It shall be the policy of the Board of Education to plan for educational facilities.  A Comprehensive Capitol Improvement Plan will be maintained as the instrument for determining the need for new facilities or for major facility improvements.  This plan shall be reviewed annually and updated as necessary.  The plan will incorporate local demographics, community use of educational facilities, projected enrollments, local educational philosophies and policies, existing and planned educational programs, existing facilities, and the ability of the local electorate to provide needed facilities. 

A.    Goals and Objectives

1. Identify an educational need for a new facility or renovation to an existing facility.
2. Plan for a new facility or renovation to an existing facility.
3. Gain public approval for the construction or renovation of a facility.
4. Construct or renovate a facility.

B.    Assumptions

This policy assumes all educational programs will be housed in spaces complying with applicable building codes and regulations.  Further, this policy assumes that spaces provided to educational programs shall not hinder the attainment of educational goals and objectives and that the goal of the Board of Education is to provide facilities with the best possible conditions for attaining educational goals.

C.    Community

1. Although public educational facilities are constructed primarily for public educational activities, they are owned by the public and will be made available for public use wherever that use does not adversely effect educational activities.  The design of educational facilities shall take into consideration public use and make accommodations for that use wherever practical. Some of the community uses which will be considered include Town Recreation Departments, use of facilities for emergency shelters and non-profit organizations.
2. Community demographic information will be considered. Information to be considered will include road maps with existing and planned sidewalks, maps and descriptions of existing and planned industrial and housing changes, population statistics and local and regional planning studies past, present, and future.

D.    Enrollment

The projection of student enrollment is recognized as an essential element of the long range plan.  The plan will be based on the best available information on present and future enrollments.  However, projections are based upon assumptions and subject to inherent weaknesses.  Projections will be considered the best estimate at a given point in time. Given this assumption, enrollment projections will be updated annually and when new data becomes available or when assumptions change.
 

1. The methods that may be used to predict enrollment include cohort survival, students per dwelling unit, and actual birth rates for the Town of Hamden.
2. Some of the statistics concerning enrollment which will be maintained include the past five year’s enrollment, five year predictions, and enrollment summaries by school for past year, present year, and next year.  Other statistics will include non-public school enrollment by grade level and students with identified learning disabilities by district and by grade for each school.

E.    Educational Philosophies, Policies and Programs

To the extent that educational philosophies, programs and policies affect facilities, they will be considered in the development of the District's plan.

F.    Facilities

The plan will consider the capacity of existing facilities and their adequacy to house existing educational programs.

The plan will consider individual building inventories consisting of construction dates, renovation dates, floor plans, legal capacity by space, type of construction, listing of educational spaces and handicap access information.

G.    Finance

It is recognized by this policy that the Town has the responsibility of funding the construction of educational facilities; however, this policy also recognizes the need to plan new facilities within the Town's ability to pay.  This policy requires that cooperation be established with the Town when a particular need is determined for new facilities or for improvement to existing facilities.  As soon as possible after a project has been identified, an estimate of the cost will be developed and given to the Town for consideration and inclusion in the Town's five year Capital Improvement Plan.

Further, this plan will require investigation of all funding sources to defray direct costs to the local taxpayers, including, but not limited to, State Department of Education grants and Federal grants.

H.    Conclusions

From the plan, an annual list of facility inadequacy and/or future needs shall be developed and presented to the Board of Education for their consideration.  Copies shall also be sent to the Mayor, the President of the Legislative Council, and the Chairperson of the School Building Committee.

Policy adopted: October 8, 2002 

Hamden Public Schools     Hamden, Connecticut