[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by AMSS

Thank you for the info about Shelton. I lived a few miles up the road from the area you are probably referring to. Ironically though, that school (when open) had the BEST resources.

What resources? Not doubting you, but I'm curious to hear what that school had that the other schools in town lacked, and why.

I lived off of Howe Ave for a few years. While parts of Shelton are beautiful, the Howe Avers (and greater area) were not the best neighbors - and that's putting it nicely.

Originally Posted by AMSS

What ended up happening is that while they were surrounded by those kids during classes, they had no contact with them outside of classes because they went straight home. No extracurriculars, hanging out, etc. Then when they got back to Naugatuck, they really didn't have any friends left either because those Naugy kids were doing their own activities or simply had other friends that they were used to seeing. Both ended up back in Naugatuck High, btw.

I can see that. This is why I would also be hesitant to send my kids to a regional school district. Look at Amity, for example. Good schools, but it's way too big in area. If one student lives in northern Bethany and needs to get to Orange to see friends or work on a school project, it's a 17 mile and 25 minute drive! Beacon Falls and Prospect, too. The towns don't even border each other, yet they regionalize?

[AMSS]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

What resources? Not doubting you, but I'm curious to hear what that school had that the other schools in town lacked, and why.

I lived off of Howe Ave for a few years. While parts of Shelton are beautiful, the Howe Avers (and greater area) were not the best neighbors - and that's putting it nicely.



I can see that. This is why I would also be hesitant to send my kids to a regional school district. Look at Amity, for example. Good schools, but it's way too big in area. If one student lives in northern Bethany and needs to get to Orange to see friends or work on a school project, it's a 30 minute drive! Beacon Falls and Prospect, too. The towns don't even border each other, yet they regionalize?

Smaller class sizes, tutors…all those things that come with being a Title 1 school .

In both the regions you mentioned, dissolution was attempted at least once to no avail. The state considers you one town and that's it. Fortunately, BF is super small and you only have to drive through a stretch of Bethany or Naugatuck to get there. My own high school commute was actually longer than my kid's commute. But I knew about the school situation going in and I'm good with it. I'd rather work to make my district as good a district as some of the lower FFC ones rather than blow it off for a district I don't live in.

[basehead617]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

I can see that. This is why I would also be hesitant to send my kids to a regional school district. Look at Amity, for example. Good schools, but it's way too big in area. If one student lives in northern Bethany and needs to get to Orange to see friends or work on a school project, it's a 17 mile and 25 minute drive! Beacon Falls and Prospect, too. The towns don't even border each other, yet they regionalize?

I believe this is a big problem in Region 12 as well. Southern Bridgewater to northern Washington Depot is about 20 miles - and everyone in between attends Shepaug Valley H.S. if they go public. My mother taught there for years and felt that the kids were very isolated.