The estimated timeline of the Master Plan is as follows:

1. Construction of the new Pre-K - 4 Highcrest Elementary to begin Winter/Spring 2027.

2. New Highcrest Elementary to be completed for the 2028/2029 school year.

3. Convert Webb Elementary into an Intermediate School for 5th & 6th graders, completed for the 2029/2030 school year.

4. All 5th & 6th graders attend Webb School.

5. Renovate Charles Wright Elementary for K-4, to be completed for the 2030/2031 school year.

6. Renovate Emerson-Williams Elementary for K-4, to be completed for the 2031/2032 school year.

7. Renovate K-4 Hanmer Elementary for K-4, to be completed for the 2032/2033 school year.

8. Demolish Old Highcrest and restore green space.

Funding for steps #1-5 and #8 are included in the first referendum.

Funding for steps #6 & #7 will be included in a second referendum. This will allow for more accurate cost projections and planning purposes. 

While each school is being renovated, that student population will populate the current Highcrest Elementary School.

Financing for 1st referendum: 

The State will reimburse the Town of Wethersfield 76.79% of the cost to build the new Highcrest school, and 71.79% of the cost to renovate both the Samuel Webb and Charles Wright schools.

Why this plan was chosen: 

The issues for all of our elementary schools go beyond what could be achieved with regular maintenance. Most towns in Connecticut with schools constructed in the 1950/60s have already or are in the process of creating building renovation plans. Wethersfield is in a similar position where the school buildings have been deemed “beyond their expected useful lives” and all major systems need full replacement. Remediation of potential environmental hazards such as asbestos is needed throughout.

Safety upgrades were a top priority: Many of our elementary schools were built before fire protection sprinkler systems existed, which was an era that required all classrooms to have exterior doors. The buildings need to be re-designed to align with modern state-mandated safety standards including minimal exterior doors and “man traps” designed to allow administration to credential visitors at the main entrances.

Redesigning and expanding needed space: Completing renovations/new construction of our elementary schools would create an opportunity to redesign and expand the square footage. Currently, temporary classroom portable units are being used in some of our elementary schools due to lack of space, some classrooms currently house 25+ students due to the lack of classrooms available, and some special services staff members (occupational therapy, behavioral therapy, social work, etc.) have had to provide services to students in former closets, stage areas, etc.

Creating a dedicated 5-6 grade school: Redesigning the elementary schools to create a dedicated 5-6 school was a key priority. These grades require a different school design, compared to K-4, due to a curriculum that includes specialized classes such as chorus, orchestra, health, etc. as well as leveled math instruction. The large gymnasium with locker rooms and full auditorium with stage will be best utilized with this student population.

Right-Sizing Schools: A goal of the Building Committee was to “right size ” our elementary schools to better and more efficiently spread resources and avoid large bumps in class sizes. With a 5/6th school, the Town can create Four K-4 elementary schools of similar size with enrollments averaging 325 students each and a 5/6th Grade school of 540 students. Realigning the schools to a K-4 grade model would allow same or similar sized school populations, making it easier to allocate district resources and better fit school populations. Currently, this has been difficult with our K-6 grade model with school buildings of very different sizes and populations.

The District is in early planning steps to create a STEAM program at the 5th/6th Grade Intermediate School at Webb. Superintendent Wihbey has been in contact with the Hartford Science Center on their guidance and possible future partnership. More information to come.

Wethersfield has been discussing and exploring different options to address our Elementary School Buildings for over 20 years. 

In 2003, the Town voted to turn Webb into an elementary school in response to an increase in enrollment in our schools. Prior to that, Wethersfield only had four elementary schools (Webb had been an old junior high decades ago and was being used for offices and a kindergarten center). Other referendums prior to 2003 had tried and failed, including one to renovate Charles Wright in order to increase its size to accommodate 400 students.

In 2008, the Town Council created the WHS and Hanmer Building Committee to make a plan to renovate or build as-new Hanmer Elementary School, and renovate the High School. But after the 2008 Recession, the Town decided to drop Hanmer from the building project and focus solely on the High School. The High School was then completely renovated by January, 2017.  

In 2019, after the needs of all our elementary school buildings were growing, the Board of Education started to explore planning a district-wide elementary school building plan. South Windsor had recently created its own plan to build four new schools over ten years. We were looking at South Windsor’s successfully executed project and referendums as a guide. The Board of Ed then hired a building consultant, who - after an in depth inspection of all our five schools - proposed the following plan: 

Phase ONE (2023- 2026): Build a new Hanmer on Stillman Field, then demolish the old Hanmer; build a new Highcrest in the field next to the current Highcrest School.

Phase TWO (2024 – 2029) Renovate as new Emerson (using Old Highcrest as swing space for students)

Phase THREE (2027-2032) Renovate as new Webb (using Old Highcrest as swing space for students)

Phase FOUR (2030-32) Taking Charles Wright Elementary offline and demolishing Highcrest.

The referendum was held on Nov. 8, 2022 and failed. 

In 2024 - A New Start to Address Our Elementary Schools: After the failed 2022 referendum, the Board of Ed and Town Council went back to the drawing board to seek a new plan to address our elementary schools, which were in continued need of renovation.

• The Board created an Ad Hoc Committee which encompassed about 25 people representing parents, teachers, administrators, community members, Board of Ed and Town Council Members. The purpose of the Ad Hoc Committee was to have a series of meetings to gather ideas and brainstorm options for a new building plan. Nothing was off the table. 

• The BOE also created and sent out an online survey to residents, teachers, parents and students to gather feedback on why the last referendum failed, preferences for grade structure and number of elementary schools, and issues of importance of any plan going forward. 

• At the same time, the Town Council created an Advisory School Building Committee with the mandate to create a new school building plan. 

• Consultant, TSKP, was hired to work with the town Building Committee to evaluate: The conditions of our school buildings, the ideas from the Ad Hoc Committee, the community survey results and then provide various options. TSKP also conducted outreach to parents, teachers, and multiple town community groups, and had public meetings to gather feedback before proposing the current final plan.

In 2025, a referendum for the current plan took place on September 16th, 2025 and passed.

After the 2022 School Referendum failed, the District needed to go back to the drawing board. In January, 2024, the Board Chair and Superintendent Emmett created an Ad Hoc Committee which encompassed about 25 people representing parents, teachers, administrators, community members, Board of Ed and Town Council Members. The purpose of the Ad Hoc Committee was to have a series of meetings to gather ideas and brainstorm options for a new elementary school building plan. Nothing was off the table. The Board documented and created a list of ideas to explore based on these brainstorm sessions. 

Between March - April, 2024, the Board of Ed created and sent out an online survey for town residents, parents, teachers/staff and students to gather feedback on why the last referendum failed. The survey also included questions on grade structure, preference on number of elementary schools, and issues of importance of any plan going forward.

Results Of BOE Community Survey on the Future of Our Elementary Schools