Should Wallingford keep two high schools or merge them into one? The town council heard both sides of the debate during a scheduled council meeting Tuesday night and has not yet made a decision.
Parents and students held signs outside of Wallingford Town Hall before the town council meeting. All of them opposing a plan to consolidate the town’s two high schools into one.
“Kids’ opportunities will really be diminished by having one high school. You have many kids in town that could be highlighted and high school is about figuring out who you are,” parent Melanie Rossacci said.
Last month, the town’s Board of Education voted to move forward with consolidating the two high schools in town - Lyman Hall High School and Mark T. Sheehan High School.
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The proposed plan would be to close Sheehan High School and build a new facility at the site of Lyman Hall.
Parents say they’re worried about the quality of education and lack of potential leadership opportunities for students.
“You can’t have 10 sports captains. You can’t have two presidents of student council. You can’t have multiple leadership opportunities. They will be reduced,” Rossacci said.
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The board argued to the town council based on a study done last year. This would save money on renovations and address declining enrollment across the district. They say more educational opportunities like electives and expanding programs could be done at a consolidated high school.
“You’d increase the number of courses that would be able to run more consistently,” Wallingford Public Schools Superintendent Danielle Bellizzi said.
Many parents were skeptical of the study, especially about enrollment numbers.
“Enrollment can change so to make guesstimates about enrollment and not necessarily bring your predictions out far enough. It’s not something concrete to be a part of,” Rossacci said.
At the meeting, a councilor made a motion to have the town council recommend the Board of Education to not pursue any plans for a consolidated high school. It was seconded, but the motion failed. The meeting was adjourned shortly after with no decision made.
