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Parents urge caution on grade‑level changes, warn about magnet identity loss
Summary
Public commenters asked the board to prioritize magnet identities and program space in any grade‑level reconfiguration; one commenter said retention rose to 75% when middle grades were added to the high school campus and cautioned that closing or consolidating schools could shrink capacity and revenue.
During public comment at the Feb. 9 meeting, Sarah Turner of New London and Kate Fioravanti of Waterford urged the board to preserve clear magnet identities and program space as it considers grade‑level changes under the proposed budget options. Turner said reconfiguration should be “positioned on the basis of magnet and exceptional, specialized, hands‑on learning” and stressed the importance of preserving programs such as marching band and music that students work hard to sustain.
Kate Fioravanti, who identified herself as having spent nearly three decades recruiting and retaining students in southeastern Connecticut and as a parent of an out‑of‑district student, warned that Plan C raises questions about whether closing a school would close fiscal gaps and cautioned that consolidating buildings could limit space needed for capstone arts programming. Fioravanti told the board that “retention increased to 75% when the middle grades were added to the high school campus,” a statistic she said should inform decisions. Board members heard these concerns as they reviewed Plan C and related facility and program questions.
