Region 15 board hears unanimous feasibility-committee recommendation to study building a combined elementary campus; authorizes property search

Regional School District 15's Board of Education on a regularly scheduled meeting reviewed the feasibility study committee's recommendation that the district pursue a new, combined elementary school campus and authorized staff to begin exploring potential properties and next steps.

The feasibility committee, which met multiple times over the past year, recommended constructing a single campus that would house two elementary-school programs (described in the study as “a school-within-a-school” or two schools, one campus) on a new site rather than renovating both existing elementary buildings. The committee’s rationale included long-term educational configuration, state reimbursement formulas that can favor new construction, and the district’s current building conditions. The committee vote on the recommendation was unanimous, the presenter reported.

Why it matters: committee members and board members said the recommendation could materially affect the district’s capital plan, the amount of state reimbursement the district could obtain for construction, the configuration of preschool and special-education space, and the timing of a possible referendum. Board members stressed that no final decision has been made and that the recommendation is a next step to evaluate viability.

Committee findings and board discussion

Sally (staff member), who presented the study summary and the committee’s recommendation, told the board the feasibility work included about a year of meetings with principals, teachers, parents and town officials and eleven…