Group letter from Greenwich Schools parents. (See list below)
We represent thousands of parents with kids that attend, will attend, or have attended Greenwich public schools. We respectfully ask the Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET) to approve the Board of Education’s (BOE) and First Selectman’s request to provide $1.7 million of capital funding in 2021-2022 for Julian Curtiss Elementary School.
We thank both parties on the BET for funding the schools facilities master plan in 2016 and the Julian Curtiss design study in 2019, at a total cost of $600,000. The funding for Julian Curtiss this year is an important next step in bringing our town’s schools up to par with today’s elementary school standards.
It will be used to form a building committee for Julian Curtiss, select an architect, refine overall costs, and complete construction documents based on the BOE-approved Educational Specifications for Julian Curtiss. Once these steps are complete, we understand that the Julian Curtiss renovation will be ready to proceed as soon as next year at an estimated cost of $25 million.
Many of our schools are old and have not been properly updated in years. That said, we firmly believe that school building projects must be carefully managed and should prioritize “needs” rather than “wants”. Based on what we have heard in public meetings, we believe the Julian Curtiss project does that, especially since the BOE has saved $15 million from the original master plan’s $42 million recommendation for the project.
Among the key features of the Julian Curtiss Educational Specifications:
• Ensure that the entire school is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• Significant improvements in security and access control, air quality, and life safety equipment
• Addresses under-sized common spaces like an outdated cafeteria and nurse/health offices, and adds a science room that 7/11 of our elementary schools have and two pre-K classrooms
• Keeps the school’s capacity at the current 306 seats in grades K-5 for a school that is 90% full and in line with the rest of the town’s elementary schools that are 92% full on average
We are pleased that the overall cost of these important items will be less than the average $30 million cost of recent construction at Hamilton Avenue School, Glenville School, and New Lebanon School. We are also pleased that the project will be a prime candidate for significant state reimbursement, likely in the range of 10-20%, based on those recent school construction projects.
Almost all of the schools that we represent face similar building challenges. We know the BOE’s master plan will address them in the years ahead. Based on this year’s budget submission, we understand that the next schools that will be addressed are, in order: Old Greenwich School, Riverside School, International School at Dundee, North Street School, North Mianus School, and Central Middle School. Projects at Greenwich High School will be spread throughout this period.
While we would all love for our school to be updated this year, we understand that they will need to be addressed responsibly over the next 15 years. We believe it would do the town a great disservice to delay this important work even longer. If we delay Julian Curtiss, we would delay every other school project and that would be a more expensive choice for our town, our community, our kids, and future generations.
Since this impacts all of us, it is important for our town to speak with a unified voice, not argue about who gets to go first. We thank you in advance for supporting this important project.
Roli Agrawal, North Mianus School, International School at Dundee
Kristin Atkins, Glenville School
Tina Awad, Parkway School
Steve Ball, Greenwich High School
Karen Ball, Greenwich High School
Mabél Arteaga Balestra, Central Middle School
Nanette Barrios, Western Middle School
Jessie Bennett, Central Middle School, Julian Curtiss School
Rosanne Berman, Greenwich High School
Jennifer Bierman, North Mianus
Jennifer Bird, Riverside School
Carey Bisbee, Riverside School
Nicole Blechner, New Lebanon School
Peter Blechner Jr., New Lebanon School
Mike Bocchino, Greenwich High School, Western Middle School
Shannon Bocchino, Greenwich High School, Western Middle School
Sue Bodson, Alumni parent at Greenwich High School, Western Middle School, Glenville School
Michael Bodson, Alumni parent at Greenwich High School, Central Middle School, Parkway School
Emily Brahms, International School at Dundee
Amanda Braiotta, International School at Dundee
Eric Brown, New Lebanon School
Fionnuala Browning, Greenwich High School, Eastern Middle School
Lyndsay Cafagno, Greenwich High School, New Lebanon School
Mike Cafagno, Greenwich High School, New Lebanon School
Jamie Cahill, Greenwich High School, Julian Curtiss School
Kristi Castellon, Hamilton Avenue School
Bob Chaney, Julian Curtiss School
Alexis Choi, International School at Dundee
Elizabeth Cleary, International School at Dundee
Chris Cleary, International School at Dundee
Jeff Cooper, Greenwich High School, Central Middle School, Cos Cob School
Marianela Córdova, Western Middle School, New Lebanon School
Paul Cortese, Julian Curtiss School
Stephanie Cowie, Vice Chair First Selectman’s Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities,
Greenwich High School
BJ Curcio, New Lebanon School
Stephanie Curcio, New Lebanon School
Nathan Cray, North Mianus School
Lauren Cuneo, Eastern Middle School, Riverside School
Meredith Curreri, Parkway School
Laura Daniel, North Street School
Elizabeth DeHaven, North Mianus School
Chelsea Dianis, Glenville School
Todd Dianis, Glenville School
Marcelo Días, Western Middle School, New Lebanon School
Natalie Driskill, Julian Curtiss School
Matthew Driskill, Julian Curtiss School
