Introduction

Regional School District Governance

The Legislative Program Review and Investigations Committee authorized a study of Regional School District Governance in March 2002. The scope of the study provides for an overview of regional school districts in Connecticut and an examination of the following areas:

• the statutory processes to establish and withdraw from regional school districts, select board members, develop and approve budgets, and apportion costs among member towns;
• the roles, responsibilities, and authority of regional boards of education vis-à-vis local legislative bodies, and the State Department of Education, including the structure in place to perform fiscal oversight; and
• an assessment of changes to the statutory formula that assigns local share costs to member towns in regional school districts.

Overall, the program review committee found the autonomy granted to regional boards of education is much greater than that given to local boards of education and identified certain fiscal and budgetary processes that were lacking or insufficient. In addition, the committee identified a number of areas where state oversight was absent or inadequately performed.

The committee offers 13 recommendations aimed at strengthening local and state level accountability mechanisms and providing for consistent processes among towns wishing to partially withdraw from regional school districts. The committee does not recommend any change in the current statutory formula that assigns local share of education costs.

Methods

A variety of resources and methods were used to gather and analyze information for this report. Chairpersons and members of several boards of education as well as boards of selectmen and boards of finance in towns comprising regional school districts and other interested parties were personally interviewed. In addition, program review committee staff mailed structured questionnaires to local officials, including chief elected officials, local fiscal authorities, and regional board chairpersons to solicit opinions and other information regarding regional school governance. Key staff from the State Department of Education (SDE) and the Office of Policy and Management (OPM) were also consulted on various governance and accountability issues during the study process.

Education literature and publications issued by national education organizations regarding governance structures and operation of regional school districts in other states were analyzed. Detailed information was obtained through phone interviews with education officials from other Northeastern states. State statutes, regulations, and fiscal and administrative policies from regional districts in Connecticut were reviewed to obtain an understanding of the authority and practices of regional school boards.

Regional school district educational funding and Education Cost Sharing grant data were obtained from SDE and property assessment information was gathered from OPM to create models to analyze the effect of altering the local share formula.

Finally, a public hearing was held on November 14, 2002, to solicit testimony from interested parties from throughout the state.

Report Organization

The committee's report is organized into six chapters. The first chapter presents an overview of regional school districts in Connecticut. Chapters Two, Three, and Four provide information about the principal procedures and processes that govern regional school district activities including, the addition and withdrawal of grades, the method to determine representation on regional school boards, and the budget process in regional districts. Chapter Five identifies the roles and responsibilities of the various government entities involved in performing fiscal oversight and ensuring financial accountability in regional school districts. Chapter Six discusses the committee's findings and recommendations.

Agency Response

It is the policy of the Legislative Program Review and Investigations Committee to provide agencies subject to a study with the opportunity to review and comment on the recommendations prior to publication of this report. The response from the Department of Education and the Office of Policy and Management is contained in Appendix A.