
DERBY — The first Ansonia-Derby school regionalization committee meeting of the New Year was abruptly canceled Thursday after the committee’s co-chairman learned two members of the committee resigned.
Jim Gildea, the committee’s co-chairman from Derby, said he heard about the resignations a few hours before the scheduled 7 p.m. start time and opted to cancel because state regulations say two of the committee’s members must also sit on the Ansonia Board of Education.
One of the outgoing members, Tracey DeLibero, serves on the Ansonia school board. Her departure means Christopher Phipps is currently the only Ansonia school board on the regionalization committee.
“I enjoyed my time on the committee and found the study very interesting,” DeLibero said in an email Friday afternoon. “I also believe the students and tax payers will have a huge benefit on regionalization and shared services. Mayor Cassetti wants the best for the residents of both Ansonia and Derby and I appreciated the appointment and opportunity to serve on the committee. With a heavy heart I needed to step down due to my family commitments.”
The other resignation was Lorie Vaccaro, a former Ansonia Alderman who opted not to run for re-election this year. He’s been easing back a busy public schedule.
The Connecticut Post reported that Mayor David Cassetti will be making suggestions as to who from Ansonia should fill the new vacancies.
The committee was formed to explore whether regionalizing the two school districts in some way — or simply sharing services to some degree — could save money and improve the education experience for kids in Ansonia and Derby.
The committee Thursday was scheduled to start getting into the meat of a recently-released consultant’s report that outlines the various options to explore.
Any regionalization initiative would have to be approved by voters in both Ansonia and Derby. The committee also has the option of leaving the school systems the way they are. The committee is also exploring whether more resources could be shared in the two districts.
Despite the importance of their mission, the committee’s monthly meetings are not well attended by members of the general public. However, Thursday’s meeting was scheduled to be live-streamed on YouTube and shared on social media.
Click here for the options the committee is exploring and to read the consultant’s report.
The committee’s next meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Jan. 27 at Derby Middle School off Chatfield Street, according to The Connecticut Post.