Ansonia-Derby Regional School District Not A ‘Done Deal’

ANSONIA — A committee studying whether Ansonia and Derby schools should regionalize voted Monday to seek proposals from consultants to help guide them in looking at the issue over the next two years.

But public comments made by Ansonia Mayor David Cassetti have one member of the committee concerned that some officials have already made up their minds before the facts are in.

The committee, made up of officials from both cities, met Monday (July 23) for the second time since being formed after votes by Ansonia and Derby Aldermen to study the issue.

While both school districts have talked about sharing services for years, the committee is following a process under state law that could result in a combined regional school district — after two to four years of research.

A referendum vote in both cities would be required to approve any merger. The committee’s work is being funded by a $168,500 state grant administered by the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments.

Click here for a report about the committee’s first meeting last month.

While the committee is theoretically just beginning its work, Tara Hyder, one of Derby’s representatives, said during Monday’s meeting she was concerned about statements made by Ansonia Mayor David Cassetti during a television interview about the issue.

In comments quoted in a WTNH report posted Monday (July 23), Cassetti said consolidation ​“would save millions of dollars for both communities,” calling the decision a ​“no-brainer.”

The mayor, an outspoken supporter of regionalization, has also been interviewed while wearing a specially made baseball cap with an ​“A” and ​“D” on it, representing each city.

While not identifying Cassetti by name — only as ​“a public official in Ansonia” — Hyder referred to the report specifically and said she was concerned about the impression people could get from the interview.

“The public official stated that both towns will save millions, and it sounds like fact, but as you can see, we haven’t opened one financial book yet,” she said. ​“I just want to caution that communication, and accurate communication, is imperative in this process, whether we’re committee members, public officials, (or) citizens.”

“I know that I and my fellow committee members will be sure to speak in fact, and there is no fact that millions will be saved, as that was stated,” Hyder said. ​“It was also stated that when this happens that Derby High School will be in Ansonia High School, and this is where the Derby kids will come. Again, that has not even come up among us, and so I’m not sure where that is coming from, and I just want the public to know and I just want it on record that that has not been discussed, and we’re barely crawling in the process.”

“Sometimes in interviews on TV things aren’t as accurate as they need to be,” she said.

The sentiment was echoed by Mathew Hough, the chairman of Ansonia’s teachers union, during a public portion of the meeting, who said that ​“perceptions happen for a reason.”

“People ask me what my opinion is, and my opinion is I want what’s best for kids and we’ll figure out the rest,” Hough said. ​“And I appreciate that that seems to be an attitude of many people, that we want to figure out what’s best for the communities at large, and it’s not what’s being reported on WTNH or Channel 3 or whatever other network runs with these insane stories with a complete lack of knowledge.”

In a statement made earlier during the meeting, one of the committee’s co-chairmen, Ansonia Board of Education member John Izzo, also said nobody has made up their mind yet.

“I understand that perception is out there, I’ve heard that with respect to the Ansonia contingent,” Izzo said. ​“I can tell you that in no way, shape, or form have we predetermined what our recommendation will be at the end of two years, or three years or four years. We are going to look at everything.”

Cassetti said in a previous interview with the Valley Indy that he appointed Ansonia’s representatives to the committee because they, like him, support regionalization.

Ansonia politics is complicated. In addition to Republicans and Democrats, there’s two camps within the Republican Party — a majority supporting ​‘Team Cassetti’ and a group who does not.

Izzo is a Cassetti supporter, as are two of Ansonia’s other appointees to the committee, Aldermen Lorie Vaccaro and Joseph Jaumann.

Izzo said the only thing he’s sure of is that the ​“students will come first” regardless of any other considerations, like potential savings.

“Yeah, we want to cut costs where it makes sense, but honestly, I couldn’t sit here today and tell anyone whether I would recommend for or against or something in between. We have a substantial amount of research and due diligence to do and I don’t thing anyone is in a position to say yea or nay at this early stage.”

The committee’s next meeting is scheduled for Aug. 27 at Derby Middle School, where members plan on reviewing proposals from consultants to help them in guiding their work in studying the consolidation issue, as well as looking at enrollment projections for both cities.