Education Committee
JOINT FAVORABLE REPORT
Bill No.: SB-1036
AN ACT CONCERNING REGIONAL COOPERATION AMONG SCHOOL
Title: DISTRICTS.
Vote Date: 3/22/2021
Vote Action: Joint Favorable
PH Date: 3/17/2021
File No.:
Disclaimer: The following JOINT FAVORABLE Report is prepared for the benefit of the
members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and
explanation and does not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber
thereof for any purpose.
SPONSORS OF BILL:
Education Committee
REASONS FOR BILL:
Allows for boards of education to tuition out K-8 students to schools in other towns, rather
than only high school students as permitted under current law. This results in allowing any
town to tuition out all its public-school students and not operate its own district or be part of
a regional district.
RESPONSE FROM ADMINISTRATION/AGENCY:
Charlene Russell-Tucker, Acting Commissioner, State Department of Education:
The bill would allow districts to designate an elementary, middle, or high school in another
district for their students to attend if they do not have one. Essentially, this would allow a
district to outplace all their students without going through the regionalization process. The
Department is committed to assisting districts with opportunities to regionalize and share
services, but we believe this language is too permissive. Furthermore, it would allow districts
to have their students attend elementary, middle and high school in multiple towns without a
coherent strategy to determine what is best for the students, both academically and socially.
The Department cannot support the proposal as written, but we are very willing to continue
encouraging the use of shared services and continue to highlight district best practices.
NATURE AND SOURCES OF SUPPORT:
There are no sources of support for this bill.
NATURE AND SOURCES OF OPPOSITION:
There are no sources of opposition for this bill.
Reported by: Dallas Emerle Date: 3/23/2021
Page 2 of 2 SB-1036


Statutes affected:
Raised Bill: 10-33
ED Joint Favorable: 10-33
File No. 406: 10-33