State Senate Bill Seeks Clarity in Middlebury's Role in Region 15 School District: Report

MIDDLEBURY, CT — The Town of Middlebury is seeking some clarity in its role as a member of the Region 15 school district, under a new bill proposed by state Sen. Joan Hartley (D-15th)

The bill seeks to "create a mechanism" to study "equity issues" that the town and Hartley believe Middlebury is facing. Those equity issues primarily surround funding and the distribution of representatives on the region's board, reports the Waterbury Republican-American.

The regional school district is made up of Southbury and Middlebury, and its Board of Education has six members from Southbury and four from Middlebury. Additionally, if the two towns' voters split over the budget (Middlebury turns it down, but Southbury supports it, for example), the budget will pass if Southbury voters approve the measure. This is in part because Southbury has a larger population and sends more students to the region's schools.

"Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened: That title 10 of the general statutes be amended to create a mechanism for evaluating equity issues related to the town of Middlebury's membership in the Region 15 school district," the bill states.

Hartley's bill has been moved to the General Assembly's Joint Committee on Education for further review.

Click here to read the full story on the Waterbury Republican-American website.

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