Photo by Eugene Driscoll
Members of the Ansonia Board of Aldermen at a meeting Tuesday, Jan. 14.
ANSONIA — The Board of Aldermen Tuesday filled two vacancies on the committee studying whether school districts in Ansonia and Derby should be merged in some manner.
The city’s legislative body appointed Republican Alderman Joshua Shuart and Republican school board member Richard Bshara to the “Temporary Regional School Study Committee.” The committee is comprised of residents from Ansonia and Derby.
The committee is next scheduled to meet 7 p.m. Jan. 27 at Derby Middle School.
Shuart and Bshara replace Republicans Lorie Vaccaro and Tracey DeLibero, both of whom resigned due to other commitments. Their letters of resignation were officially received by the Board of Aldermen during Tuesday’s meeting.
The Aldermen also voted to extend the life of the committee, which had been set to expire next month. Derby Aldermen previously voted to extend the life of the committee, which was formed two years ago.
The school regionalization committee is in receipt of two reports looking at various options for the two school district to merge, or to “share services.”
In December the regionalization committee voted to start meeting twice a month to take deep dives into the two data-heavy reports.
The reports were prepared by District Management Group, Milone & MacBroom, and Silver/Petrucelli & Associates, consultants hired with grant money.
Click here to download the Task 1 report.
The Valley Indy also uploaded the report here.
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)
