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Stamford Officials Hail $60M Expansion Of Rogers School At Sacred Heart

STAMFORD, Conn. -- Students at Stamford's Rogers School will have more space after local legislators said they were able to unlock tens of millions in state dollars despite a budget squeeze.

Sen. Carlo Leone, speaking, joins Stamford’s legislative delegation, Mayor David Martin and local education officials to announce the expansion of Stamford’s Rogers International Interdistrict Magnet School.

Sen. Carlo Leone, speaking, joins Stamford’s legislative delegation, Mayor David Martin and local education officials to announce the expansion of Stamford’s Rogers International Interdistrict Magnet School.

Photo Credit: Frank MacEachern
The former Sacred Heart Academy. It will now be home to an expansion of the Rogers International School.

The former Sacred Heart Academy. It will now be home to an expansion of the Rogers International School.

Photo Credit: Frank MacEachern

The Rogers International Interdistrict Magnet School will expand into the former site of Sacred Heart Academy at 200 Strawberry Hill Ave. in Stamford.

"This was a very important piece of our legislation," said state Sen. Carlo Leone, D-27th District. "It was critical to the future of the City of Stamford, and it was by no means an easy feat given the circumstances of the state's budget."

He made the comments at a press conference Monday morning in front of the former Sacred Heart Academy. Leone was joined by fellow Democratic Stamford state Reps. William Tong, Caroline Simmons and Terry Adams; Mayor David Martin; Superintendent of Schools Winifred Hamilton; and members of the Stamford Board of Education.

“The $62 million in funding we secured to expand the Rogers School will help the city refurbish this building so we can ease overcrowding in our school system and make sure that our children get the education they need,” Leone said. 

It was a joint effort by the delegation, the Board of Education, Hamilton and Martin and his staff to secure the money, he said.

Stamford will receive $61 million for school construction and $900,000 in operating funds.

The enrollment at Stamford Public Schools has grown along with the city's population. In 1989-90, 11,394 students were registered. In 2013-14, enrollment jumped to 16,069, according to information provided Monday.

Tong said the mayor and the Board of Education lobbied hard to get the state's support to turn the former Catholic school into a Stamford Public School to alleviate overcrowding.

The difficult state budget made it a struggle to get the funding approved, he said.

"There was a lot not to like in this budget," Tong said. However, he said the school project was the single most important priority for the city and its delegation.

"There was a very difficult fight in Hartford to make this happen," Tong said.

Rogers School is in high demand, with 500 students applying for 88 kindergarten seats for the 2014-15 school year. The expansion will ensure that additional classroom space is available in a community where it is greatly needed. 

Students are expected to occupy the school in the fall of 2016.

Sacred Heart Academy, an all-girls school, closed its doors in 2006. The 10.8-acre site was purchased by the city for $9.75 million last year. 

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