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Naugatuck board presses for answers after Board of Education flags Salem School for closure
Summary
Town leaders said they were surprised by the Board of Education’s decision to close Salem School and pushed for faster, earlier budget collaboration; members stressed ADA/accessibility, staff impacts and promised a town review aimed at keeping the mill rate under 40 mills.
The Board of Mayor and Burgesses confronted an unexpected education development and budget pressure at its public meeting, after the Board of Education identified Salem School as a candidate for closure.
The mayor opened the discussion by saying the town remains committed to reducing the mill rate below 40 mills and that town-side budget increases should remain minimal — “we’re going to have to start a lot earlier than normal,” he said, proposing that finance staff, volunteer board members and education officials begin an intensive review to find options that protect taxpayers and students.
Board members said the timing and the way the closure was communicated created confusion. Several board members said they first learned of the potential closure via social media, and they urged more direct coordination. A board member said the town had determined years ago that Salem was not suited to modern educational needs, citing lack of a cafeteria, gym and full ADA access, but stressed the need to plan staff transitions and classroom assignments before final decisions.
The board emphasized the need to balance capital work downtown with school funding and noted that the town had already absorbed a state motor‑vehicle tax formula change that reduced revenue by roughly $1.2 million. The mayor and others said a recently adopted municipal depreciation schedule on motor vehicles should recover some $400,000–$500,000 of that loss without shifting costs to homeowners.
Officials said longer‑range plans — including a previously discussed townwide grades 5–8 configuration at a cross‑street site and potential reuses of school property — remain on the table. The board opened the floor to public comment; one caller asked whether the building would be preserved as a historic structure. The board responded that municipal uses are planned for Hillside and Salem and that both would be preserved architecturally while the current town hall building would be offered for redevelopment.
The board scheduled deeper budget work and public engagement before the Board of Education’s formal budget presentation, saying they expect to finalize a town budget proposal by the end of April.
