Parents urge board to keep Wilton open; question vote transparency and capacity claims

Two Wilton-area speakers used the public-comment period to press the board to reconsider closing Wilton Elementary and to criticize the transparency of recent board votes.

Stacy Lockhart, who said she does not want any school closed, urged the board to revisit alternatives that she said were overlooked. “Closing Wilton will not save $2.8 million per your study. It will save about $600,000,” Lockhart said, and she argued moving Central Office to Cradle and reassigning students could generate necessary revenue while preserving Wilton. She also laid out figures she said the Leader in Me program requires: a roughly $50,000 startup cost for a new site and $25,000 in each of the following two years, versus $13,000 per year to maintain the program at Wilton.

Chelsea Schober, a parent, described widespread denials of school-choice applications and questioned whether the March special meeting that led to the Wilton decision reflected a full, transparent roll call. “From an outsider watching the voting process, it didn't look like a majority,” she said, urging the board to clarify its parliamentary practice and encouraging families to use the appeal process.

Board members addressed procedure in a later agenda item. During that discussion Attorney Dubose and members referenced Board Policy 2340 and Robert’s Rules to clarify whether the presiding officer can make a nomination or should pass the gavel when making a personal motion; members said they would refine the process to avoid confusion going forward.

What’s next: Administration and board members said appeals and waitlists for school-choice assignments remain active; staff cautioned capacity counts must include pre-K seats when district capacity is assessed.