Towns adopt Region One budget for 2012

FALLS VILLAGE — The 2011-12 Region One budget passed by 40 votes in a referendum vote Tuesday, May 3.The total for the six-town region, which includes Cornwall, Falls Village, Kent, North Canaan, Sharon and Salisbury, was 345 in favor and 305 opposed.Three towns voted against the budget proposal — Falls Village (46 no votes to 29 yes votes), North Canaan (62-58) and Sharon (76-32).The proposal was approved by voters in Cornwall (38 yes and 20 no), Kent (61-27) and Salisbury (117-74).The budget proposal is for a total of $14,679,097, and represents an increase of 1.96 percent ($282,793) from the 2010-11 budget. The budget proposal went through a public hearing April 6.The Region One budget has three component parts — Housatonic Valley Regional High School, Pupil Services (which includes special education) and the Regional School Services Center (RSSC).The breakdown is: HVRHS, $8,248,940 (up $33,530 or .41 percent); Pupil Services, $5,523,618 (up $244,727, or 4.64 percent) and RSSC, $906,689 (up $4,536 or .50 percent).This year’s budget process took place during a period of controversy at the school district, with the resignation of the HVRHS principal and assistant principal just weeks before school started in August 2010, and an independent review of the circumstances of those resignations; the hiring of interim appointees to fill the positions; and two separate search committees to hire permanent replacements for the administrators.When the Region One school board in March approved contract extensions for Superintendent Patricia Chamberlain, Assistant Superintendent Diane Goncalves, and Region One Business Manager Sam Herrick, from the Central Office, and Pupil Services Director Carl Gross, and Special Education Supervisor Martha Schwaikert, it sparked criticism of the practice of extending three-year contracts for top regional administrators before the contracts are up.