Derby School Board Looks Toward Future

The Derby Board of Education is creating several subcommittees to tackle issues raised in the school district’s new strategic plan.

Among the subcommittees — a group that will take a look at whether to restructure, redistrict or consolidate educational services in the city.

School board president Ken Marcucio, Sr. said he will be appointing members from the school board and the community.

The strategic plan is a document that sets a course for the future of the school district.

Part of that plan — pages 15 to 19 to be precise — calls for Derby school officials to study whether making fundamental changes to the district’s organizational structure could make for a better, less expensive school district.

The changes could mean anything from closing one of the city’s two elementary schools to consolidating with the Ansonia school district.

Or, it could mean the school district stays exactly as is.

The subcommittee will explore the issues, which are many, and report back to the full board.

“(The subcommittee) will look at some of the issues raised in the strategic plan,” Superintendent Stephen Tracy said. ​“Should we keep all four schools? Should we close one of the elementary schools? Should we change the grade configurations in the elementary schools? There are many issues like that that are raised in the strategic plan that the board now needs to dig into.”

There is already a group meeting to explore regionalization possibilities with the Ansonia school district. That group includes the mayors from both cities, along with school board presidents and the school superintendents.

Marcucio said the details about the various committees are still being worked out.

This isn’t the first time Ansonia and Derby schools have talked about consolidating schools.

However, it is the first time the idea is being explored in depth, Marcucio said.

“As far back as I remember, there was only one meeting in the past, then the idea disintegrated,” Marcucio said. ​“Right now there seems to be some very strong interest in it. That’s why we’re continuing to look at it.”

Just exploring and collecting facts about consolidation could take up to two years, the school board president said.

A comprehensive report on restructuring is due in June 2013.

Some of the issues the report will explore:

  • The financial impact on Derby and the costs associated with regionalization
  • How to regionalize? Which grades? K‑12, K‑8, 9 – 12?
  • Should Derby close one of its two elementary schools?

The strategic plan is posted below:

Derby Strategic Plan, Adopted

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