Bristol school to close

The school principal worries about the fate of the district's Amish pupils.
& lt;a href=mailto:denise_dick@vindy.com & gt;By DENISE DICK & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
BRISTOLVILLE -- Farmington Elementary will close at the end of the school year, a victim of the school district's fiscal emergency status.
The state financial planning and supervision commission appointed to oversee Bristol schools' finances approved a resolution to close the school at a meeting Thursday.
Peg Betts, commission chairwoman, said the closure will mean a net savings of about $191,110 for the district. The commission was appointed last year after the state auditor's office declared the district in fiscal emergency citing a projected deficit by year's end.
"This is an emotional issue for a community and an emotional issue for us as a commission to address," Betts said. "We're at a point where we have to make some tough choices."
The commission also voted to cut two custodian jobs, a teacher and a guidance counselor as part of that $191,110 savings.
The school's closure also will save on the operation and transportation costs of operating the elementary school and use the space at the Bristol school building that's not in use.
Where pupils will go
The roughly 300 pupils at Farmington Elementary would be housed at the Bristol High School-Middle School building.
"It will be tight, but we can do it," said Superintendent Rocco Nero.
James Hungerford, Farmington principal, worries that closing the elementary building will mean a loss of pupils. Between 45 and 50 Amish children attend the elementary school and he says he's heard from many of those families.
"The majority of the Amish parents won't send their student to Bristol," he said. "The main reason is transportation."
Hungerford also worries the district will lose pupils who choose to attend other schools through open enrollment.
Losing pupils means losing state funding. The state pays about $3,200 per pupil to the district, but the money follows the pupil if the pupil goes to another district.
Earlier this month the school board took the first step to place a 6.9-mill levy on the August special election ballot. Last month voters rejected a 7.9 mill for the schools.
On May 18, commission members will discuss reductions in busing.
Bus drivers Debbie Wheelock and Teresa Klima are disheartened at the closing of the elementary school. But they acknowledge they can't think of any other cuts to make that would generate the same savings.
"I don't think this district has wasted away the taxpayers' dollars," said Wheelock, a bus driver for 15 years. "I don't think the commission members would have done it if there was some other way to save the same money."