Waterbury school officials propose $100 million preschool center: 'The right thing to do'
WATERBURY — School officials are seeking to build a new
center at an estimated cost of $100 million that would replace Bucks Hill Preschool in Waterbury’s far north end
as well as a smattering of preschool programs in other schools.
The proposed preschool facility would bring 25 classrooms
dedicated to students 3 years old and younger, as well as space for 3-year-old
students with special needs, into a single space centrally located in the city.
The exact space has yet to be determined.
“We’d like to bring these programs together in one
specialized location where we could service over 163 general ed and 353 special
ed students,” Superintendent Darren
Schwartz told the Board
of Education earlier in May.
He proposed building a facility that would house 25
classrooms and two sensory rooms, as well as play group opportunities for
children under the age of 3.
The play groups allow the youngest children to interact in a
natural setting and help parents “understand what’s naturally developmentally
appropriate for students — especially ones with special needs,” Schwartz
said.
Building designed for preschoolers
The center would have classrooms equipped
with what Schwartz described as “strategic acoustic systems” as well as
child-friendly lighting and colors, outdoor learning experiences and
student-friendly bathrooms.
The entire building would be designed with preschool-age
children in mind, including classroom walls and windows designed “so students
can actually see outside,” Schwartz said.
The superintendent said he also envisions a program that
would offer young children with special needs increased opportunities to
interact with their peers, as well as full school day options, not just
half-day, for 4-year-old pre-kindergarten students.
Currently, 58 students in Bucks Hill’s pre-K-three program
received special needs services at a fractured schedule. That means they come
in two to three days a week for only a half day, Schwartz said.
The program has 15 teachers, 15 paraprofessionals, two
speech pathologists and a social worker. It has limited space to provide
therapeutic programming and sensory equipment for students that need them, he
said.
The portable classroom spaces also have far too few
student-friendly bathrooms and its hallways are congested with equipment,
Schwartz.
“There are two total bathrooms in the portables,” he said,
noting there are 10 classrooms in those units, which are now more than 25 years
old.
Fulfilling a longtime need
Schwartz acknowledged that the district current has “a lot
of preschools” but said some of them are aging and in need of updates.
With the proposed center, the district is looking to
consolidate the Bucks Hill program with two classes now housed at Maloney
Interdistrict Magnet School, along with two classes each at Sprague and
Kingsbury elementary schools.
The district has long needed to bolster the preschool space
it provides, Schwartz said, referencing a facility study completed in 2004 that
said demand for preschool programs in the city had exceeded capacity.
The report also stated Bucks Hill’s portable classrooms were
showing “significant signs of deterioration,” he said.
“That was 22 years ago,” he said. The study's overall
recommendation was to build a dedicated pre-K center that would allow for
program expansion.
“So, this isn’t just like Darren’s idea, thinking, ‘Hey,
I’ve just stepped on the scene thinking this was a good idea,’” Schwartz told
the Board of Education. “The studies that have been done on the district show
it. Your eyeballs will show it if you go up to the portables yourself. And then
just multiple meetings with the educators over time have shown this.”
He described the project as “the right thing to do for our
most vulnerable population: our youngest students and special needs.”
The district should act now to take advantage of state
reimbursements, particularly for early childhood education spaces, he
said.
Waterbury’s state
reimbursement rate for school construction projects is 79%, according
to the Connecticut Department of Administrative Services.
According to DAS, construction projects of an elementary
school building or expansion that includes space
for early childhood care and education are eligible to receive an
additional 15% reimbursement.
The city could net a possible 94% reimbursement for the
project if it applies to the state now, Schwartz estimated. The proposal needs
approvals from both the Board of Education and the Board of Aldermen.
The city would have to commit to bonding $100 million for
the project’s estimated cost qualify for the reimbursement.
But the money would not be bonded, Waterbury Mayor
Paul Pernerewski said in response to a question from a Board of Education
member.
“The way the process works is with that number going
forward, if we get approved, it allows us to enter into contracts. We get the
money back from the state. We would never issue $100 million worth of bonds,”
he said.
“If it were at 94% (reimbursement), it would be $6
million,” Pernerewski said. “But if we don’t get the funding approved by
the state, we’re not going to go forward, ourselves, with a $100 million bond
authorization.”
Portland voters approve spending $109 million on school renovations across district
PORTLAND — Residents voted in favor of the town’s $109
million school
construction project during the recent referendum, approving a plan
to renovate and expand multiple schools across the district.
“These are exiting times, very exciting times,” First
Selectman Michael
Pelton said.
Turnout for the referendum on Monday was
higher than expected, with 1,867 residents voting in favor of the project and
350 voting against it, Pelton said.
“The biggest takeaway about this project is that Portland is
lucky,” he said. “It was well thought out, and we will have great schools that
bring families to Portland.”
The Board of Selectmen, at its regular meeting next week,
will set the tax rate and approve resolutions to begin forming a building
committee for the school project.
The town and school district expect to begin the project in
the summer of 2027, Pelton said.
In the project to upgrade its aging school buildings, the
district will: renovate and expand Valley View Elementary into a pre-k to grade
2 school; renovate Gildersleeve Elementary into a grade 3 to 5
school; and make various improvements at Portland Middle School and High
School.
The district will ultimately close Brownstone Intermediate
School, which currently serves grades 5 and 6.
According to the district, the work on Valley View is
estimated to cost $47.5 million, with projected state reimbursement totaling
$33.3 million. Renovations at Gildersleeve are expected to cost $52 million,
with $29.2 million in anticipated state reimbursement funding. Improvements at
the middle and high schools are estimated at $8 million, with a projected $4
million reimbursement.
The town’s estimated share of the total project, including
bond issuance costs, is $41.9 million, according to town officials.
Charles Britton,
superintendent of the Portland Public Schools, said the district has
about a year to prepare for the work and said students will remain in their
current schools during the next school year.
In the meantime, the district plans to submit its grant
application to the state before June 30, he said.
In the fall, the town plans to hire an architect and select
a construction company in preparation for breaking ground in the summer of
2027, Britton said.
“I will be working with my administrators, parents, teachers
to get ready for a very big swing of students,” Britton said.
At the start of the 2027-28 school year, Valley View
Elementary School will close for construction for two school years, with
students in prekindergarten through second grade moving to Gildersleeve School,
he said.
Students in grades 3 through 5 will move to Brownstone
Intermediate School, while sixth graders will attend Portland Middle
School.
In fall 2029, students in prekindergarten through second
grade will move into the newly renovated Valley View building. Gildersleeve
will then close for renovations during the 2029-30 and 2030-31 school years, he
said.
Once that project is complete and students return to
Gildersleeve in fall 2031, Brownstone Intermediate School will be turned over
to the town, which will decide on the future use of the building, Britton said.
Previously, the town had proposed a “mega school” elementary
project that failed at referendum, Pelton said. Although that proposal
would have cost less, the community did not support it, he said.
“In a way, I’m glad that one failed because the new plan is
better, more comprehensive and we get more money back from the state,” he said.
“It all worked out timing-wise.”
The town and school district listened to concerns about the
proposed mega school, Pelton said, and considered the community’s educational
needs while developing the new project.