This story is part of CT Mirror Explains, an ongoing effort to distill our wide-ranging reporting into a "what you need to know" format and provide practical information to our readers.
When Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam announced the pause of state-funded renovations for six public schools in September, the decision surprised the Board of Education and the Hartford School Building Committee.
They had voted in favor of the renovations, along with the City Council, to Moylan Elementary, Parkville Community, McDonough Middle, S.A.N.D, Maria C. Colon Sanchez Elementary and Batchelder schools.
And state funding was already approved.
School renovations were part of an effort to bring Hartford residents back to study in the district. Over the past four years approximately 5,000 students moved out of the city, with many relocating to places like New Britain, East Hartford, and Manchester, according to an analysis of student enrollment trends by Caitlin Richard, chief financial officer of Hartford Public Schools, shown at a Board of Education meeting in November.
The district faces a projected budget deficit of approximately $30 million, which Richard said would be addressed if more Hartford children attended Hartford Public Schools.
Here’s what we know about the pause on school renovations.
Why did Hartford public schools plan renovations?
The projects were meant to address long-standing issues in Hartford Public Schools’ buildings including leaking roofs and outdated HVAC systems and to incorporate state-of-the-art facilities. Board of Education Chair Shonta Browdy says the lack of updated facilities push away Hartford residents to districts that already provide these.
Renovations aim to address current low enrollment in Hartford’s public schools.
What is the school construction process and at what point was it paused?
It is a long process that includes multiple stakeholders who propose, oversee and approve school construction renovation projects.
First, the school district identifies the need for renovations. Consultants and other professionals may be involved with the documentation process, considering student enrollment, building needs and academic programs.
Then the Board of Education prepares educational specifications of project costs and eight-year enrollment figures. Once the city approves those, the board and the City Council are authorized to submit a grant application to the state, and the Office of School Construction Grants & Review evaluates the proposal.
If the proposal is approved — like it was in the case of the six public schools in Hartford — the state issues a grant letter of commitment. The city’s school building committee further hires program and construction managers, and architects.
Next, before bidding for the construction work begins, which is authorized by the state’s school construction office, designs are made, reviewed and approved. Construction then is supposed to start.
The projects were paused near the very end of the process. Construction companies already had bid and a design request for proposal for the schools was voted on by the Hartford School Building Committee.
Here are the names of the chosen construction companies, according to information provided by Browdy:
- S.A.N.D has a contract with Colliers;
- Sanchez Elementary and Batchelder schools with Arcadis and O&G;
- McDonough Middle with PDS Engineering and Construction Inc.;
- Parkville Community with 7 Summits Construction;
- and Moylan Elementary with Newfield Construction.
What does the mayor say about his reasoning for pausing the school renovations?
Cristian Corza-Godinez, city of Hartford spokesperson, said in a written statement that “the status quo” is not working for students, and so the mayor is working on a 5-year plan to turn schools into centers of excellence. He said that requires conversations around whether the city is stretching resources too thin in under-enrolled schools.
Corza-Godinez said that until the city has a plan to address this, pausing school construction is the responsible decision.
“If we use state dollars to carry out these six construction projects, Hartford taxpayers will be on the hook for twenty years and will have to pay back those dollars if any of those six schools move in a different direction over the next two decades,” he said.
At the school building committee meeting on Oct. 20, Lori Mizerak, the city’s corporation counsel, stated that she sent a memo on Oct. 17 about what the city plans to do to evaluate all city schools facing budgeting issues. The memo is not publicly available.
What are the next steps for these projects moving forward?
As of now, the renovations are on pause and there is not a set date for them to resume construction.
Arulampalam said the city wants to resume construction as quickly as it can, and he hopes that all the parties will come to the table collaborate on a plan that provides better educational outcomes for Hartford students, so that they can offer not just better looking buildings, but also “substantially better education.”