Consultants present $702.5 million Bridgeport facilities plan calling for school consolidations and new construction

Consultants MP Planning and Studio Jade presented a facilities master plan to Bridgeport School District officials and community members at a public presentation, recommending a multi‑phase program of new construction, major renovations and school consolidations tied to enrollment trends and building needs.

The plan identifies roughly $702,500,000 in capital needs over 10 years, with 56% of recommended work in the first three years and 84% within five years, and recommends using a mix of new construction and strategically timed renovations to reduce long‑term cost and operational disruption.

The recommendations matter because many Bridgeport elementary buildings combine high capital needs with either underutilization or very high utilization, the consultants said. “The master plan is really the road map for the district,” said Mike Zuba of MP Planning, summarizing the consultants’ approach to aligning facilities, capacity and program needs.

MP Planning presented an enrollment analysis showing a projected district‑wide decline of about 800 students over the next decade. Consultants described current district enrollment at about 14,200 elementary (pre‑K–8) students declining toward about 13,800 and high school enrollment near recent peaks of about 5,800, holding in the high 5,000s for several years before tapering.

Studio Jade’s facility condition assessment (FCA) categorized buildings by capital need and normalized those needs per square foot and per student. Pam of Studio Jade said the FCA assigned immediate, 3‑year, 5‑year and 10‑year timeframes and estimated that interior…