Hartford Courant

Schools Vote Pleases Parents

By FULVIO CATIVO

Courant Staff Writer

January 16, 2008

About 150 parents packed into town hall's legislative chamber on Tuesday night and got what they wanted: The school board unanimously approved plans to renovate or add new space at four overcrowded elementary schools.

Unable to find seats in the cramped meeting room, dozens of parents stood, sat on the floor or listened in from the hallway.

Amy Stephens Cubbage, a Bugbee School parent and a president of the school's parent-teacher organization, greeted the unanimous vote with joy. Cubbage and other parents, laughed, applauded, hugged and cheered for several minutes.

"We are really excited that the board of education had the courage to vote for all the children of West Hartford by creating necessary space," Cubbage said after the meeting.

The session capped weeks of debate between parents and school officials on how best to ease overcrowding at Bugbee, Braeburn, Duffy and Whiting Lane schools. The four elementary schools, district enrollment records and projections show, are overcrowded and stand to get even more crowded in the next decade.

Last month, the board began considering solutions, including redistricting students from crowded schools to schools with available space.

But, in recent weeks, parents made it clear they would not support redistricting, which they called traumatic and disruptive.

"Please don't consider redistricting now, don't consider redistricting in the future," Ridgewood Road resident William Erickson told the board Tuesday.

The board's unanimous vote approved renovations at Whiting Lane, a new addition at Bugbee, the addition of portable classrooms at Braeburn and plans to convert existing space into classrooms at Duffy. The different solutions range in cost from $100,000 to more than $3 million.

The weeks of community debate left the board with a few lessons.

"We clearly need to engage parents not only earlier but more proactively in our decision-making process," said board member Bruce Putterman.

Erickson and several other parents who spoke at the meeting thanked the board and pledged to support the district's financial commitment come budget time.

Those pledges of support came as the board reminded parents that the fight is far from over. Board member Harry Captain said it is "urgent" for parents to back the schools come budget time. Last year, Captain reminded the audience, the board cut more than $4 million from the superintendent's proposed budget, including $500,000 in reductions made after town voters in June rejected the adopted town budget.

"We've got to keep together," said board Vice Chairman Jack Darcey.