By Jarret Liotta

A long-awaited facilities report will keep people waiting a little longer, as the Board of Education is not sure how much it can share because of security issues, nor how long it might take to analyze it.

A slide details projected 10-year costs—totaling $96 million—for repairs at the seven school buildings, not including Coleytown Middle School, which is undergoing a $32-million renovation project. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Jarret Liotta for WestportNow.com

But in an abbreviated presentation Monday night, Michael LoSasso, an architect with consultant Antinozzi Associates, said the town’s seven schools — barring Coleytown Middle School (CMS) — warrant around $96 million in repairs over the next 10 years.

LoSasso was quick to qualify the figure, noting that some of those repairs may have already been addressed or budgeted as part of other projects, and that the figure took into account inflation over the next 10 years, as the costs would be incurred.

“Many of them can be deferred,” he said of the work, which includes re-tiling, new ventilator units, roof repair, mechanical systems, paving, electrical systems and more.

By Jarret Liotta

Frank words from Superintendent of Schools David Abbey drew admiring applause from parents — as well as some apologies from the Board of Education (BOE) Monday night — when he criticized its handling of the redistricting issue aimed at bringing balance to the two middle schools.

BOE Chairman Mark Mathias (l)  listens to Superintendent of Schools David Abbey voice his frustration with having felt handcuffed by the board.  (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Jarret Liotta for WestportNow.com

“In the best of times redistricting or rebalancing … is not an easy proposition,” he said. “If we’re going to do this in public and if we’re going to be transparent, we’re going to have bumps along the way.”

“I feel like you put handcuffs on the administration and then you asked us to play the violin,” he told the BOE, “and then you’re surprised that it’s not a beautiful sonata (and) then you ask us, ‘Why did you put on handcuffs?’”

Abbey then drew applause when he called a continued look at the most current redistricting scenarios “a fool’s errand” and said it would lead down a path “which is unsatisfactory educationally.”

Two students hold hands for support during what were some very emotional statements made by students to the Board of Education tonight about fired Staples High School student outreach counselor Ed Milton. More than a dozen students showed their support for Milton, noting that while he was not a Board of Education employee, he worked for the town, He was allegedly let go following an outburst in which he cursed at a student. “Ed didn’t deserve to leave like this,” said student Nicholas Stamoulas, 16, who like others opined that he never had a chance to put closure on the important relationship they had developed at school. Students and parents said Milton offered care and support for a range of social and emotional issues that were not addressed in the classroom. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Jarret Liotta for WestportNow.com

Westport’s Representative Town Meeting (RTM) tonight unanimously approved a sense-of-the-meeting resolution asking the school board to sever its 30-year ties with the Hartford law firm Shipman & Goodwin LLP.

The resolution also states that in doing so, an RFP, a request for proposals, should be issued for the school board to find other legal representation.

The vote shores up the Board of Selectmen’s unanimous vote on Sept. 16, when it asked the Board of Education to drop Shipman & Goodwin.

Mark Mathias, school board chairman, said the matter would be on addressed at a special Board of Education meeting on Monday, Oct. 14.