Register Citizen: Murphy stumps at Torrington schools for American Jobs Act

January 20 2012

For the original article, please visit the Register Citizen.

TORRINGTON — School officials welcomed Congressman Chris Murphy, D-5 to East School as Murphy highlighted the importance of the American Jobs Act which could provide money to make needed infrastructure improvements to the dilapidated elementary school.

As part of the bill, more than $25 billion would be available to prevent teacher layoffs, but also repair schools like East School in Torrington.

Acting Superintendent of Schools Cheryl Kloczko said the school needs about $28 million to make the repairs, which include roof replacements, boiler upgrades and roof-top unit replacement. The project would require the school to close while the renovation takes place. Capital projections place the project in the 2014-2015 fiscal year.

“I care about education for a number of reasons,” Murphy said. “My wife is a teacher, I went to Connecticut public schools and I have two little boys that will soon be school-aged. We need to do something about the state of our crumbling schools.”

Murphy said he toured other schools recently in Monroe and Meriden where issues similar to those in Torrington also exist.

“I truly believe our country’s economic salvation is tied up in the decisions in the next five to ten years about educational quality,” Murphy said. “We are never going to be the cheapest place to make something, but let’s be the smartest place.”

Murphy said it is hard to maintain the level of excellence we expect from our teachers and students when the buildings are falling down around them. The congressman said throughout the state he has seen instances where buildings are aging and are badly in need of work.

District Facilities Director David Bascetta said Thursday the three areas that he sees are in need of major improvements at the school are windows, heating and air conditioning and lighting.

“Structurally, the building is in fair shape, but there are plenty of improvements to be made in those areas that would also make the building more energy efficient.”

In an art education room, teachers told Murphy the room gets extremely hot throughout the year, and weather stripping is starting to peel away from windows making the room drafty. The building heats itself so poorly that some rooms are as hot as about 100 degrees, while others are much colder at the beginning of the day, they said. “Now is the time to put funding back into bringing back up infrastructure and the level of our facilities,” Murphy said. “Investing in rebuilding our schools is a win-win. We can improve the educational quality and put people back to work.”

Murphy said one-third of the construction workers in the state are out of work, and support of this bill can also put them back to work.

“Now is the time to start spending on our schools, and putting people back to work,” he said.

“Our greatest resource is our children,” Kloczko said Thursday. “We need to get them ready to be the future members in our community and giving them the best place to get a great education is important.”