SOUTH WINDSOR — The town's school district is looking to use part of an Ellington Road office building as a special education facility to free up space at its Ayers Road high school annex.
In late June, South Windsor Public Schools filed an application with the town's Planning and Zoning Commission for a special exception and site plan approval to lease an approximately 6,000-square-foot space on the first floor of a vacant office building at 1170 Ellington Road for the district's South Windsor Transition Program.
A narrative included with the application states that relocating the program to the Ellington Road building would improve the program and make additional classroom space available at the former Wapping Elementary School building at 91 Ayers Road, which has served as an annex for South Windsor High School since 2023.
South Windsor has struggled to find space for its students in recent years. The town has had the fastest-growing school district in Connecticut over the past decade, even as enrollment declined statewide.
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"Returning this space to classroom use will help the district accommodate its growing student population while providing transition students with a more appropriate community-based setting," South Windsor schools said in its narrative. "District staff evaluated several properties and determined that 1170 Ellington Road best meets the program’s needs in its current configuration."
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The district said the program, which currently has 18 students and 11 staff members, serves certain adults with disabilities between the ages of 18 and 22.
If approved, the leased space would provide students with what the district described as a "practical setting" to learn skills for adult life, including cooking and housework, employment and job readiness, shopping and banking. The program also provides other instruction and services.
The program currently operates during the regular school year, along with a condensed four-week summer session.
The district said the proposed facility would not be used as a general-enrollment school or as a residential or medical facility.
Based on current enrollment, the district anticipates using a passenger van and seven buses for the program. Three buses would arrive at the property around 8:45 a.m. and return for dismissal at 2 p.m., while the remaining vehicles would be stored on the property and used to transport students during the day.
The district said the program is not expected to require more than 20 parking spaces at a time. The existing lot would provide ample space for staff, district vehicles and visitors, though parking lines may need to be adjusted to accommodate buses.
The lease agreement for the building's first floor also limits the types of tenants that could occupy the second floor to ensure they are compatible with educational operations and student safety requirements, according to the district.
The PZC formally received the district's application at its July 28 meeting and is tentatively scheduled to hold a public hearing on Aug. 18.