South Windsor Residents Approve Plan for 2 New Elementary Schools

South Windsor residents voted Tuesday night in favor of building two new elementary schools in town. 

The referendum, which has a $70 million price tag, passed, 3,090 to 900, according to results provided by the school district. 

The plans are for a new Phillip R. Smith Elementary and a new Eli Terry Elementary School to welcome students for the start of the 2020 school year. 

“Yesterday our community held a referendum to determine if our residents support Phase II of the Ten Year Elementary Facilities Plan. I am pleased to report that not only did our community say yes, they said yes by an extremely wide margin,” Supt. Kate Carter said in a statement sent to families in South Windsor. 

“While school construction projects are about brick and mortar, yesterday’s vote was about so much more. It serves as a powerful reminder that our community wisely invests in the future of our children, it enthusiastically champions public education, and it is willing to work together to serve the greater good,” the statement goes on to say. 

Studies the board of education commissioned in 2007 and 2013 said all the town's elementary schools need upgrades, including mechanical systems and changes to comply with fire codes and the Americans With Disability Act. 

The referendum was to authorize bonds of nearly $70 million, with an estimated $23 million reimbursement from the state.  

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