewer, larger schools or a single middle school, while acknowledging geographic constraints in Ridgefield.
Da Silva said decisions on pre-K depend on the district’s goals, noting the current program primarily serves students with learning differences.
“So part of that question on whether or not it makes more sense to decentralize, is whether or not we'd be expanding the preschool program to allow more general education students in,” she said. “If the preschool program was to stay as it is … one centralized space is better.”
Consultants said they expect to present more detailed options to the committee in June, with increased meeting frequency over the summer.
The goal is to narrow down to a small number of scenarios and bring recommendations to the full Board of Education by the fall.
Committee members were asked to submit additional ideas for planning scenarios within a week. Administrators and consultants will also gather more detailed financial and facility data before the next meeting.
The committee adjourned after about two hours of discussion.
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