Master Facilities Plan Would Close 4 Stamford Schools

STAMFORD, CT — Infrastructure improvements in Stamford Public Schools have been an important topic of discussion for quite some time. Last week, new details were released as part of a 10-year master facilities plan for the school district that would rebuild, renovate and close school buildings.

The plan was presented last Thursday to the Board of Education and Long Term Facilities Committee by SLAM, a fully-integrated architecture firm.

A major component of the plan would close four public schools — Dolan and Cloonan Middle Schools, Toquam Magnet Elementary and KT Murphy Elementary. A new K-8 school would be built in South Stamford, and a new pre-K learning center would be built at 83 Lockwood Ave.

According to the plan, the four schools would close after the 2026/2027 school year. The new South Stamford building, which would cost about $112 million, could be operational for the 2027/2028 school year.

Kemp Morhardt from SLAM said closing the schools provides a cost avoidance of $128.6 million for deferred maintenance.

"We really see this as a big positive step forward to not only reduce the physical footprint of the schools, but also improve utilization and alignment of enrollment," Morhardt said.

The plan would also replace Westhill High School with a new building, and expand Westover School, Roxbury School and Hart Magnet Elementary from K-5 to K-8 schools.

Turn Of River Middle School would also be expanded by about 100 seats.

Overall, every school in the district benefits from the plan, Morhardt said.

"Each school is going to get some work done to it. All the schools are being touched with this plan. Some are getting more work in the case of Westhill being a replacement high school, as opposed to deferred maintenance and other upgrades," Morhardt said.

A new South Stamford School would have a capacity of about 1,050 seats, with 850 designated for Stamford residents, and 200 for students outside of the district.

Cove Island Park is one area where the city is looking to put the school.

Board of Representatives member Megan Cottrell (D-4), who represents the Cove area, said her constituents are concerned about a potential new school going up in the park.

Cottrell said Cove Island Park is an important area for migratory and endangered birds. She recommended the abandoned Fairway property on Canal Street as a potential location.

"We are assessing several areas. Cove is one of those areas that we are looking at currently," Superintendent of Schools Dr. Tamu Lucero said. "That's a location that is part of the city-owned property that would be an ideal location for a south Stamford school, when you look at the neighborhoods the students would be coming from."

The plan noted that the Westhill project would be eligible for a 95 percent reimbursement for costs from the state.

Lucero said the percentage was a "placeholder" while the administration works with the city's delegation to Hartford to get more funding.

"That's the guidance we've been given at this point," Lucero said.

The Lockwood facility and a new South Stamford school would be 80 percent reimbursed, according to the plan.

SLAM said the plan is not set in stone, and could change depending on feedback from the community. The firm intends to hold informational meetings and presentations in February and March so the public can weigh-in.

In her weekly message to the school district last Friday, Lucero said there are only recommendations at this point.

"The SLAM recommendations served as an exciting moment for the City of Stamford and our school district as a whole. Please remember that at this point these are simply recommendations that will be vetted through community engagement, which is the next step in the Long-Term Facilities process," Lucero said. "Not to mention the fact that the master facilities plan comes with a hefty price tag, which will also need to be discussed."

Over 12 years, if the plan is implemented in full, it would cost Stamford about $540.8 million.

"We've developed a tiered funding approach to present achievable options. We're talking about a lot of money, and it's not easy to tackle this large type of a project," Morhardt said.

To view the entire SLAM presentation, click here.