New Haven Independent

If the state says OK, the $59 million school would house 600 students, possibly on the UNH campus, and include college-credit courses.

The announcement came Thursday during one of the city’s most efficiently run and high-stakes monthly gatherings, the citywide school building committee, which the mayor chairs.

“All those in favor, signify by saying aye. Good. The measure carries. Cool!”

In a quick 50-minute hour, Mayor John DeStefano presided over approvals for nearly $100 million for two new New Haven schools and the replacement of roofs on four others, each in the $500,000 to $900,000 range

The committee began work in the mid-1990s, when he initiated the city’s school reconstruction program, the committee, Connecticut’s largest (currently at about $1.5 billion). With representatives from the Board of Alderman (Andrea Jackson-Brooks, with Mayo and schools rebuilding chief Susan Weisselberg in the top photo), the city’s engineering department, of course the Board of Education, and other concerned city departments, the committee has supervised and shepherded more than 20 projects, from major renovation to new construction from the ground up.

The opening of the rebuilt Worthington-Hooker on March 19 for lower grades (plans for its new playground were presented by Weisselberg and also approved at the meeting) and Beecher in April will be new schools numbers 23 and 24.

The Jepson School in Fair Haven is moving toward a fall opening, it was reported. The Troup School in January, and several others, including Columbus, and Cooperative Arts High School are all in various stages of construction and were reported on schedule.

At Thursday night’s meeting, Kathy Jones, principal of Timothy Dwight School, one of the two most recently approved, was all smiles, even though the approval was just the beginning of the funding process. Dwight, along with the second school approved, the University of New Haven Science and Engineering Magnet School, are just beginning a Byzantine funding process profoundly dependent on the state’s bonding authority, which must pass the state legislature.

“After approval by this committee,” Sue Weisselberg explained, “these projects go to the Board of Education’s Finance and Administration Committee. From there they go to the Board of Aldermen, because the state, which is the ultimate destination for the lion’s share of funding, wants to see both community and legislative approval. Application must be made to the State by June 30, after which the projects wend their way through state department of education bureaucracy, then to the legislature as a budget item, and with luck arrive on the state’s approved list for bonding, that is funding authority. Then its up to the legislature to vote on it.”

Whew! By the middle of the 2008, the committee should know if Dwight and a UNH Science and Engineering Magnet School make the cut and are approved. By the end of this year, 2007, the committee should know if funding for construction of the East Rock School and Vincent Mauro School have been approved.

And so things move along through the pipeline. With $55 million of the $59 million total for the UNH Science and Engineering School slated to come from the state ($3 million through city bonds) and $30 million of the $38 million total for Dwight ultimately dependent on the state legislature, the process is slow and subject to substantial budgetary adjustment.

“We don’t know what’s really certain,” said Weisselberg, “because the governor has proposed a cap on school construction. But it’s a Democratic legislature, and so we’re moving ahead.” Every year, since the construction program began, two or three New Haven schools have been up for funding approval in Hartford and the City has done exceptionally well. One reason is that each time a new school project is proposed, like the one at UNH or Dwight, a school-based building committee is formed that solicits input from a wide range of people affected. By the time plans appear here at the citywide committee, they have been vetted at many levels, from the grassroots up.

Hill Alderwoman Jackson-Brooks was ecstatic that Ken Boroson was named the architect to begin work on the Hill Central School, (yet another project!) in her district.

Mayo’s Science Vision

Mayo was particularly excited about the UNH Science and Engineering School, this even though no location has even been found and plans are as preliminary as the funding.

“In all the years we’ve been doing this, Mr. Mayor,” Mayo said, “and since I’ve been superintendent, no project has been quite as exciting. This school will be sited near, and preferably on the UNH campus. The kids will be able to take courses for college credit right there while they’re in high school. The president of UNH is so eager for this, he wants us to consider two UNH schools. Whoa. Let’s do the one first. It’s going to have 600 kids and be a grade 6 to 12 school. Originally I wanted it to be 9th to 12th grade, but I bowed to the wisdom of my staff - occasionally I do this — who suggested it was important to have the kids well prepared. We’re lobbying, we’ve got it worked out with West Haven that they’ll send 100 or 120 kids to the school too, and we hope to nail down a site soon.”

The pre-K to fourth grade Timothy Dwight School, a 1960s era building on Edgewood Avenue, which Weisselberg described as bunker-like with poor light and many problems, will be torn down except for the additions recently put on.

“I’m just so glad to see all this,” Mayo said to the mayor (pictured). “Look at this, projects 23 and 24 about to be built … I never thought you could have pulled it off.”

“We haven’t yet,” said the mayor. “Let’s hope the Board of Alderman and the people approve the budget!”

When a reporter reminded Weisselberg that in that very budget, the costliest item, $6.7 million in debt service, was more than half attributable to paying for schools, she took a thoughtful breath, and said. “These buildings will last for decades, and in what they produce they will pay for themselves many times over. Not only buildings are built through the grassroots committee process, but communities are built too. You know it when you see people enter these buildings and such smiles appear on their faces.”