SOUTHWICK – The Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District preschool program will spend a second year in Granville.
The program was temporarily moved to Granville Village School (GVS) for the 2013-2014 school year while Woodland Elementary School underwent renovations to the preschool wing.
Last night the STGRSD School Committee approved continuing the program in Granville for one more year.
Superintendent Dr. John Barry said the move was a cost-saving measure.
“There was a change order in the construction project to change the electrical power supply to the portable classrooms at Woodland,” Barry said.
The estimated cost of the change order is $13,000, plus the cost to heat the portable classrooms.
“I spoke with Mrs. Christofori (GVS principal) and Mrs. Sasso (Woodland principal) and the preschool teachers, and there is plenty of room at Woodland for the (non-preschool) students without the portables.”
Barry added that he was “a little disappointed” that the program would continue in Granville another year because he had promised the staff it would only be a one-year, temporary situation.
“The staff understands and this will save us money and make the change order go away,” said Barry.
The shift in location was planned in order to continue work at Woodland while school was in session, which would result in less construction time and lower cost.
“We were looking at the construction time stretching out close to three years,” said Barry. “And, we had construction starting on campus for a period of time, then having to stop for class time.”
In order to expedite the renovations, which included system updates, the preschool was moved temporarily to Granville.
The plan is to return the preschool to Woodland for the 2015-2016 school year.
