Ideas Abound For School Buildings

The new committee tasked with solving some of Branford’s school building dilemmas has come up with interesting ideas. The group is also taking a look at a middle school master plan that has been gathering dust for 14 years. And the leaky roof at Branford Hills did not go unnoticed.

The Facilities Committee is attempting to determine whether it would be better to renovate or rebuild Walsh Intermediate School and Sliney Elementary School. The meeting was held Monday night at the former Branford Hills Elementary School, which is one of the buildings the district is no longer using for classrooms.

Some preliminary suggestions offered Monday include:

—Renovate Branford Hills School for pre-kindergarten classes.

—Renovate Branford Hills for kindergarten, and put fifth grades back in the elementary schools.

—Tear down Branford Hills School and build a new elementary school to replace Sliney.

—Add a third floor to Walsh Intermediate School.

—Build a new school for Sliney students and put middle school students in Sliney or in portable classrooms while renovating Walsh.

—Build a new Walsh.

—- Add a fifth-grade wing at Walsh, and then renovate the current school for grades six through eight.

The last suggestion was the conclusion of an architectural firm, Kosinski Enterprises Inc., a firm the school district hired to create a master plan for renovating the middle school. The 88-page report, dated October 1998, said the facility did not ​“meet current educational and code standards and thereby compromises function and safety at the school.”

Frank Carrano, who chairs the Board of Education (BOE), told the Eagle that the Kosinski report was commissioned years before his tenure on the board, and that he doesn’t know why the report was shelved.

At the meeting Carrano said it is important to consider the possibility of renovating Walsh before looking at new construction. ​“We should do whatever we can to come to some conclusion to see if this building could serve,” he said. ​“It would have to have walls, definitely have walls.” 

The Eagle contacted State Rep. Pat Widlitz (D‑Branford-Guilford) regarding state reimbursement for school building projects. Widlitz, who chairs the finance, revenue and bonding committee, said the State Department of Education (SDE) calculates reimbursement on a sliding scale formula depending on a town’s wealth. According to that scale, Branford would be reimbursed at 37.14 percent for major renovation; and 27.14 percent for new school construction. However, if a district can prove that it is cheaper to build a new school rather than renovate, the SDE may use the 37.14 percent rate.

Walsh was built in 1971 as an open-space concept with few interior walls. Since then, some classrooms have been enclosed and makeshift partitions have been added. Parents in the past few months have been rallying for walls and sound-proofing in the school, particularly in the fifth grade classrooms.

The 1998 report stated: ​“Current educational programs now dictate that visually and acoustically separate teaching stations be afforded the students and teachers in order to achieve a functional learning environment. The current lack of windows in the school’s academic wing diminishes the quality and effectiveness of the space and must be ameliorated.”

The architects included plans for staging the work to minimize disruption for students. Total projects costs were estimated at that time to be about $28 million. However, since then the district has replaced windows, doors, the roof, and the heating and air conditioning systems, which were all targeted for replacement as part of the renovation project.

“Is this report still a viable starting point?” Superintendent Hamlet Hernandez asked the committee.

Hernandez said there is no possibility of putting fifth grades back in the elementary buildings because there isn’t enough space, and enrollment projections indicate that would not be possible. ​“That notion is off the table,” he said.

Hernandez said it could be possible to have traditional self-contained fifth grade classes in a new wing, and then use the team teaching concept in the upper grades to maintain the middle school philosophy.

He said it is important to look at the instructional needs of the students.

Hernandez said research shows that fifth graders are cognitively and developmentally more in tune with an elementary school teaching model than a middle school concept. He said standardized test scores show a slight dip for fifth grades in Branford. Click here to read about Branford’s most recent scores. 

Walsh principal Robin Goeler, who is also a member of the committee, said the current configuration and size of Walsh are problematic. For example, he said science labs don’t have basic equipment because there isn’t enough space.

“Building an addition for the fifth grade is a good idea,” Goeler said, but he added that he has difficulty visualizing how the rest of the building could be renovated to meet the needs of a modern middle school.

Committee member and parent Kyle Nelson said he sees potential at Walsh, and suggested that the district look at enrollment projections and educational needs along with the physical condition of the schools. He said an architect could help determine whether it would be more feasible to renovate or build.

Nelson said Branford Hills would be good location for a new elementary school because there is sufficient acreage there. He said the Sliney School, which is in the heart of town, could then be used for administrative offices and a senior center.

Branford Hills, which was built in 1955, has 10 classrooms and sits on almost 13 acres. Some rooms are used for after-school programs, and other rooms are used for storage. The BOE uses one room for staff development sessions. One room cannot be used because rain is leaking through the roof and into the classroom. Various containers are set up in the room to catch the dripping water. (See photo at top.)

Carrano said the district asked for a new roof for Branford Hills in the recent budget, but that the Representative Town Meeting denied the request.

Committee member Mario Sabatini, who is also on the BOE, said the district needs to do a new enrollment projection, and also look at future program needs. ​“We have to envision 10 years down the road,” he said.

Nelson commented on the two-month time frame the committee was given to reach some conclusions and make recommendations to the BOE. Click here to read an earlier story on the committee.

“We’re going to take as much time as we need,” Carrano said.

The next meeting is slated for Aug. 21 at Sliney Elementary School, so committee members and the public can tour the school.

###