The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
The Gilbert School to vote on contract
WINSTED » The Gilbert School Corporation is expected to vote Tuesday night on a proposed contract between the semi-private institution and the Winchester Public Schools, Superintendent Anthony Serio said.
The meeting is set for 7 p.m. in the school library.
Gilbert and the Winchester Public Schools agreed on the terms of a potential contract, pending a review from attorneys and the school corporation earlier this month.
The agreement has not changed since April, Serio said Monday.
The agreement is for two years, Serio said at the time, with Gilbert serving as the designated high school in Winsted.
Tuition for the 2018 fiscal year will stand at $6.48 million, Serio said — an amount the two parties agreed on in April.
Funding for the cost of tuition at Gilbert comes from the town allocation for education, which is budgeted at $19.96 million, as it has been since 2008.
An additional $330,000 to defray non-educational expenses at the town schools has been set aside in a separate “Town Support for Education” line item for the 2018 fiscal year.
If this amount were decreased for the 2019 fiscal year, according to Serio, tuition for Gilbert would diminish in the second year of the contract.
The agreement has not changed since earlier this month, Serio said Monday.
School corporation Chairman Steven Sedlack said Monday that he was pleased to see a potential agreement come up for review.
“I’m really delighted we’ve reached a point of agreement,” said Sedlack. “It’s been a long road; it’s been a difficult road.”
Sedlack noted the changes that have gone on in the district during the negotiation process — which have included the closure of Hinsdale Elementary School, severing a relationship with a previous superintendent, and the appointment of a new one — and said that he hoped a new agreement would bring financial stability to Gilbert.
Sedlack said that Gilbert was not always fully paid while working without a contract — a concern previously noted by Serio as well.
“It’s been a very difficult way to operate the school,” said Sedlack.
Sedlack said he had not yet seen the new agreement, but assumed Serio would provide a copy to the corporation Tuesday.
The Winchester Public Schools have been operating without a contract with Gilbert since June 2015.
The state assumed oversight of the town schools in August 2015, with negotiations continuing through the tenures of then-receiver Robert Travaglini and current receiver Freeman Burr.
Burr did not immediately respond to a message regarding the school corporation meeting Tuesday, but had expressed his satisfaction at reaching a prospective agreement in a statement earlier this month.
“We are extremely pleased that we have reached agreement on the Contract and Special Education MOU (memorandum of understanding) with The Gilbert School leadership. The process was very collaborative and we look forward to the Gilbert Board ratifying the agreements and affirming the efforts of both parties,” said Burr. “I believe this agreement sets the stage for a renewed collaboration between the Winchester Public Schools and Gilbert in the best interest of all Winchester students in the future.”