Fewer kids, fewer costumes: What declining school enrollment means for trick-or-treating

Image
Enfield has experienced a significant and ongoing decline in public school enrollment over an 18 year period. When compared to four nearby towns of similar population size, Enfield and Middletown show the steepest declines. Many factors may be contributing to this trend. These include smaller family sizes, lower fertility rates, job market, cost of living including housing costs, an aging population across the state, and an increase in families choosing alternative education options, such as homeschooling. The data is available at EdSight . The enrollment data only covers the last 18 years. Update : After reading some of the insightful Facebook comments , more data is needed to show how population changes are contributing to the school population decline. The comments about an increase in homeschooling were thought-provoking. I wish there was a way to quantify that shift; I suspect the school district may have some estimates. Enfield has experienced an approximate 8.76% decline in popu

JFK middle school renovation is a battle over Enfield’s future

JFK Middle School, Enfield CT

Enfield voters are being asked to approve $84 million to renovate the John F. Kennedy Middle School. The town’s share of the cost is $27 million. The state is paying for 70 percent of the work. Whether town voters will approve it is a major problem.

The referendum failed in 2017, about 3,640 votes to 3,200. The town trimmed back the project from $95 million. The town share was reduced from $35 million.

It’s hard to know whether the reduction in cost has made a difference in support. The opposition is in evidence on Facebook Enfield CT Open Forum. It’s frustrating. The opponents are mostly just complaining about taxes, and accusing the town of mismanagement.
The big risk is state funding. The state kept its 70% reimbursement in place, despite the 2017 referendum rejection. That’s a hefty commitment by the state. If the referendum fails a second time, it’s possible -- probably very likely -- that the state will withdraw its commitment. There are a lot of other towns that will want this money to use for school renovations. And then what will Enfield do?

Enfield will still have to improve JFK and may have do so without state assistance. Voters will still be on the hook for potentially tens of millions of dollars.

This 50-year old school is in bad shape. It doesn't have air conditioning, and the temperature will continue to increase with climate change. Students, staff and faculty often labor in very warm conditions. The heating system is failing. The building has hazardous materials that need to be dealt with. Many improvements are needed.

At least $15 million no matter what

There was a 2015 study that put "the total estimated cost was $15.3 million to just fix what exists at the JFK School, but not to improve with any great significance." This is what former Town Manager Bryan Chodkowski told the town council, according to what was stated at a hearing on the topic.

Assuming the $15 million estimate is on target (and it's probably low, considering it's now four years old), it seems ridiculous to reject the school referendum. For $11 million more in bonding, the town gets an $84 million renovation and a first class facility for the students -- something everyone can be proud of. This makes so much sense.

One of arguments used by opponents is “why not Fermi?” That’s been looked it. It’s nearly as old as JFK. It’s a high school that will have to be converted into a middle school, at significant cost. There’s still concern about hazardous materials at that facility.

Fermi is not an option

In 2013, the town looked at relocating the Enfield Public Library, town recreation department, EMS to Fermi. The construction cost for that project alone was $26 million, or nearly the same as the town’s share of the construction cost at JFK. The school wasn't built for middle school students, and a conversion to a middle school will cost even more. The town will have to try again to get state support for that project.

The opponents believe there’s big money to be made from the sale of town properties. JFK has very little value in its current condition. The building is in bad shape overall. It may be demolished.

If voters reject this, it will be a victory for misinformation. No matter how you look at this problem, the town is on the hook for millions in renovation costs. There is no way around it. One can only hope that voters will realize it.





Location: Enfield, CT 06082, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why Enfield is in trouble? Facts with a dose of sarcasm

Image
Molly at School Rally People are going after spending in Enfield and trying to dissect it to see where they can find gross mismanagement. Since the Republicans have been in control for all but two of the last 16 years, let's assume that the town's spending is pristine and error-free and beyond reproach—except for the two years when the Democrats were in charge. As we all know, the Democrats dumped money out of the windows of Town Hall. The Town Council Republicans are going to try to set a token reduction in the Mill Rate. To reach that point, they may have to do some problematic things, such as deferring spending on things like police cruiser replacements and equipment generally, putting off some maintenance, and not filling vacancies and laying off where they can, and who knows what else. There's a lot they can't touch, namely contractual salary obligations. But they want to be able to say that they reduced taxes. More concerning will be how much of the costs are bein
Read more

Fewer kids, fewer costumes: What declining school enrollment means for trick-or-treating

Image
Enfield has experienced a significant and ongoing decline in public school enrollment over an 18 year period. When compared to four nearby towns of similar population size, Enfield and Middletown show the steepest declines. Many factors may be contributing to this trend. These include smaller family sizes, lower fertility rates, job market, cost of living including housing costs, an aging population across the state, and an increase in families choosing alternative education options, such as homeschooling. The data is available at EdSight . The enrollment data only covers the last 18 years. Update : After reading some of the insightful Facebook comments , more data is needed to show how population changes are contributing to the school population decline. The comments about an increase in homeschooling were thought-provoking. I wish there was a way to quantify that shift; I suspect the school district may have some estimates. Enfield has experienced an approximate 8.76% decline in popu
Read more

Enfield Town Council's unprofessional action

Image
  Enfield's Town Council is apparently trying to kill a 70-unit housing project in Thompsonville that the Planning and Zoning Commission approved. The Council's behavior has been egregious and unprofessional in pursuit of that goal. It's doing this in secret and risking a lawsuit for murky reasons. Impact Residential Development recently received PZC approval for this project in a 5-2 vote. It was a remarkable and courageous moment for the commission. But the Town Council Republicans want to block it. They are designing in executive session a way to oppose it. They did not let the developer know of their plan until the last minute. Here's the background The developers plan to build this housing on and near the former Strand Theater site, land which the town had acquired. It combines primarily affordable housing and market-rate units with 70 parking spaces. It faced opposition over concerns about on-street parking. The idea is that since this is a transit-oriented develo
Read more