Since the beginning of this school year, part of the second floor of SHS’s A-building has been closed off for construction. But this is just one part of a much bigger picture: the revitalization of Stamford High and the transformation of some of Stamford’s public schools.
Katherine LoBalbo, an architect of 20 years and a mom of two, is in charge of the planning and execution of construction projects within Stamford Public Schools (SPS). She has been working with K-8 buildings specifically since 2023, citing her passion “that the places that are our schools are some of our most important spaces. They don’t just serve us from the time that we’re in them as a student…or when [we] go to vote on election day….I think that they’re some of the most precious pieces of our infrastructure, the fabric of our community”.
LoBalbo, with the help of the city’s Engineering Department and Stamford Public Schools’ Facilities team, coordinates everything from HVAC and roofing projects to building entire schools from the ground up. But their overall mission, according to LoBalbo, is to even their focus through a long-term facilities plan. “We have an overarching plan: we want to make sure that we are developing all of our schools with parity and equity,” LoBalbo said.
Throughout this year, LoBalbo’s team has been overseeing multiple projects at Stamford High. They received a $3 million grant to build the new baseball fields, they are working on improving traction on the upper soccer field, and they are behind the current project that has shut down half of floor A-2.
The A-2 project is the first step in the revitalization of SHS. The closed-off area is currently undergoing renovation and remodeling, and old tiles that contain the sometimes hazardous material asbestos are being removed.
LoBalbo stated that the asbestos existing undisturbed does not bring harm to people in the building, and was used in the construction of schools and similar buildings up until the 1980s due to its fire-resistant properties. She called the removal of the tiles a “remediation,” with the proactive goal of preventing the asbestos from potentially becoming a hazard in the future. LoBalbo expects this renovation to continue through the end of the 2024-25 school year.
Other than the revamp of floor A-2, in the coming years SHS will also see interior improvements to the “B” building, the installation of solar panels, and exterior remodeling of building facades and courtyards, LoBalbo said. She noted that they are “thoughtful about accessibility” when designing and completing each project. An exact timeline for these changes is unknown, however, due to the lengthy design, application, funding and approval process.
Besides the projects scheduled to occur at SHS and similar small-scale construction at the other Stamford schools, LoBalbo mentioned three big plans that SPS will see beginning within the next few years: the construction of three (technically four) new schools.
Westhill High School (WHS) is the first. Starting summer 2025, building will begin off-site for the new WHS facilities, and by 2026 it will be relocated to the sports fields adjacent to the current building. Once construction is complete, students will move into the new school and the old one will be demolished. LoBalbo mentioned that the new building will include upgraded spaces for the various career pathways offered at WHS, such as the transportation, woodworking and manufacturing programs.
Roxbury Elementary School will undergo a similar transformation, with one big change: the new building will house grades K-8, introducing the elementary school to a format that resembles those of Rogers International School and Strawberry Hill School.
K.T. Murphy Elementary School will also become a K-8 school, although it will have a slightly different composition. LoBalbo stated that a new building will be built where the school currently stands, but there will be a second building constructed on Lockwood Avenue in Stamford, where the Domus Kids campus is currently. She explained how one building will hold grades K-4, and the other grades 5-8, but with both buildings being managed by one administration. Additionally, “K.T. Murphy” will be renamed “South School”.
Now, it’s not exactly a secret that the education budget for SPS is shrinking, so where is LoBalbo’s team getting the millions of dollars needed to complete all of these projects? According to LoBalbo, their budget is entirely separate. The City of Stamford Grants Department helps them with a lot of the funding by applying for many lucrative and competitive grants, on both a state and federal level. Some support also comes in from Connecticut’s School Construction Program, through the state’s Office of Grants Administration.
LoBalbo noted that the only funding coming directly from the City of Stamford’s budget is approved yearly by the Board of Finance. “Every year we go to the Board of Finance with our budget proposal,” LoBalbo said. “Mostly it’s guided by the long-term facilities plan. So those are the guardrails that define how and where we’re going to spend money and we’re going to prioritize projects. The facilities plan [goes] through every single school in the district and identifies the different level of needs, obviously ‘priority one’ being things like safety and accessibility,” she said.
LoBalbo offered a shout-out to the SHS Administration, including Mr. Forker, Mr. Passamano, Mr. Moynihan, and others for their assistance and cooperation with her team’s efforts.
