A handful of residents showed up on May 1 at the Essex Town Hall for an informal regionalization meeting that offered one-on-one meetings with Superintendent of Schools Ruth Levy and Assistant Superintendent Joanne Beekley. The meeting was one of many the administrators have held in an ongoing push to inform residents about their plan to fully regionalize the schools in Chester, Deep River, and Essex.

The three towns currently share a regional district for John Winthrop Middle School and Valley Regional High School, but each town has a school board for its elementary school, resulting in four separate school boards for the school system (plus a fifth to oversee the supervisory staff needed to run them all).

The regionalization draft plan would consolidate the districts into a single board, with representation from each town required.

Essex parent Sharon Lewis, who has a kindergartener attending Essex Elementary School, appreciated the flexible meeting time on a Friday morning.

“This is the first meeting I have been able to attend, because I can’t make it to night meetings, so I appreciate them accommodating everyone’s schedule,” said Lewis. “I don’t really have any concerns about regionalization at this time; I think it all makes sense.”

Lewis did suggest that a webinar about the subject be created for those who can’t make any meeting times, but still have questions and concerns.

Currently the Region 4 Board of Education is conduction ongoing discussions throughout the month of May. The committee will reconvene to review community input and consider making revisions to the draft plan prior to Thursday, June 4.

On June 4, the board will review the plan and may vote to bring the plan to referendum on Sept.29. All three towns must vote in the affirmative for regionalization for it to take place. If regionalization is approved by referendum, it would take effect on July 1, 2016.

The committee working on the draft plan has added a provision that for the first three years of regionalization there will be no change to the current elementary school configuration other than the possibility of moving grade 6 to John Winthrop Middle School.

Also part of the plan is language that no elementary school may be closed without a referendum vote in that town, and that each town elect one additional member to the Region 4 Board of Education, to make a total of 12 members in all, with equal representation.

At this time, the plan is contingent upon an inter-local agreement between the three towns, which is currently being created.

Upcoming informal meetings are planned for Thursday, May 7 at 9 a.m. at the Chester Town Hall; Tuesday, May 19 at 8:30 a.m. at Chester Elementary School; Tuesday, May 26 at 8:30 a.m. at Deep River Elementary School; and Friday, May 29 at 8:30 a.m. at Essex Elementary School. For more information, visit www.reg4.k12.ct.us.