The name is bond, capital bond

Voters give Region 15 a license to upgrade its facilities

Top: Architectural rendering of new PHS pool. Bottom: Drawing shows the location of the new storage shed at the PHS athletic fields. The purchase of the new shed was approved by the Region 15 Board of Education at its December 11th meeting, and it will be installed this spring. The old shed, shown in the red circle, will be removed.

BOND AND CAPITAL PROJECTS UPDATE

At referendum this past May 3 the voters of Middlebury and Southbury approved an $11 million capital bond for Region 15. The money is to be spent on capital projects throughout the district over the next two years.

The money has been allocated to some but not all of the following projects: new PHS auditorium lighting, stage curtains and floor; new storage shed and visitor-side bleachers at the turf field; modernizing the high school culinary room; and various other projects at multiple elementary and middle schools.

The board has already approved a bid for new PHS tennis courts, which should be installed in the spring.

The largest project in scope and expense is the replacement of the PHS pool and the natatorium HVAC units at an estimated cost of between $4 and $5 million dollars.

The board has hired TLB Architecture, LLC, to advise on the specifications of the new pool, and has had several meetings with the firm since late summer. TLB, which has many years of experience in building school pools in Connecticut, has drafted the bid for the new PHS pool.

The district will solicit bids for the new pool in January, and hopes to award the bid in early February. Construction should begin in mid March and run through the summer.

The board is appreciative of the community's support for the funding of these much-needed improvements.

All on board!

Board of Education welcomes two new Middlebury members

Left to right, back row: Heather Dwyer (Southbury), Tom Marks (S), Sally Romano (Middlebury), Steven Suriani (S), Sharon Attick (S), Jeff Olsen (M); front row: Richard Spierto (M), Shannon Cavallo (M), Marion Manzo (S), Heather Rodgers (S).

At its December 11th meeting the board welcomed two new members: Mr. Jeffrey Olsen and Dr. Sally Romano, both from Middlebury.

Collectively, the ten Region 15 board members have 22 children who are presently enrolled in or have graduated from the district. In fact, Dr. Romano and Mrs. Rodgers, along with superintendent Joshua Smith, are all graduates of Region 15 themselves.

In addition to being parents, board members have careers in professions such as banking, marketing, law, psychology, education, information technology and pharmaceuticals. Two members are small business owners.

Though board members are voted into office, being a board member is a volunteer role; members do not receive any financial compensation.

Board authorizes bid for GES and PES building facility studies

At its November 13th meeting the Board of Education approved a building feasibility study for both Pomperaug and Gainfield Elementary schools.

The board requested a study of the current physical states of its two oldest school buildings, along with their enrollment projections. The board is looking for information on the long-term costs of maintaining these schools versus modernizing or replacing them.

At the meeting the board's chair, Marion Manzo, reminded the board that capital improvement projects authorized by the bond (see lead story above) do not include GES and PES projects, as the board feels the long-term viability of these buildings needs to be assessed before taxpayer money is spent on any major capital improvements.

Interested in more information?

Here is the Board's tentative schedule of presentations at public meetings

SEP 11 - school reopening
SEP 26 - superintendent goals (executive session)
OCT 23 - Board of Education goals, grants
NOV 13 - school goals, kindergarten age of entrance, reading waiver
NOV 27 - five year capital projects, field trips
DEC 11 - assessments
JAN 08 - enrollment
JAN 22 - SPED overview, audit report process
FEB 12 - math curriculum update
FEB 26 - superintendent's 2024/2025 budget presentation
MAR 06 - budget workshop
MAR 11 - English language arts curriculum update
MAR 20 - budget workshop
MAR 25 - career pathways / grant
MAR 27 - joint BOE, Sbry BOF, Mbry BOF budget meeting; budget public hearing
APR 08 - BOE votes on finalized budget
APR 22 - air quality, building wellness and security
MAY 13 - senior experience
MAY 28 - (Tuesday) student awards, end of year review, reflections
JUN 10 - staff retirement, student recognition

Meetings are Mondays at 7:30pm in the PHS Media Center unless indicated otherwise. Board meetings can be watched live online. Click the YouTube logo to access the board's live and recorded meeting videos.

To email the entire Region 15 Board of Education: Region15BOE@Region15.org

Did you know?

Number of school districts in CT: 138, in the US: 14,000
Number of school board members in CT: 1,400, in the US: 95,000
There are ten board of education members in Region 15, four from Middlebury and six from Southbury.
Connecticut school boards derive their power and authority from the state's constitution and state statutes. The Region 15 Board of Education is legally bound to act as an agent of the state government, in the educational interests of the state.

Sources: Connecticut Association of Boards of Education, US News & World Report Jan 11, 2023

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