Both towns to vote this month

By Janet Gokay

About 70 people turned up at Botelle School on August 10 to hear a final presentation of the proposed regionalization plan for the Norfolk and Colebrook elementary schools. A similar presentation occurred the following evening in Colebrook. The two towns will vote separately on the proposal on September 22. In order to pass, the proposal must garner a majority vote in both towns.

The proposal drew some heated reactions, for and against, even though, as Jonathan P. Costa, an educational consultant to the Norfolk-Colebrook regionalization study committee, said, “Some in this room have heard me say these exact same words at least five times in the last two years.”

Those in favor of the plan argued that it will result in tax savings for both towns—an estimated $2.6 million for each over ten years. Opponents doubted these projections, contending that under the agreement Norfolk would see scant savings for the first four to five years. One woman commented, “I have a concern that the number of kids in Colebrook may decrease faster than Norfolk,” which would increase Norfolk’s per pupil costs.

Several people expressed concerns about the proposed lease agreement for Botelle School, calling it “only an outline” and “insubstantial.” Michael Sconyers, a member of the regionalization study committee and chairman of Norfolk’s Board of Finance, said that the specifics of the lease will be determined by the new regional board of education.

Another concern was that the quality of education—particularly the student-teacher ratio—would suffer. According to Costa, the maximum class size will be 18 to 21 students. However, one woman emphasized, “People need to know that this school will lose its science room, its music room, and maybe its art room.”

Members of the audience were also worried about future cuts in staff. As one member of the audience noted, “Everyone loves their teachers.”

There were a number of questions about the new regional board of education, which would replace the boards of education in the two towns. If both towns approve the plan, a new regional board will be created within 30 days. It will have four members from each town. Candidates will be nominated in a town meeting in each town, the same way that candidates to other town boards are. Certain critical issues, such as budgets, hiring and capital expenditures, would require at least one affirmative vote from both sides. The new district could be in place as early as the 2016–17 school year, Costa said, although he thought this estimate “ambitious.” “The good people of these two communities are not going to rush it,” he emphasized.

Costa noted that many people throughout the state are watching this regionalization process with great interest. The issues, he said, are the same as those faced by many other towns in Connecticut. In response to a question about whether the state might mandate consolidation with other, larger towns should this plan fail to be adopted, Costa said, “Connecticut has such a strong history of local control. . . . I simply don’t see a mandate in the near future. I do see districts being strangled by the cost of trying to educate a declining number of students and still meeting the state’s mandatory minimum requirements.”