Kate Farrar

The Newington Delegation in the Connecticut General Assembly – Representatives Kate Farrar (D-West Hartford, Newington), Gary Turco (D-Newington, New Britain), and Senator Matt Lesser (D-Middletown) – joined town leaders, school officials and staff and students from Anna Reynolds Elementary School to celebrate its two-year renovation project with a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Voters overwhelmingly approved the renovation in a town referendum in 2020 at a cost of $35.5 million. The Newington Delegation helped secure more than $20 million from the State Bond Commission to reduce the Newington taxpayers’ burden at a reimbursement rate of nearly 57%.

The "Renovate as New" project for the school, originally built in 1955, includes:

• An elevator to provide full ADA compliance.
• Reconfiguration of the traffic pattern at the school to improve student safety.
• Addition of a comprehensive HVAC system, which includes a building management system for improved climate control and energy efficiency.
• State-of-the-art classroom video projection capabilities and software.
• Pre-K play area in the school courtyard.
• Contemporary school security attributes added through this project.
• Full roof replacement.
• Installation of rubberized floor system in the gymnasium.

“This is a great day for students, teachers and staff, who deserve a high-quality and safe learning environment," said Representative Farrar. "Newington voters overwhelmingly approved this project and thanks to the efforts of committed community members the Newington Delegation secured $20 million in state funding to reduce taxpayers' burden. Investing in our public schools should be one of our top priorities and is essential for a vibrant future for our children and our community."

Representative Turco: "This project was a top priority for Newington, and I am ecstatic to celebrate it with the children, teachers, and staff, who deserve a healthy, modern and safe learning environment. Thank you to everyone past and present who helped bring the renovation across the finish line. This project was a true community effort and a critical investment in our future."

Senator Lesser: “I am thrilled that students in Newington start the new school year in a newly renovated and updated Anna Reynolds School! The students, teachers and staff have been resilient as they have navigated sharing their space as the construction was underway, and the entire community is so excited to usher in a new era of the Anna Reynolds School. I remember touring this school with parents, teachers and students and seeing the leaking roof and the drastic need for investment. Now, these students have a state-of-the-art school to learn in. I am especially proud that my colleagues in the legislature and I were able to secure $20 million in state funding to relieve Newington taxpayers while continuing to invest in this important project.”

Representative Jeff Currey, House Chair of the Education Committee: “Every student, teacher and staffer deserves to learn and work in a healthy and safe school building as they strive for excellence and provide the best education to our children. This renovation helps ensure not only that but also reignites a sense of pride for families and the community. The grassroots effort to get this project through a town referendum, secure state funding and gain buy-in for the importance of investing in education is also worthy of applause.”

Dr. Maureen Brummett, Superintendent of Newington Public Schools: "The beautifully renovated Anna Reynolds School represents the collective efforts of the Board of Education, Town Council, the Reynolds Building Committee, the State of Connecticut legislators, and the taxpayers of Newington to make this modern, safe, and clean facility come to fruition. Special thanks to our staff and students for their flexibility during the two-year construction period. I believe we can all agree that it was worth the wait!"

Amy Perrotti, Chair of the Newington Board of Education, who helped lead the grassroots effort to pass the renovation through a town referendum in 2020: "I'm thrilled that this renovation is finally complete, it's been a very long time coming, from waterfalls in classrooms to worms in the building after it rains. This was a much-needed renovation for the safety and health of staff and students. Anna Reynolds has always been a special community full of kindness, perseverance and learning, and now we have the building everyone deserves."