McGorty, Stratford Legislators Applaud Stratford High School Construction Bill
State Representative Ben McGorty (R-122), Laura Hoydick (R-120), Terry Backer (D-121) and State Senator Kevin Kelly (R-21) applauded legislation which was passed during the special session of the legislature June 29th which will allow for Stratford to qualify for higher state reimbursement rates for construction at Stratford High School. Governor Dannel Malloy signed the legislation into law on July 6th.
“The adjustment this bill makes essentially relaxes some state requirements enabling Stratford to capture a larger portion of state funding,” said Rep. McGorty. “This will be cost-effective for Stratford, and reduce the amount of local taxpayer dollars needed to accomplish the goals of this project.”
The School Construction Bill, HB 7102, exempts specified school construction projects from various statutory and regulatory requirements to allow them to qualify for state reimbursement grants or additional grants through a higher level of reimbursement, increase maximum project costs of previously approved projects, or change the scope of previously approved projects.
For Stratford, provisions of the bill expand Stratford High School’s current construction project description to include site acquisition costs of up to $700,000, change the project from an extension and alteration to a renovation which triggers a higher state reimbursement level, and waives the square-foot-per-pupil space standard, allowing Stratford to be eligible for further funds. The project cost at Stratford High School is $104,301,000. The revised state grant will now reimburse 60.36% of that cost.