East Lyme — The Board of Education voted 8-2 Monday to endorse a proposal that would fully renovate the Lillie B. Haynes School, postpone rebuilding Flanders Elementary School but refurbish it in the interim, and close Niantic Center School.   

Before endorsing the new proposal, the board rescinded a vote taken last November that approved an earlier proposal to simultaneously rebuild Flanders Elementary School and fully renovate Niantic Center, while closing Lillie B. Haynes and returning the building to the town.  

The project would have cost $82,755,855, and the town would be responsible for an estimated $58 million of that, following state reimbursement.

The new proposal approved by the board on Monday calls for renovating "as new" the 101,000-square-foot Lillie B. Haynes School, the largest of the three elementary schools, for $45.06 million, an estimated $34.25 million cost to the town after state reimbursement.

The proposal also includes spending up to $1.5 million to refurbish Flanders Elementary, while rebuilding the school would be postponed for five to seven years.

The Board of Selectmen will next review the new proposal. If approved by the selectmen, the proposal then would move to the Board of Finance and then to townwide referendum. 

Before Monday's vote, more than 20 residents addressed the board during public comment.

While some residents said the focus should be on the benefits the project would bring children, the majority raised concerns and urged the board to slow down the decision and allow them to be included in the process.

At the beginning of the meeting, First Selectman Mark Nickerson said that while it would have been ideal to renovate or rebuild two schools at the same time, he said the project would have doubled the town's debt.

The town has no plans yet for the Niantic Center site, he said, but it is the most marketable property and could be reused for other purposes, if the board doesn't use it for educational programs, such as LEARN. 

He said the Lillie B. Haynes property cannot be sold separately because the town purchased it at a town meeting in the 1950s as part of a larger tract for the purposes of education. 

During his presentation, Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Newton said there is a need for two schools with about 160,000 square feet in total, but it's too expensive to do both schools at the same time. 

Newton said the district could build a new Flanders Elementary in five to seven years, according to the latest enrollment numbers.

In the meantime, he said refurbishments to Flanders would include a new main entrance with updated security, as well as technology upgrades and new classroom furniture.

Newton said logistics for the project's construction, slated to begin in 2017, would need to be properly vetted.

He said options include a phased approach, portables, or redistricting to move students between Flanders and Niantic Center.

He said "Plan B," if the proposal fails at referendum, would be to combine Niantic Center School into Lillie B. Haynes for the 2017-18 school year.

During the board's deliberations, board Chairman Tim Hagen said the decision for the new proposal comes down to the fact that the town cannot afford to renovate or rebuild two schools at the same time.

He said it makes sense to renovate Lillie B. Haynes, if only one school can be completed initially. 

Board members also stressed that the board needs to move forward with a plan that the Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance would approve before referendum.

Board member Barbara Senges said it was important for the board to come together to make a decision, saying failure to act is "a huge risk in terms of whether there is going to be any money for state reimbursement."

Board members Jaime Barr Shelburn and Bill Derry cast the opposing votes on Monday.

Barr Shelburn voiced objections to the proposal, including that it moves away from the town's tradition of small schools.

She also said the claim that Lillie B. Haynes couldn't be used for other purposes warrants careful review by an attorney.

She said she could not find evidence in deeds of that stipulation and said minutes from the 1950s town meeting say only a portion of the larger tract of land, where Lillie B. Haynes is located, needs to be used for educational purposes.

Board member Derry said he thought the proposal moved away from equity in facilities and said he has stood up in the past to say small schools are best for kids.

During public comment, many parents raised concerns, urging the board to reconsider the new proposal.

Their concerns included that they weren't included in the decision-making process and the recent change in the project, that the project wouldn't result in equitable facilities, and that they came to the town for the small schools or for Niantic Center School, in particular.

Jennifer Murray read aloud minutes from the design steering committee that said the decision is based on what the town can afford and not what is best educationally for students.

"If we're looking to put forward what is not in the best educational interests for our students, I think that the board needs to go back and find a better plan," she said.  

Flanders PTA president Kimberly Mazzarelli said the Flanders community is interested in having a more detailed understanding of the resources allocated to the school during the phase when money will be funneled to Lillie B. Haynes.

"Provisions must be made, too, as not to create a have/have not culture, with new students preferably wanting to be enrolled in Lillie B. Haynes, as Flanders becomes yesterday's news," she said.

At the end of the meeting, Derry stressed the importance of not letting the proposal divide the community and urged everybody "to get together and make it work."

He held up a letter the board received from about 40 Lillie B. Haynes parents in support of the new proposal, and pointed out to attendees that their kids likely play soccer with some of these parents' kids or they are their friends.

k.drelich@theday.com