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04/04/2018 07:30 AMTowns across the shoreline are facing the same challenges: Administrative demands and operational costs are rising, while enrollment is declining. Clinton is responding with a study that will consider a wide range of options, including possible school closures.
On March 26, the budget and finance and buildings and grounds subcommittees of the Board of Education (BOE) held a meeting to inform the public about an upcoming facilities study, which will be completed in the fall and have potentially vast impacts on the future of the school system.
BOE Chair Erica Gelven said that the board would form a subcommittee in May, and then present its final recommendations on what to do in October. Gelven said there will be opportunities for the committee to receive feedback from and present to the public during this process, including a presentation near the start of the school year.
Members of the committee will be picked by the board chairman.
“The sole charge will be to look at information and come up with a plan,” Gelven said. “No matter our decision, it’s going to affect our community.”
The presentation outlined six key factors the study will review: enrollment, programing, grade reconfiguration, facility needs, operational costs, and community benefits. A previous study done in 2014, predicted a sharp drop in enrollment. According to Superintendent Maryann O’Donnell, the 2018 reality is the decline was higher than initially projected.
O’Donnell said that the declining enrollment is one of the factors “pushing the urgency” of the study. O’Donnell said that since 2010, district wide Clinton has lost 260 students. Projections into the future predict that by 2026-2027 the district will lose 388 students. O’Donnell said decreases like this were not unique to Clinton and are “happening all over the Connecticut.”
The possibility of closing of the Abraham Pierson school, which serves grades 4 and 5, has been a hot-button issue in the past. At the March 26 meeting, Pierson was again briefly discussed. O’Donnell called Pierson a “key building” and said the study is “not about Pierson, but what makes sense for our K through 8 students.” Pierson’s proximity to the town hall and town beach, and how those locations align with the curriculum studied at the school, were noted.
The Pierson School, according to the presentation, is 86 years old and currently has an enrollment of 273 students, which makes the school the oldest and least occupied in the system.
Earlier in 2018, O’Donnell said, “It is fair to say that the closing of Pierson school will be carefully considered. If a school needs to close, then Pierson is the likely candidate due to its age and current enrollment and grade configuration.”
No decisions have yet been made on any changes in facilities.
“I really feel Clinton is in a crossroads. I’m inspired by what Clinton is becoming,” Gelven said.
The long-range facilities study done in 2014 is available on the school system’s website, www.clintonpublic.net. O’Donnell said that due to the new construction of The Morgan School and the steady enrollment projections for that school, the high school will not be included in the study.