Things will run a little differently for the 2022-’23 school year following votes taken at a joint meeting of the Boards of Education (BOEs) from Chester, Deep River, Essex, and the Region 4 School District. Most notable among the changes are a fixed graduation date and the installation of security cameras on district buses.

At the June 2 meeting, Superintendent of Schools Brian White said that revisions to its policies regarding the next school year’s calendars and student and Reg. 4 district staff personnel discrimination and harassment were recommended to keep consistent with state policies in education.

With regards to calendars, Reg. 4 schools will keep consistent with state law by establishing a fixed graduation date for students, rather than based what would be the final day of school on changes in the school schedule during the year, one of the biggest reasons being that of weather patterns that affect the opening of schools.

“By having a fixed graduation date, you’re not victim to the whims of Mother Nature or other unexpected events. It allows you to plan for graduation,” said White. “The major considerations are our ability to reserve facilities, equipment, things like bleachers, folding chairs, P.A. systems. But it is also very important for our families. If you have people that are traveling from all over the country buying airplane tickets in advance, getting hotel rooms, it’s very hard on people if we had to make a last-minute change to graduation due to some unforeseen circumstance.”

With respect to discrimination and harassment policies, the boards voted again to change existing policy surrounding those issues to keep consistent with state standards, which have implications related to Title IX federal laws. White said that while policies on these issues are separated into two categories relating to student and staff conduct, they are nonetheless two components of the same issues, and are in keeping with developed state law.

The joint BOEs also voted unanimously to approve the acquisition of traffic security cameras for all school buses transporting students to Reg. 4 education institutions. According to White, discussions on acquiring this technology began a few months ago after the district heard numerous safety concerns at a past board meeting and on social media about alleged violations committed by motorists who did not pause before school bus stop signs picking up or dropping off students. Bus drivers for the Reg. 4 district have also reported an increased number of vehicles that drove through the stop signs, according to White.

After researching a number of options for a system to use, the joint boards approved the purchase and installation of a video system that will be positioned on the exterior of school buses that can capture footage of motorists who passed through stop signs, and would then be passed on to law enforcement.

The BOEs are in the process of acquiring the camera system to be placed on individual buses by this summer, so they are prepared to be used once the next school year begins.

Reg. 4 Finance Director Robert Grissom presented recommendations of the Joint BOE Tuition Committee regarding tuition rates for the 2022-’23 season. These tuition rates, set each school year, are required to be paid to Reg. 4 for students who attend district schools but do not reside within the district’s boundaries, as they do not pay taxes administered by towns with schools part of the district.

Grissom presented the Tuition Committee’s recommendations, which are the same rates as the previous school year of 2021-’22. These tuition levels will require a payment of $16,500 for an out-of-district student attending Valley Regional High School, a $15,500 payment for a student attending John Winthrop Middle School, and maximum $13,500 in tuition fees for a student attending any one of the district’s three elementary schools.

Tuition for elementary level students varies regarding the child number in a family, with the lowest figure being $12,000 in tuition for a fourth and subsequent children in an out-of-district family. The tuition requirement will take effect at the beginning of the next fiscal commencing on July 1 through June 30, 2023.