School Committee Discusses Casino Impacts

Milford schools already are filled to capacity. New enrollments from families that may relocate to work at the proposed Foxwoods Massachusetts casino will be a negative impact, said several School Committee members on Thursday.

The committee took no formal position on the proposed $1 billion casino development, but several members said they had concerns about what stresses it could bring to the public schools, and want schools included in any mitigation efforts.

Committee member Christine Boyle took the strongest position, saying the casino is a negative for the schools. She said the committee and system should receive an impact statement, explaining what will happen to enrollments if the casino is approved, and what will be done to mitigate those impacts.

"I think we have to take a position and I think we have to be strong and informed in that position," she said.

New computers for the schools will not be "a carrot" that will work, she said.

"Let's be clear. It's not positive. No matter what carrot they hang in front of us, I don't think it's a positive impact on our school system."

Committee member Scott Harrison said he attended the Foxwoods Massachusetts presentation Monday, along with new committee member Joseph Morais. The lengthy presentation included nothing about schools in particular, Harrison said, except a reference to working with the schools to install low flow water and toilet fixtures, to help conserve water capacity for the casino.

"That was the extent of what I heard," Harrison said. "I leaned over to Joe and said, 'We've got some problems. And some major concerns'."

Superintendent Robert Tremblay told committee members he has prepared a three to four page document that includes references to studies on school impacts at other casino locations in the U.S., and will circulate it to School Committee members in preparation of reaching out to the developer.

As part of his research, he said he tried to get the perspective of superintendents whose districts are near Mohegan Sun and the Foxwoods Resort Casino, both in Connecticut, and the Twin Rivers casino, in Rhode Island. He was only able to speak with the superintendent in Norwich, Conn., near Foxwoods.

In Norwich, he was told, the number of first languages spoken by children increased from five to 41 after the casino was in place. But no direct correlation could be established, Tremblay said, pinpointing that the demographic shift happened because of the casino. 

In other changes in Norwich demographics, he said, lower income students began enrolling in the schools, as middle and higher income families "were quickly leaving Norwich."

Unlike some impacts, the effect on a school system can be harder to guage, Tremblay said. Uncertainties include: if the workers will move into the town, "if they have school age children, if they have a language deficiency."

The new Woodland Elementary School will be designed for a capacity of 985 students. The state has already set that number, and the construction will be reimbursed for a school of that scale, the superintendent said.

"Perhaps Foxwoods Massachusetts could build a new school for us. I'm not proposing that in this memo," Tremblay said. "But enrollment is a serious concern for us."