Stonington to explore merging middle schools
Stonington — The Board of Education has formed a committee to look into the feasibility of merging the town’s two middle schools.
The committee, which is expected to meet for the first time next month, is composed of Superintendent of Schools Van Riley, school board Chairman Frank Todisco and school board members Alexa Garvey and Craig Esposito. The committee also will solicit input from teachers, parents and residents.
The school system is considering the merger because of a projected decline in the number of students in the sixth through eighth grades. The middle school now contains students in fifth grade but they will be moved to Deans Mill and West Vine Street schools when the upcoming renovation and expansion project is completed.
Projections call for a decrease in students in the three grades from 486 in 2018 to 389 in 2023, a loss of almost 100 students in just five years. Mystic Middle School can accommodate 525 students and Pawcatuck 380. Mystic is now at only 49 percent capacity while Pawcatuck is at 58 percent.
With state education aid to the town expected to continue declining and the town facing increased annual debt payments on the $67 million elementary school project, the opportunity to save money by closing one of the middle schools may be attractive to town and school officials.
“We’d be fiscally irresponsible not to look at this,” Todisco said.
Closing one of the middle schools, most likely the smaller Pawcatuck Middle School, would leave the town with having to find a use not only for that school building, which just had a new roof installed, but also West Broad Street School, which will be closed as part of the elementary school project.
Todisco said the committee was formed following a recommendation from the superintendent. He said the process will be an open one, with public comment at its meetings, and he expects the committee to submit recommendations to the school board in the fall.
Todisco said the committee will examine a host of issues involving curriculum and instruction, facilities, finances, job growth and demographics.
“We’ll look at all these issues and what’s happening around us,” he said.
Comment threads are monitored for 48 hours after publication and then closed.
