New London forced to find room for students after school closure

Aug. 25—NEW LONDON — The clock began ticking in mid-June for Superintendent Cynthia Ritchie.

The Board of Education had just voted to shutter the Harbor Elementary School, a Montauk Ave. facility wracked with the kinds of chronic infrastructure issues expected from a century-old building.

That decision required the shifting of approximately 270 students and 45 staff members to new schools well ahead of the first day of school on Sept. 5.

It took about a month.

"We sent out staff reassignment letters and notices to parents in July letting them know where their children would be attending the following year," Ritchie said Thursday. "We've also held open houses and made extra outreach efforts to make the transition as easy as possible."

One challenge with the reconfiguration was the magnet school model most of the district's schools follow has strict state guidelines. Those rules mandate 25% of enrolled students must come from out of town.

"If that ratio isn't followed, we lose $3,000 in state reimbursement for each New London student," she said.

That meant former Harbor students couldn't simply be split up equally among the three other district elementary schools ― Winthrop STEM, Nathan Hale Arts Magnet or C.B. Jennings International ― as it might upset the enrollment formula.

Luckily, not all grade levels at the Winthrop school have been incorporated as magnet classrooms.

"So, we were able to send the most students there and the least to Jennings," Ritchie said. "We aimed for average class sizes of between 20-22 students in the lower grades and between 22-24 for higher grades, which meant a few classrooms are in the high end of the average level."

Neither she nor her staff received any complaints from parents on the student re-assignments and new bus routes, Ritchie said.

Former Harbor staff were similarly given new assignments within the district, including Principal Jason Foster.

Foster, who will begin his new job as the Nathan Hale school leader, said the transition has prompted feelings of excitement and regret.

"I can remember being the only one at Harbor many nights and people would call because they'd see the light on in my window," he said. "It's a school with such a rich history."

There are still details that need attention, Ritchie said. She said the school board is expected later this month to discuss a district budget crafted months ago that included spending for Harbor school but now needs to be adjusted to account for the closure.

School turnover imminent

The board eventually will have to decide what to do with an empty school building, the site of a May lead and asbestos scare.

At their June meeting, school board members were told just getting the building compliant with federal American with Disabilities Act standards would cost approximately $1.5 million, while a full renovation of the school would cost upward of $80 million.

President Elaine Maynard-Adams said the district could turn the keys back over to the city ― municipalities, and not school districts own the schools in Connecticut ― as early as December, though it could take until the spring to fully vacate the building.

"There's still a lot of equipment and materials that need to be moved out, so we're still paying to keep the air conditioning on and for live security," Maynard-Adams said. "It's not a matter is if we'll turn over the building, but when."

Mayor Michael Passero has said there's been continued interest in the Harbor school property for years from developers. He noted other former city school properties are now home to office buildings.

"As a neighbor living next to that school, I hope whatever development goes in is quality," Maynard-Adams said. "But it's up to the city what happens there."

She said Ritchie and her staff deserve praise for reacting to the surprising news of Harbor's closing so effectively.

"I was frankly surprised when so many parents supported closing that school," she said, "And I'm super proud of how the superintendent was able to pivot so well and so quickly."

j.penney@theday.com