Parents Want School Repairs

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Parents Want School Repairs

Residents Urge Directors To Approve Referendum For Funds To Fix

Highland Park

Hartford Courant*

By REGINE LABOSSIERE | Courant Staff Writer

March 5, 2008

http://www.courant.com/news/local/hcmanbod0305.artmar05,0,4511696.sto

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MANCHESTER - — Poor air quality, mold, a leaky roof and small

classrooms are a few reasons why Highland Park School needs to be

renovated, about 30 residents told the board of directors

Tuesday.The residents, mostly parents of the elementary school

students, told the board it needs to approve a June referendum that

would ask residents whether they want to renovate the school.

While the board said it may decide on the referendum later this

month, it listened to the residents' concerns Tuesday.

" Mold would render a house uninhabitable. Why would a school be any

different? " asked Cheryl Pringle.

Burnes said his children, who attend Highland Park, always ask

him the same question whenever they go to events at other

schools: " Why don't we have a school that looks so neat and clean

and doesn't have a leaky roof? "

Just after Mindy Burke's daughter started the second grade at

Highland Park, she began to have a persistent cough that later was

diagnosed as asthma, Burke said. The family participated in a study

that examined their household and the daughter's activities and

found that nothing in their home was causing the girl's health

problems.

But, Burke said, " We send her to Highland Park School where we know

this is a problem. "

Other parents agreed that they feared the school's mold issues could

hurt their children.

" Mold will have serious impacts on anyone who comes near it for any

great length of time, " said Bolduc, who then spoke in favor of

having a June referendum. " The voters, parents and taxpayers have a

right to vote on this now. "

Members of the boards of directors and education have been

discussing when and how the town should renovate Highland Park. The

latest discussion was about whether the town should hold the

referendum in June or November. TheRepublicans, who have the

majority on the board of directors, proposed a six-month moratorium

on bond referendums to prevent one from happening in June.

Republican Mayor Louis Spadaccini explained the message behind the

moratorium was not that the Republicans didn't want to improve the

schools, but that they were concerned about taking on too much debt

all at once because the town is still paying off school projects

that have finished recently or will finish soon.

But, Spadaccini said, board members have reached a compromise. A

joint committee designed to examine the schools for renovations

decided at a meeting Monday that the town could hold a June

referendum if town officials did not ask for a November referendum

for another school renovation project. Spadaccini said the joint

committee will meet in the next week to make a final decision and

the board of directors is expected to approve the June referendum at

its March 18 meeting.

Contact Régine Labossière at rlabossiere@....