Board members press for community focus groups on plans for single Wallingford high school

Several board members told the operations committee on Jan. 13 that the district’s draft educational specifications for a potential consolidated Wallingford High School need more structured community outreach before the board approves final specs.

Mrs. Versace told the committee she was concerned that the initial 19 focus groups did not include community organizations and residents and asked that Colliers and SLAM facilitate additional public sessions—both one virtual and one in-person—so community stakeholders could offer detailed input on programming and the building’s role in the town. “I would like to propose that we have community focus groups added before we vote on educational specs,” she said.

Superintendent Donna Belizzi and staff described the draft Ed Specs as an initial document and said consultants expect revisions. Belizzi outlined a tentative, backward-looking timeline for grant and referendum steps if the project advances: she said a grant application would likely have to be ready by June 30, 2026, and that site, transportation and ecological studies and an identified funding commitment from town council would be needed well before that date. If a grant were submitted and funded and a referendum approved, Belizzi said building construction could take about five years, placing a potential opening in the early 2030s.

Board members raised two recurring concerns: timing and expectations. Some members said early community sessions could raise expectations that the district cannot meet unless funding is secured. Others said delaying community input risks diminishing the meaningfulness of that input later. Members asked Colliers and SLAM to run any focus groups to keep discussions focused and to clarify what the community could realistically expect from the process.

Belizzi said she would follow up with the consultants and that SLAM would attend some meetings within the limits of the consulting contract; she told the committee an extra SLAM appearance could cost roughly $750–$1,000 if scheduled outside the current scope. Belizzi also said the district has posted the current draft Ed Specs and the consultant’s presentation on the district website and expects continued adjustments based on board and community feedback.

Next steps: Superintendent Belizzi will discuss timing and focus-group design with Colliers and SLAM, report back to the board, and staff will continue to accept written feedback via the district’s posted materials. No formal vote to change the Ed Specs occurred at the meeting.