The state of Connecticut will cover the majority of the cost for a new elementary school building in Fairfield.
The current Dwight Elementary School was built in 1962. First Selectperson Christine Vitale (D) said the students and staff deserve an upgrade.
“For many years there was concern about indoor air quality; it was too hot, it was too cold,” Vitale said. “Every once in a while, there was an odor. There were concerns about a failing septic system.”
The new school will be built on the field behind the existing one, and then the old one will be torn down.
The project is expected to cost around $76 million in total. Connecticut will reimburse the town for about 75% of that. Initially, the state was only expected to cover a small fraction.
“[The] project has been under consideration for this work for two decades, and when I was on the Board of Ed, we were talking about the prioritization of Dwight needing this work, and year after year it would kind of get bumped from the list,” said State Representative Jennifer Leeper (D-Fairfield), who chairs the House Education Committee.
“So this is really transformative for our community, and because of the governor's partnership in this work, also it means a huge alleviation of burden from the local taxpayers and being able to deliver this for our kids,” Leeper continued.
The campus will feature a dedicated space for special education. There will also be a wing for early childhood education that will serve the entire district.
Governor Ned Lamont (D) and town officials made the announcement on Monday.
“You want your special ed kids not to have to go an hour out of town and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Lamont said. “They've anticipated that, [with] a special ed facility here. We're doubling down on early childhood and pre-K. They're going to have special pre-K facilities built in, so when we're ready to go, they're ready to go.”
Construction is expected to be finished in 2029.