Mimi Duff, Greenwich High School, Western Middle School, Parkway School
Cricket Dyment, Greenwich High School
Catherine Elliott-Bocassi, Glenville School
Lisa Ellis, Greenwich High School
Clay Ellis, Greenwich High School
Kera Engle, Julian Curtiss School
Jill Ernst, Julian Curtiss School
Lars Ernst, Julian Curtiss School
Wendy Figueroa, Alumni parent at Greenwich High School
Elisabeth Flood, Central Middle School, Julia Curtiss
Kristen Forlini, North Street School
John Franscioni, North Street School
Jen Frimere, Hamilton Avenue School
Ira Frimere, Hamilton Avenue School
Sandra Galano, International School at Dundee
Michael Galatioto, Greenwich Country Day School
Brian Geary, Incoming North Mianus School
Kellie Gilmore Bladimirsquy, New Lebanon School
Kerri Gruss, North Street School
Monica Huang, Old Greenwich School
Sasha Ilingworth-Maloney, Cos Cob School
Daniel Izzo, Old Greenwich School
Randi Jachino, Julian Curtiss School
Peter Jachino, Julian Curtiss School, Alumni Greenwich High School
Erica Jacoby, Old Greenwich School
Nicole James, Julian Curtiss School
Clare Johnson, Riverside School
Johna Kalandranis, New Lebanon School
Dean Kalandranis, New Lebanon School
Jennifer Kane, North Street School
Megan Kelly, North Street School
Clare Lawler Kilgallen, Greenwich High School, Western Middle School, New Lebanon School
Colum Kilgallen, Greenwich High School, Western Middle School, New Lebanon School
Sarah Klocinski, North Mianus School
Karin Kovacic, International School at Dundee
Julie Lapin, Glenville School
Chalon Lefebvre, North Mianus School
Leon Levine, Central Middle School, North Street School
Marina Rosin Levine, Central Middle School, North Street School
Carolina Lopez, Western Middle School
Jan McCauley, Cos Cob School
Missy McKenzie, Greenwich High School, Central Middle School, School of the Holy Child, Fordham Prep
Janet McMahon, Central Middle School, North Street School
Kathryn Massucco Brown, New Lebanon School
Allison Maus, Riverside School
Doris Meinelt, Central Middle School
Kara Mendelsohn, Eastern Middle School, North Mianus School
Mónica Merino Garrido, Julian Curtiss School
Lyndsay Messina, New Lebanon School
Malaine Miller, Alumni parent at Greenwich High School
Jackie Moys, International School at Dundee
Courtney Murphy, Old Greenwich School
Esra Murray, International School at Dundee
Kevin Murray, International School at Dundee
Florence Nalepka, New Lebanon School
Kevin Nalepka, New Lebanon School
Joana Nassa, Eastern Middle School, International School at Dundee
Rob Nizielski, Eastern Middle School, International School at Dundee
Kim Nizielski, Eastern Middle School, International School at Dundee
Katie Nogaki, North Street School
Whitney O’Connor, Old Greenwich School
Ginny O’Donohue, Greenwich High School, Eastern Middle School, Old Greenwich School
Lorelei O’Hagan, Cos Cob School
Jonathan Olsson, Central Middle School
Diana Orbanowski, Central Middle School
Kim Paladino, North Mianus School
Lisa Palmer, International School at Dundee
Alissa Pecora, Central Middle School
Katie Peden, Parkway School
Jonathan Perloe, Alumni parent at Greenwich High School
Duke Perrucci, Eastern Middle School, North Mianus School
Missy Perrucci, Eastern Middle School, North Mianus School
Liz Perry, Julian Curtiss School
Carolyn Petersen, Old Greenwich School
Jenn Petrizzi, Greenwich High School
Elizabeth Peyton, Sacred Heart Greenwich
Bob Peyton, Sacred Heart Greenwich
Anne Pham, Hamilton Avenue School
Pierre Pham, Hamilton Avenue School
Jocelyn Riddle, Cos Cob School
Pat Prisinzano, Cos Cob School
Crystal Ramakrishnan, Old Greenwich School
Jared Randall, Julian Curtiss School
Ellie Ritch, Greenwich Country Day School
Dana Rodriguez, Western Middle School, New Lebanon School
Oscar Rodriguez, Western Middle School, New Lebanon School
Liz Rutledge, New Lebanon School
Mike Rutledge, New Lebanon School
Gina Salese, Julian Curtiss School
Dana Sánchez, Greenwich High School
Diego Sánchez, Greenwich High School
Lisa Sarno, Western Middle School, New Lebanon School
Janine Scharff, Greenwich High School, Julian Curtiss School
Julie Schnur, Greenwich High School
Jessica Shapiro, International School at Dundee
Anjali Sherman, Riverside School
Daniel Sherman, Riverside School
Heeyoon Slater, Riverside School
Alexandra Stevens, Greenwich High School, Central Middle School, Cos Cob School
Michael Strange, Cos Cob School
Kerry Strassel, Greenwich High School, Central Middle School
Bob Strassel, Greenwich High School, Central Middle School
Mary Sullivan, Greenwich High School
Bevan Talbott, Julian Curtiss School
Kristin Taylor, Brunswick School
Michele Tierney, Western Middle School, Julian Curtiss School
Kim Tierney Wang, International School at Dundee
Amy Tisler, Greenwich High School
Adam Truelove, New Lebanon School
Melissa Truelove, New Lebanon School
Melanie Tsangaroulis, North Street School
Melissa Tynan, Julian Curtiss School
Dina Urso, North Street School
Sree Vaid, Greenwich High School, Eastern Middle School
Fiona van Lersel, International School at Dundee
Jaimie Voehl, North Mianus School
Lucy von Brachel, Greenwich High School, Western Middle School
James Waters, North Mianus School
Tara Waters, North Mianus School
Stephen Waters, Alumni parent at Greenwich High School, Central Middle School, North Street School,
Parkway School
Beth Weiner, Alumni parent at Julian Curtiss School
Linda Whitridge, Eastern Middle School, Old Greenwich School
Dan Wichman, Greenwich High School
Tabitha Wunderlich, International School at Dundee
Dana Yeminy-Soto, Glenville School
Kathleen Yu, Greenwich High School, Western Middle School, Parkway School, Rye Country Day School
Wayne Yu, Greenwich High School, Western Middle School, Parkway School, Rye Country Day School
Dawn Zimmerman, New Lebanon School