Beecher building committee discusses moving referendum ahead of Election Day

At its May 26 meeting, the Beecher Road School Building Committee discussed the possibility of moving a planned referendum on the proposed Beecher Road School project to a date before Election Day in November, citing legal and procedural considerations related to public communications and state grant requirements. The committee also received updates on additional funding recently approved by the Woodbridge Board of Education (WBOE) for revised concept plans, enrollment projections, and expanded public outreach efforts (see agenda).

According to discussion during the meeting, town officials are now considering whether the referendum should occur earlier in the fall rather than concurrently with the November 2, 2026 election, as previously contemplated in project communications materials (see previous article for details).

During the meeting, conducted in person at Beecher Road School with some participants joining via Webex, Board of Selectmen liaison to the building committee Maria Madonick described legal guidance indicating that a referendum held on Election Day could trigger a 60-day quiet period restricting certain forms of public communication. A separately scheduled referendum, she said, could shorten that period to approximately 30 days, potentially providing additional time for public outreach before restrictions take effect. Building committee chair Marty Halprin said the committee had been advised that the project website could remain online during the referendum quiet period, provided the content remained factual and was not updated. 

Members also discussed the relationship between referendum timing and state grant deadlines, with additional clarification expected from bond counsel and state officials. Election administration considerations were also raised, including questions about the interaction between referendum procedures and early voting. Madonick said she had consulted with the Registrars of Voters, who preferred that any referendum not be held on the November 2 Election Day.

Halprin also reported that the Woodbridge Board of Education had approved additional funding for architectural and estimating services associated with revised concept plans and enrollment assumptions. Members said they hoped updated plans would be available for discussion at an upcoming meeting.

The discussion occurred as the project team continues preparing a state Office of School Construction Grants and Review application and revising enrollment assumptions tied to the WBOE’s planned expansion of the district's Pre-K program.Committee members discussed a potential additional 5% state reimbursement incentive associated with compliance with state housing growth plan requirements, though they noted some elements of the state bonus structure may not apply to Woodbridge.

A fee proposal from Antinozzi Associates included in the WBOE's May 19 meeting packet outlines additional architectural and presentation work requested by the district as the project advances. According to the memo, the revised work includes redesign of the New Construction Option D3 to incorporate four additional Pre-K classrooms and related increased enrollment assumptions; redesign of the Renovate-as-New Option A1 for comparable enrollment levels; updated conceptual cost estimates; and additional architectural presentations supporting the anticipated referendum process.

The revised planning work is tied to the district's proposed expansion of its Pre-K program, which would increase projected enrollment used for state reimbursement and facility planning purposes. The proposal states that increasing projected enrollment from approximately 960 students to approximately 1,036 students would expand the amount of reimbursable building area permitted under state standards. According to the memo, the resulting increase in allowable square footage would be substantially larger than the space required solely for the additional Pre-K classrooms.

A substantial portion of the May 26 building committee meeting focused on public outreach efforts being coordinated by Tall Timbers Communications consultant Ira Yellen, who described the current phase of the communications campaign surrounding the proposed project. Yellen told the committee that every household in town had received a mailed newsletter and survey and said responses would remain open through June 8 (see the Town website to “Take the Online Survey”). He described the effort as an attempt to gauge community understanding and sentiment before later phases of outreach and referendum communication.

The consultant also outlined a proposed multi-stage outreach strategy involving additional newsletters, public presentations, website updates, and community meetings extending into the fall. He said a later phase of communication would focus more directly on making the case for the project prior to the legally required quiet period before a referendum.

The committee voted to move its next meeting from June 9 to June 16 in order to allow more time for survey results to be compiled and presented publicly at the newly-rescheduled meeting.

During informal discussion broadcast over Webex before the meeting was called to order, committee members discussed whether meetings should be recorded and made available to the public. Some participants noted that residents had expressed difficulty attending meetings in person and suggested that recordings could help improve access to information about the project. The issue was not included on the agenda, and no formal action was taken once the meeting was called to order. As a result, no official recording of the May 26 meeting appears to have been produced.

To help inform residents about the proposed project and the committee's deliberations, the Woodbridge Town Chronicle independently recorded the meeting livestream and has made the video available on YouTube as part of its ongoing hyper-local journalism coverage of town government, public meetings, and major community issues.

It remains unclear whether future BRS building committee meetings will be recorded and made available by the Town despite the committee's ongoing investment in a taxpayer-funded public outreach and communications effort intended to keep residents informed about the project.

Beecher Road School Building Committee meetings are open to the public for in-person attendance and Webex live-streaming access (see published agendas for link details). Click below to watch the WTC's full recording of the May 26, 2026 meeting.