(Top row, left to right) The Valley Indy, Joseph Jaumann and (bottom) Jim Gildea during a live interview last May.
ANSONIA-DERBY – The committee studying whether to regionalize school in Ansonia and Derby is done, according to separate emails Tuesday morning from the co-chairmen of the committee.
“Derby’s committee assignments expired Sunday and Ansonia committee assignments expire today,” according to co-chairman Jim Gildea of Derby. “The committee no longer statutorily exists.”
“At this point the committee statutorily expired and there have been no discussions (that I am aware of) to establish a new committee,” according to co-chairman Joseph Jaumann, of Ansonia.
Gildea is also chairman of the Derby Board of Education, while Jaumann is also a member of the Ansonia Board of Aldermen.
The committee had been formed in 2018 to “examine all pertinent qualitative and quantitative data available in order to determine the feasibility of merging the Ansonia and Derby school districts.”
The committee was formal, in the sense it was created and operated under a process outlined in state law.
It had 10 appointed members – five from Derby and five from Ansonia.
The process hit a major roadblock in December, when Gildea and others in Derby raised concerns about Ansonia’s wish to vote upon a “framework” for consolidation.
The December roadblock became a dead end after a few spirited discussions on local radio and Facebook.
Essentially, Derby’s side complained the proposal favored Ansonia in terms of costs and control, while Ansonia complained Derby wasn’t willing to negotiate or offer an alternative.
In a prepared statement issued Tuesday afternoon, the now former co-chairs of the committee identified three areas of disagreement:
1. The use or closure of Irving School
2. The voting and representation on a regional board of education
3. What to do with any savings from regionalization.
“Ultimately, time ran out on the committee, and the committee expired without a final determinative vote on feasibility of regionalization before the two communities,” the statement reads.
The formal end of the official Temporary Regional School Study Committee (TRSSC), doesn’t mean Ansonia and Derby can keep talking about some of the ideas raised during the study, such as sharing services to save money.
This is the second time in 20 years an effort to regionalize Ansonia and Derby schools has failed.
In addition, a Derby school board proposal in 2013 to realign grades at the Bradley and Irving schools also went nowhere after parents spoke out against it.
Below is the press release that was sent Tuesday, along with the final committee report that was never voted upon.
2022-02-08 TRSSC Press Release by The Valley Indy on Scribd
TRSSC 2022 Status Report by The Valley Indy on Scribd
