Four towns in Litchfield voted to regionalize at referendum

Four towns in Litchfield voted to regionalize at referendum
Published: Jun. 28, 2022 at 11:11 PM EDT

LITCHFIELD, Conn. (WFSB) - Four towns in Litchfield are now merging into one school district.

On Tuesday Warren, Morris, Goshen, and Litchfield voted on a referendum to merge schools to create one region, Region 20.

The unofficial results show that this referendum passed in each town.

Before the referendum, Warren, Morris and Goshen were a part of Region 6. After the referendum, Region 6 schools will merge with Litchfield High School to become Region 20.

Many were in favor of the change.

“It would mean bigger everything. Better extracurricular activities, more friend choices, more options, better academics,” says Ashley Hutchings of Goshen.

Others would prefer that the schools stay separate.

“This plan, I think, has a lot of problems that I don’t think would be good for Warren or Region 6,” says Tiffany Parkhouse of Warren.

Parkhouse says one of her biggest concerns is the budget of each district.

“They’re coming with a lot of debt. Now they’re going to be required to pay off a significant portion of that, but I’m concerned that the fiscal practices aren’t lining up,” says Parkhouse.

Litchfield Board Selectman Member Denise Raap says that by the time schools merge, both district’s debts would be similar.

“1.7 and 1.8 million dollars. So, the plan is in the study report that each of those debts will be absorbed by the new Region 20,” says Raap.

The pan for Region 20 is for the high school to be at Wamogo, the Litchfield High School will serve students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade.

Raap says the goal is to start merging in 2024.

“About 30 months in an aggressive but ambitious timeline to do all the work that’s needed to be done to meet that threshold,” says Raap.

“I have been really vocal against it, but if it passes, I’m going to jump right in and make Region 20 the best that it can be” says Parkhouse.

Warren, Morris, Goshen, and Litchfield will all keep their own elementary schools.

Region 6 holds referendum on school merger
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