School Smells and Calendar Shifts: What's Up in Stonington?

At a recent meeting, the Stonington Board of Education had a lot on their plate. They approved the school calendar for 2026-27, but that wasn't the only thing they talked about. There were some serious concerns about the West Vine Street School, especially about bad smells that have been bothering people for years. A teacher, Emily McClenahan, spoke up about the odors. She said they've been a problem since 2019 and could even be harmful to people's health. Another person, Audra Hull, pushed for better building upkeep and clearer communication from the school district. The superintendent, Mary Anne Butler, said the district is looking into the issue. They've already met with staff and even brought in experts to check the air quality. They're also planning to talk to the state's environmental protection department.The school's facilities director, Steve Carroll, mentioned that Eversource, a local energy company, did some testing too. The board seemed involved and ready to tackle the problem. Besides the smell issue, the board also made some small changes to the school calendar. They moved around some professional development days but kept the rest of the calendar the same. They even talked about snow days and how bad weather might affect graduation. The board also approved a plan for improving school facilities. They discussed the costs of buying new or used vehicles, including electric ones. The finance director, Alisha Stripling, agreed to look into whether they could use their funds to buy used vehicles. In other news, the board set up a committee to find a temporary superintendent. They also approved some curriculum changes and heard updates on the budget for 2026-27. There was even a survey about the school calendar, but the results weren't shared in the meeting.