(a) The committee shall, at least semiannually, make progress reports to the participating towns and the State Board of Education in such manner as the committee deems suitable. Upon completion of its study, the committee shall present a written report of its findings and recommendations to the State Board of Education and the town clerk of each participating town. If the committee finds that establishment of the proposed regional school district is inadvisable, its report shall include such findings and an explanation of the reasons for its conclusions. If the findings of the committee support the feasibility and desirability of establishing a regional school district, its report shall contain (1) the findings of the committee with respect to the advisability of establishing a regional school district, (2) the towns to be included, (3) the grade levels for which educational programs are to be provided, (4) detailed educational and budget plans for at least a five-year period including projections of enrollments, staff needs and deployment and a description of all programs and supportive services planned for the proposed regional school district, (5) the facilities recommended, (6) estimates of the cost of land and facilities, (7) a recommendation concerning the capital contribution of each participating town based on appraisals or a negotiated valuation of existing land and facilities owned and used by each town for public elementary and secondary education which the committee recommends be acquired for use by the proposed regional school district, together with a plan for the transfer of such land and facilities, (8) a recommendation concerning the size of the board of education to serve the proposed regional school district and the representation of each town thereon, and (9) such other matters as the committee deems pertinent. The capital contribution of each participating town shall be in the same proportion to the total purchase price or negotiated value of the property transferred as the number of pupils in average daily membership of such town as defined in section 10-261 for the school year preceding that in which the plan is approved by the State Board of Education bears to the total number of such pupils in the participating towns.
(b) If the committee finds: (1) Establishment of the proposed regional school district is inadvisable, the State Board of Education shall, within thirty days of receipt of such report, send to the committee and the town clerk of each participating town a statement of its agreement or disagreement with the committee report and the reasons therefor. The town clerk shall make available copies of the report and the statement and publish notice thereof in a newspaper having general circulation in the town. Within thirty days after receipt of the statement of the State Board of Education, the committee shall present the report and statement to the legislative body of each participating town at a public meeting called for the purpose of acting thereon. The committee is dissolved upon presentation of its report to all participating towns; (2) establishment of a regional school district is advisable, the State Board of Education shall, within thirty days of the receipt of such report, determine whether the report contains the information described in subsection (a) of this section and shall, accordingly, accept or reject the recommendations of the committee. (A) If the recommendations are rejected, the State Board of Education shall advise the committee in writing of the reason for rejection. The committee may revise its recommendations and resubmit its report within thirty days of receipt of notice of the rejection and shall, in such case, file a copy of the amended report with the town clerk of each participating town. If the committee does not submit an amended plan or if the committee submits an amended plan which is rejected by the State Board of Education, the proposed regional school district shall not be established and the procedure in subdivision (1) of this subsection shall apply. (B) If the committee report is accepted, the State Board of Education shall certify to the town clerk in each of the participating towns that the committee recommendations have been approved and send a copy of such certification to the committee. The town clerk shall make available copies of the certified report and publish notice of the certification and availability of copies in a newspaper having general circulation in the town. Within thirty days after receipt of its copy of the certification, the committee shall hold a public meeting in each participating town to present the certified report. All participating towns shall hold a referendum on the same day in accordance with section 10-45. Upon completion of such referenda as may be held thereunder, the committee is dissolved.
(1951, 1955, S. 898d; 1963, P.A. 387, S. 2; February, 1965, P.A. 411, S. 2; 1969, P.A. 698, S. 5; P.A. 79-128, S. 32, 36; P.A. 96-244, S. 3, 63; P.A. 97-247, S. 10, 27.)
History: 1963 act provided for report to state board of education; 1965 act included statement of contents of reports and provided that committee be dissolved upon state board's action concerning referendum or after negative committee report rather than “when its work is completed”; 1969 act divided section into subsections, required semiannual progress reports rather than reports at committee's discretion, required written report to state board and town clerk rather than to townspeople, required negative report to include reasons for conclusions and required positive report to include elements provided previously plus statement of grade levels included, recommendations re size of school board and recommendations concerning capital contributions of participating towns, added Subsec. (b) concerning actions taken after report and deleted previous provisions concerning dissolution of committee; P.A. 79-128 substituted “pupils in average daily membership of such town as defined in section 10-261” for “pupils used to compute the grant to such town pursuant to section 10-262” in Subsec. (a); P.A. 96-244, in Subsec. (a), added alternative of use of the “negotiated valuation” of existing land and facilities and the alternative of use of the “negotiated value” of the property transferred, effective July 1, 1996; P.A. 97-247 added requirement for the report to contain detailed educational and budget plans for at least a five-year period and made technical changes, effective July 1, 1997.
Cited. 169 C. 613.
Subsec. (a):
Study committee's report failed to meet statutory requirement that capital contribution of each town be based upon appraised value of land and facilities which each would contribute. 180 C. 464. Cited. 187 C. 187; 195 C. 24.