Ansonia-Derby School Regionalization Committee To Meet Twice A Month

The Ansonia-Derby school regionalization committee is scheduled to start meeting twice a month to analyze a report authored by its hired consultant.

The committee is also asking Aldermen/Alderwomen in both communities to extend the life of the committee. It is scheduled to expire in February.

The committee, which had been meeting once a month, now plans to meets twice a month to tackle the seven-section report.

The meetings are now scheduled for the first Wednesday and fourth Monday of every month.

There are no more meetings scheduled for the committee in December.

Holidays complicate the January meeting schedule.

The next meeting is scheduled for Jan. 2.

The appointed committee is studying whether regionalizing Ansonia and Derby schools in some fashion — or sharing services in some way — could save money and create a better system for students.

Last month the committee received two reports from District Management Group, Milone & MacBroom, and Silver/Petrucelli & Associates, consultants hired by the communities using grant money.

Committee members have many additional questions they want the consultants to answer. 

Ultimately the committee will make a recommendation to the respective legislative bodies in Ansonia and Derby. Any regionalization option would need to be approved by voters in both cities.

The committee has not expressed an opinion one way or the other. They could opt to leave things as is.

Here are some regionalization options, as reported by The Valley Indy last month.

The 173-page ​“Task 1” analysis recommends the committee explore five options:

1. Leaving things as is, referred to as ​“status quo.”

2. Regionalize pre‑K through 12, with four elementary schools (requires voter approval in both cities)

3. Regionalize pre‑K through 12, with three elementary schools (requires voter approval in both cities
(the options above are in the ​“Task 1,” 173-page report)

4. Leave the districts as separate, initiate shared services for ​“some savings” (no public vote required)

5. Leave the districts separate, initiate some shared services, and share a central office to save more money (no public vote required)
(options four and five are outlined in the ​“Task 2,” 11-page report)

1. STATUS QUO
The report’s authors note that maintaining the status quo could cost taxpayers about $62 million in the long run. 

That’s because the consultants ran a list of repairs that need to be made at existing facilities (capital expenses). However, there was some push back from committee members regarding that $62 million price tag Monday.

Basically, members said, that $62 million represents a complete ​“to do” list of building improvements. Members last month, such as co-chairman Jim Gidea of Derby, wanted a more concise list of building improvements.

2. Regionalize pre‑K through 12, with four elementary schools (requires voter approval in both cities)

This scenario:

  • Keeps all Ansonia (Mead, Prendergast) and Derby (Bradley, Irving) elementary schools open (with renovations to all).
  • Closes the aging Ansonia Middle School (with intent to sell the property)
  • Add space to Derby Middle School to absorb Ansonia students
  • Closes the aging Derby High School (not a likely candidate to sell, since it shares a campus with Derby Middle School)
  • Add space to Ansonia High School to absorb Derby students
  • Close Derby’s central office
  • Expand Ansonia’s central office into a regional office
  • Total price tag for capital improvements (meaning building work): $32,241,529
  • Total annual operating budget savings: $2.49 million

3. Regionalize pre‑K through 12, with three elementary schools (requires voter approval in both cities)

This scenario:

  • Closes Derby’s Irving School, calls for renovations to Bradley, keeps Ansonia elementary schools (Mead and Prendergast) open.
  • Does everything else listed in option 2 above (close Ansonia Middle School, expand Derby Middle, close Derby High, expand Ansonia High)
  • Price tag for capital improvements: $24,993,312
  • Savings to the operating budget: $2.93 million annually

“The majority of operational savings come from the assumptions that a regional district would merge central offices and that all teachers would shift to Derby’s pay scale and health/dental,” the report states.

“All put together, a regional district (pre‑K through 12) with three elementary schools could have up to a $10,000,000 surplus by 2024 – 2025,” the consultants told the committee last month.

Regarding the building expansion and renovation costs listed above, committee members wanted more concise information. They wanted to know what work would be required to be done — and the price tag — in each regionalization scenario.

The report looks at but does NOT recommend the following options:

Regionalizing only grades nine through 12: It’s reviewed in the report, but is not recommended because it doesn’t save as much money as the other options, and would require the addition of a regional board, along with the two existing school boards, to govern.

Just regionalizing grades six through 12: It’s also reviewed in the report but not recommended for the same reasons.

Options 4 and 5

The committee last month also received an 11-page ​“Analysis of Savings from Shared Services,” which the consultants referred to as ​“Task 2” Monday.

“Shared services,” according to the report, ​“can refer to any function across the two districts, and can lead to both financial savings and expanded opportunities for students.”

The potential savings by sharing services mostly come from combining central office staff ($720,000 combined), according to the report. It also points out Ansonia and Derby could also save some money ($190,000) by teaming in special education areas. Another $140,000 could be squeezed by taking advantage of the ​“economies of scale” larger school districts enjoy.

Derby and Ansonia have tried ​“shared services” before (food services, technology) — with ​“mixed results” according to info from focus groups who met with the consultants.

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