Norwich sends school building vote to referendum. When's the vote?

NORWICH — Voters will have the power to decide this fall whether the city spends millions of dollars on new school buildings.

After a unanimous vote Monday night, the Norwich City Council sent the question of a $385 million plan, with the city paying for $149 million after grants, to referendum. The vote will happen during the general election on Nov. 8, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The plan, if approved, will remodel Teacher’s Global Magnet Middle School, repurpose the Samuel Huntington School as a school district office, demolish seven elementary school buildings and build four larger ones, among other changes.

Officials say many of the buildings are either wearing out or not fitting the school district’s needs. District leadership also said it would be cheaper to have new buildings that can last 30 or more years than pay for 20 years of repairs at the current buildings.

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The referendum question, from Monday's agenda, reads:

“Shall the $385,000,000 appropriation and bond authorization for the City of Norwich School Construction Program (2022), which consists of (i) the construction of four new elementary schools in the City of Norwich on the grounds of the Moriarty Environmental Sciences Magnet School, the John B. Stanton School, the Uncas School and the former Greeneville School, (ii) the renovation to “as new” of the existing Teachers Memorial Global Studies Magnet Middle School or the construction of a new middle school on the site of the existing Teachers Memorial Global Studies Magnet Middle School, and (iii) the conversion and renovation of the Samuel Huntington School to accommodate central offices, including school administration, transportation and facilities offices, and adult education, and other costs related thereto as may be accomplished within said appropriation, pursuant to the ordinance adopted by the City Council on August 1, 2022, be approved? YES NO”

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Norwich sends elementary school building vote to referendum