Smalley School in Need of $50 Million Renovation
By Robin Vinci | Editor at April 7, 2024 | 6:02 pm | Print
In the next few months the Common Council will be looking over a feasibility study showing 12 additional classrooms, 2 science labs, a greenhouse, an additional computer lab, about 70 more parking spaces and much more to Smalley Academy School.
The school district approved authorization to request Common Council funding and filing of ED049 for the renovation and alteration of Smalley Academy at a cost of about $50 million.
“These are the preliminary plans to completely renovate Smalley as new,” said Sharon Beloin-Saavedra, school board president. “It’s a $50 million request due to the size of the school.”
Plans call for the state to pay 79 percent of the project. The school district hopes to begin the project in June of 2017. The project should take one and one-half years. Students could move to the Saint Pope John Paul II school which is vacant.
The project includes 12 additional classrooms which allows for both a growing neighborhood population and smaller class size. It adds two science labs, a green house, newly renovated auditorium, larger cafeteria space, an additional computer lab, adult Ed classroom space, improved space for Family Resource Center and School Based Health Center. There will be additional intervention space for students as well as much improved parking and traffic flow design. Several existing rooms will be enlarged for better instructional space. It also adds space for music/movement, band/chorus, art rooms and much needed storage space. The school would gain about 24,000 square feet with the additions.
“To create a better learning environment with reduced class size for this current year, the Board made the difficult decision to move all of Smalley’s kindergarten classes (6) to Roosevelt. Although this helped with space issues the unintended consequence of this move was the complication of on site availability of support services for the children we moved to Roosevelt and the teachers feeling a sense of being disconnected to the rest of the Smalley community,” said Beloin-Saavedra. “This move is a short term “ fix” while we apply for the much needed renovation project.”
A tour of the school on Tuesday revealed missing or broken floor tiles, broken and rusted plumbing, damaged heating and electrical systems, missing auditorium chairs, and other hazards children were exposed to throughout the school.
“One of the main things is the heating system. In the winter it is too cold and in the summer too hot,” said Smalley School Principal Elsa Saavedra-Rodriguez. “It’s not just about building conditions, it is about space. I had to move six Kindergarten classes to another building at Roosevelt. Last year I had to put students in instructional closets. We had no room. Art classes were teachers on carts.”
Students were also taught on the auditorium stage that was divided into classes. There are 680 students at the school.
“The neighborhood keeps growing and the building cannot accommodate it. Our emphasis is on reducing class size and there was not enough space in classrooms to reduce class size,” said Beloin-Saavedra. “Taking the Kindergarten out brought six more classrooms. As an incoming Kindergarten parent this is their very first experience in the school and their Kindergarten place should be almost like a fairy tale land. It should not look like an abused property.”
Carpets and rugs are used to hide missing tiles and other damages throughout all the rooms.
“Our parent room was in a room with wires. Auditorium seats have been broken for years, some are missing and the floors are a mess,” said Saavedra-Rodriguez. “No matter how much you clean up it doesn’t look the same.”
The plan calls for a band room, a chorus room, a music room and new acoustics. The auditorium will undergo many improvements and the space will be flipped around.
The parking is insufficient for the amount of people at the school presently. About 70 new parking spaces will be added in the renovation.
“Part of the addition will be a drop-off zone,” said Saavedra-Rodriguez. “The front area will be made a little bigger. There will be three different traffic sections so the flow is much better.”
The cafeteria will also be expanded as it is too small for the size of the student population.
“We are the poorest neighborhood coming to a school in the condition it is in,” said Saavedra-Rodriguez.
All of these changes and money still have to be approved by the City and the State. There is no guarantee the renovation will be approved to move forward.
“Last year, when we dedicated Gaffney, I asked the Mayor and Governor (Dannel Malloy) and they said they were committed to moving this project forward,” said Beloin-Saavedra. “The Mayor has been supportive, but the governor has talked about rescinding funds.”
“We know it desperately needs to be done, as long as the state commits to the funds to reimburse us, we will absolutely consider it,” said Mayor Erin Stewart.
