Schools
Forum Turns into Rally For BHS Renovation
Most speak in favor of project going to referendum Tuesday.
On Thursday evening, Berlin Patch sponsored a Question and Answer Forum on the proposed $69.9 million renovation and expansion of Berlin High School. The forum, held just five days ahead of the referendum, gave residents an opportunity to speak directly to town officials and educators about the project. Voters will decide on Tuesday, March 15, whether or not to go ahead with the renovation that will cost the town $47.3 million after $22.6 million in State reimbursement.
The panel at the forum included Mayor Adam Salina, Superintendent of Schools David B. Erwin, Berlin High School Principal Matt Harnett, Board of Education President Gary Brochu, and Town Manager Denise McNair. The event drew a crowd of about 150 residents who were largely supportive of the renovation project. Young and old took to the microphone to ask questions about tax increases, accreditation concerns, construction costs and timelines, teacher morale and a host of other topics.
Some residents opted not to ask questions but to state their views on the issue. Tori Prokop, a sophomore at BHS, spoke to the current condition of the school. “It’s not right when it rains on us in the band room,” she said referring to the leaking roof which has affected several areas of the building.
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Former Board of Education member Len Prygoda also shared his views. “There’s a saying, ‘Pay me now or pay me later.’ Well, guess what folks, it’s time to pay up,” he said. Prygoda drew a round of applause when he asked, “How much are our kids worth?” He spoke dramatically of sacrifices made by previous generations and said, “I think I can give up a Dunkin’ Donuts coffee… and a donut each day. If you think education is expensive, as the bumper sticker says, try ignorance.”
Several taxpayers asked about financial aspects of the project. One gentleman questioned a ‘YES for BHS’ publication that states the project will result in a monthly tax increase of approximately $13 to $21. Gary Brochu, President of the Board of Education, said he believes those numbers to be accurate for the majority of taxpayers, those with homes assessed in the range of $150,000 to $250,000, but that the figures would not be accurate for everybody.
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Several weeks ago, Finance Director Jim Wren spoke to Patch and provided examples of how much taxpayers can expect to pay for the project. Wren explained that taxpayers will begin to pay off the debt in 2014 and that the high school renovation will account for 1.5 to 2 mills of whatever the mill rate is in 2014. This equates to a tax increase of $158 to $210 per year on a house with a market value of $150,000. This would be about $13 to $17 per month. On a house with a market value of $250,000, a tax increase of $263 to $350 per year, or about $22 to $29 per month, could be expected. Wren explained that 2014 will be the peak year, and that costs will be a little less each year as the debt is paid off over a period of about 20 years.
Another resident asked why the referendum specifies bonding the entire $69.9 million instead of just $47 million. “If the state only provides reimbursement as we go along, why are we not bonding only $47 million?” he asked. Mayor Salina explained that by state law, the town must have a bond authorization for the entire amount in order to receive reimbursement. The gentleman also sought assurance that although the town is “bonding more than it needs”, those additional funds cannot be used for anything other than the high school. Salina confirmed that bond authorization money can only be used for the purpose on which it was voted.
Another taxpayer asked, “If this plan gets turned down, will there be another proposal with a less expensive option?” Mayor Salina said, “We can’t go much below where we are now, because in order to get state reimbursement, we need to renovate the entire school. There isn’t much more to minimize without losing the integrity of the renovate-as-new project.”
Accreditation and code violations were also a major topic at the forum. Superintendant Erwin explained that the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) evaluates schools every ten years. “They bring in a team, all voluntary, of principals, assistant principals, and teachers from other schools in New England, and they take a look at the school,” he said. Erwin explained that NEASC found BHS to be deficient in facilities and curriculum, but that the curriculum issues have been addressed over the years. He said that if the referendum fails, NEASC will want to know what steps will be taken in the short term to address the facility inadequacies. If the issues are not addressed over time, NEASC could remove accreditation for BHS. Colleges look at the accreditation and the consequences of losing it could be severe, but Erwin noted that NEASC members are “reasonable people” and that such a step would likely be “way down the road”.
The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) also cited BHS for building deficiencies. According to Erwin, OCR is “less forgiving” than NEASC in that it expects corrective action to be taken quickly when violations are cited. Joseph Bajorski, former Town Councilor, asked the panel about the “potential liability” of fines imposed by the OCR. Mayor Salina said the fines would be in the millions of dollars. “The OCR not only penalizes you for current year, but they can also go back to request money dating back five years,” said Salina. “It’s quite severe. We’ve been focusing on NEASC, but OCR has a larger bite when it comes to funding. You want to talk about taxes? It would be devastating.”
Principal Harnett said these two groups, NEASC and OCR, have been watching Berlin very closely and that they are anxious to see their concerns being addressed. “They want to hear from us on March 16th,” said Harnett.
