Considering the question of school consolidation… again

By Matt Riiska

For several years there have been discussions regarding the consolidation of school resources with our neighboring towns and member towns of Regional 7. In the early 1990s the member towns of Regional 7 studied and developed a plan to combine grades pre-K to 12 into the region. This plan would reduce the need for multiple layers of administration and would provide a coordinated curriculum program. The plan was defeated in a referendum in 1994, with Norfolk and Colebrook voting in favor of the plan, with Barkhamsted and New Hartford voting no. In 2011 another study was developed to combine K to six in the region. This was again defeated in May of 2011.

Again, from 2013 to 2015, a study was done to regionalize/consolidate Colebrook and Norfolk elementary schools. The discussions ranged from what a consolidated board would look like, what school building would be used, what the administration would look like and how a budget would be developed for both daily operations and long-term capital improvements. Many ideas were brought forward, but in the end the consolidation effort was voted down. Community members from both towns feared losing control of their school and their town’s identity, while others felt that the children would not get a better education through consolidation. The plan to create a regional school district with Norfolk and Colebrook was defeated at a referendum in September 2015.

With dwindling student populations in both towns, there are many ways for Norfolk and Colebrook to combine their educational needs. The first way to combine is through a cooperative agreement. This process would be a decision made by the Boards of Education of the two towns. There is no vote from the public. This can be done per state statute because the Boards of Eds are tasked to provide for the education of our children. If Norfolk chose to go to Colebrook, they would do so by paying per student tuition. The Colebrook Board of Ed would be in charge. If Colebrook came to Norfolk the process would be reversed. 

The second way is through regionalization/consolidation. This is what was studied in 2013 -2015. This would be done by a vote of the towns to enter negotiations between the two towns. As you can imagine, this could be a lengthy process, but much of the groundwork was done during the previous attempt. This process would also, if voted in, create a Board of Ed made up of members from both towns, and both would share the costs and governance as is done at Regional 7.

The third way is combining all grades from Pre-K to 12 into Regional 7. The Regional 7 board would be the governing body for the high school and all the elementary schools in the four towns. This again is an exceptionally lengthy process and would take even longer to combine Colebrook and Norfolk students into one facility.

This is not an easy topic to discuss. Having been on the consolidation committee in the 90s and having discussed this topic with many including Jonathan Costa from EdAvance, who was the facilitator for the most recent consolidation attempt, and having spoken to both Colebrook and Norfolk leaders, I know that something needs to be done. Many merely look at this as a way to save money by reducing the duplicated tasks, but it is far more than that. In all the attempts, the most important aspect of this process was to provide the best education for our children. There is also the component of the educational process which is socialization. Our students in both Norfolk and Colebrook will go on to Regional 7. Our task is to make sure they have the level of education needed so they can excel in the future. 

There will be more discussions regarding this topic. 

 As you ponder this, please take time out to slow down, relax, and enjoy our summer.