Wallingford board hears updated cost, reimbursement scenarios for proposed single high school; approves test‑fit study

The Wallingford Board of Education on Sept. 29 heard updated square‑footage, cost and state reimbursement scenarios for a potential single high school and voted to approve a site test‑fit study to be paid from the district contingency fund. The board approved the test‑fit motion by roll call, with seven members voting yes and two voting no.

Board members and the district's consultants told the board the revised packet corrects earlier square‑footage and cost errors and applies the state's newly issued 2026 reimbursement rates. Scott Pelham of Colliers presented the corrected square footage totals and explained arithmetic and transcription errors in prior materials; Superintendent Danielle Belizzi and Colliers then reviewed the budget estimates and the effect of the state's updated rates on the town's share.

The test‑fit motion matters because state reimbursement applies only to eligible construction costs and the reimbursement percentage drops when a proposed building exceeds the state's allowable square footage for a district. The board was told the state revised its calculation for 2026 in a way that narrowed the gap between renovation and new construction support: renovation reimbursement rose slightly (from about 54.28% for 2025 to 55.36% in the revised 2026 table), while the new construction reimbursement was presented as roughly 51.25% in the 2026 table. The presenters cautioned that those percentages represent the state's maximum support for eligible construction costs and do not apply to ineligible items (for example, work beyond the property line) or to limited eligible items (pools, turf fields, certain athletic facilities)…