More than one hundred parents, residents and officials attended the September 28 Town Meeting held at the Hampton Elementary School to present and discuss the findings of the Ad Hoc Committee on Interdistrict Educational Cost Sharing charged with studying the viability of combining the Hampton and Scotland elementary schools. A 31 page report was distributed, containing an executive summary and conclusions, estimated budgets, staffing and compensation, school capacities and class sizes, current enrollment and trends, potential programs utilizing cost savings, and a proposed Cooperative Agreement for a combined school.
Scotland’s First Selectman Gary Greenberg presented the report of the committee which was established in November 2020 to address concerns regarding the sustainability of the towns’ elementary schools due to declining enrollments and escalating costs. Members representing the school boards and fiscal authorities of the two towns were appointed to study the possibility of adopting a Cooperative Agreement to allow the towns to jointly operate a single elementary school to serve the pre-school through sixth grade students of Hampton and Scotland. Subcommittees were formed to study the governance structure, and models for educational programming, staffing and operating costs for the school.
Greenberg introduced the committee and provided an overview of its work over the course of the last two years. Scotland Selectman Wendy Sears provided details of the data contained in the report, including proposed staffing levels for instructional and support staff and administrative positions, an estimated budget, including the additional costs of tuition and transportation to the local boards of education and the grants which were not included in the budget models, and the estimated savings. According to the data presented, under a cooperative agreement with a proposed estimated budget of $3,316,688, Hampton could expect to save $743,299, and Scotland $626,971, for a total estimated savings of $1,370,270.
Along with the benefits of larger peer groups and increased diversity, educational advantages to the plan were listed. These included additional money for enrichment such as field trips, foreign language instruction, and after school offerings, separate positions for the technology specialist and the librarian, increased psychological services, and opportunities for intramural sports, including integration with middle-school sports programs, as well as participation in academic competitions.
But several parents who spoke were still concerned that the committee’s focus was on cost savings rather than improving educational opportunities. Among their specific concerns were the length of bus rides, building security, and class size – with one resident asking if teachers should expect more pay because of larger classes. Board of Finance Chairman Kathy Donahue explained that the classes in Hampton, which are now combined, approximate the number of students which would be in each grade in the cooperative model. Parents also questioned the accuracy of enrollment projections, and wondered if the pandemic had temporarily reduced the numbers as some students have not yet returned to school. The report contained charts illustrating state and local enrollment trends from 2016 to 2021, which showed a 4.69% decrease in student population in Connecticut, a 12.9% decrease in Scotland, and a 29.5% decrease in Hampton.
To concerns raised on the stress caused to students if their school were to close and they were forced to attend a new school in another town, Greenberg acknowledged that a “loss will be experienced”, and asked one parent, “Would you accept the plan if the school was built on the line between the two towns?” Greenberg contended that the pooled resources of the two towns would increase programming opportunities, pointing to current constraints placed on the boards of education to produce a budget with decreasing grant funds. The Hampton Elementary School budget has decreased for over a decade, with taxpayers rejecting amounts that exceed the Minimum Budget Requirement.
Other questions were raised, and suggestions given, for the use of the potential savings. These included tax relief and meeting other municipal needs, with some residents noting the town’s significant elderly population. First Selectman Allan Cahill stated that the school could be repurposed for other uses, among them a facility for seniors, reminding residents that the former consolidated school was converted into the current Town Office when the elementary school was built. Our town “adapts to its needs,” Cahill said, noting that Hampton once housed seven one room school houses, which were reduced to three before forming a consolidated school for grades 1 – 8, and later K – 6. Donahue also noted that the decrease in the State’s Education Cost Sharing (ECS) Grant will absorb some of the savings. A chart showing the State’s formula for the distribution of the ECS grant from 2020 to 2030 reveals that Hampton will lose nearly $500,000 in the next ten years, with Scotland losing almost $400,000.
A discussion on grant funding ensued, with questions raised on other sources. State Representative Doug Dubitsky, who has served the district for a number of years, spoke to the unlikelihood of additional funding for towns like ours. “The overall view,” he said, “is that small schools get more money than they deserve.” He advised his constituents to make their own decisions on educating their children. “The status quo will not last forever,” he warned. “Sooner or later the State will legislate a plan.”
There was also discussion on the impact on property values in a town without its own school. Greenberg confirmed that currently all towns in Connecticut have an elementary school within their geographic region. While one resident said that developing our own cooperative agreement could serve as a pilot program for other towns and a source of pride for our own, others predicted that our property values would decrease, as would our ability to attract families. With an aging population, one resident expressed concern for the future of our town.
But Cahill disagreed with the characterization that our town isn’t attractive to families. “We’re safe, solvent, and this a beautiful place to live,” he said.
A non-binding vote will take place simultaneously in the two towns on October 11, from noon to 8PM, in the residents’ respective towns. However, the ultimate decision, per State statute, rests with the members of the Boards of Education of both towns. If approved, transition planning will begin with the goal of combining the schools for the 2023-2024 academic year.