Elementary Facilities Plan

Posted on October 8th, 2026

For the last several years, the Southington Board of Education (BOE) has been working on a Elementary Facilities Plan. The goal of the Elementary Facilities Plan is to identify strategies to modernize the remaining elementary facilities while aligning recommendations with building capacity, projected enrollment, and financial feasibility.

The BOE considered multiple options (see page 6 of the 2/19/26 presentation) and has recommended Scenario D, which has two phases:

Phase 1 (2026 Referendum):
• New Kelley – 4 sections per grade (larger facility than today)
• Expand South End – Fit out lower level with 5 additional classrooms.
Facility Consolidation (Fall 2030)
• Closure of Flanders and redistricting would occur upon completion of the Phase 1 building projects (Fall 2030 at the earliest).
• Attendance zones should be finalized by the fall of 2029 (one-year prior to implementation)
Phase 2 (TBD):
• New Derynoski – 4 sections per grade (smaller facility than today)
• New Karen Smith Academy on Derynoski property
• No redistricting anticipated as part of Phase 2 – all students would move at one time following Phase 1.

The Southington Public School’s District Wide Facilities Committee has presentations, meeting videos, and a way for you to ask questions here.

Referendum

Phase I of this plan is being brought to the voters via a November 2026 referendum. If approved, these projects will impact the children who are currently not yet in elementary school and so the ECCS is helping to share information.

Referendum question as approved in April 2026 by the Southington Town Council:

“Shall the Town of Southington appropriate $86,675,560 for costs related to the Elementary Facilities Plan, including a new Kelly Elementary School, a fit out of the South End Elementary School and closing Flanders Elementary School and repurposing the building and property for municipal and community use, and authorize the issue of $86,675,560 bonds and notes to finance the appropriation?” Yes or No

Voting Options

  • Election Day – Tuesday, November 3, 6 am to 8 pm
  • Early Voting at Southington Public Library – October 19 to November 1
  • Absentee Voting by November 3. Request an absentee ballot.

Confirm your registration and Find Your Polling Location.

YES or NO?

The information in this chart was pulled from materials on the Districtwide Facilities Committee website and presentation/discussions made by BOE members and administrators at ECCS Community Table meetings over the past several months. It was shared with people from both political parties prior to publishing.

We understand that not all cost or savings information can be determined at this time. See The Fine Print section below.

Here are the links to the specific documents embedded in the charts: See 2/19/2026 presentation. – See Kelley list. – See Flanders list. – See Derynoski list.

Building a new Derynoski and Karen Smith Academy is not part of Phase 1 or this referendum. There would be a second referendum, no earlier than fall 2029. Building those two new schools has a Total Project Budget (not including existing Derynoski demo) of $94.4M and estimated District Share (Derynoski only) of $60.5M. (see page 11 of the 2/19/26 presentation).

But, if the referendum for Phase I is not passed, we were told that the BOE would likely not move forward with Phase II as planned and so the costs for the capital projects at all three schools are included in this chart. The 10-year forecast of capital projects for Kelley and Flanders combined would be $46.8M to $55M.

Estimated monthly tax impact on taxpayers:                    None in 2027 or 2028

The Fine Print

* The lower district share of cost estimate assumes state approval of the space-standard waiver and applicable PreK reimbursement. Final local share depends on the state’s determination of eligible project costs.

The BOE did submit an application for the State school construction grant in June 2026. The Priority list will be released in December, but the district can only be on it after a successful referendum.

State reimbursement of “Projects for construction of an elementary school building or expansion of an existing elementary school building that include space for an early childhood care and education program that provides services for children from birth to five years receive an additional 15% (see 10-285a(e)).”

Just like with previous construction projects in town, the actual amounts won’t be know until further along in the project. Redistricting and bus route decisions will be made with the latest available data.

Sources: Southington Public Schools Elementary Project 2026 presentations from Districtwide Facilities Committee – Southington Public Schools. This page contains meeting presentations and videos, Educational Specifications, Enrollment Study Full Report and Executive Summary, Environmental Studies, Status Quo Review of Future Maintenance and Capital Costs for Flanders, Kelley, and Derynoski, and Test Fit Maps.

Other Articles:

  • Read the 2/16/2026 Southington Outsider article about the proposal for the schools here.
  • Read the Southington Outsider article about the February BOE meeting here.
  • Read the Southington Outsider article about the March 11th Town Council meeting here.
  • Read the Southington Outsider article about the March 25th Board of Finance meeting here.
  • Read the Southington Outsider article about the November referendum here.
  • Read the Southington Outsider Letter to the Editor from the BOE Chair about Q&A here.

Background

(Previously posted in March 2026 and updated April 2026.)

Hatton, Oshana, South End, Strong, and Thalberg schools have all seen major construction projects since 2002 (either major renovations or new construction). The Facilities Plan has been looking at the three remaining elementary schools. The Facilities Committee has held 20 public meetings since 2020. Several options were identified. The BoE is now working on Phase 3.

The BOE voted in May 2025 to rebuild Kelley and expand South End and voted in February 2026 to rebuild Derynoski and close Flanders. They recommended a June 2 election date for the referendum as there was a June 30th deadline for a State school construction grant

The Town Council voted on 3/9/2026 to allow a public hearing on the project to be held on March 23, with a optional second session (which was subsequently not needed) scheduled for April 6 or April 27 and referred the proposal to the Planning and Zoning Commission for comment.  P&Z gave a favorable recommendation to go to referendum.

The Board of Finance voted at their March 25th meeting to advance the referendum language authorizing $86,675,560 in borrowing for the rebuilding of Kelley Elementary, new construction at South End Elementary, and the closure of Flanders Elementary as a school. After much debate, they decided to advance the recommendation of putting it on the ballot in November’s general election rather than a special election in June.

On April 13, 2026, the Town Council voted to approve the Bond Ordinance and set the date for a referendum in November.