COITMJTTLICATION

#1

Regmlar-Meeting:Apri1 12, 2016

March 18,2016

Phillip Tripp
Chairman
Ansonia Board of Aldermen
253 Main Street
Ansonia, CT 06401

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Dear Mr. Chairman:

On behalf of the Board of Education, I have been asked to bring to your attention concerns
that the Board of Education and the administration have regarding the failure of the Town
administration to respect the independence of the Board of Education and the Ansonia School

District.
Under the law, a school board is an agent of the State when it comes to educating students.
Connecticut General Statute $10-220 gives a school board extensive authority independent
from the Town. While a board of education must comply with the local Charter on noneducational issues, including the election of its members, once an appropriation has been
made by a Town to a school board, it is in the discretion of the school board and its
administration how that money is spent.

In recent months, the administration has made a number of attempts to invade the sovereignty
of the schools. Most recently, this took the form of demanding that employee claim
information, and relate d data, be released to an insurance broker who is neither the school
district's broker or even the City's, rather an unrelated insurance broker looking to do
business with the City. Interestingly, the City has a broker/consultant already, which happens
to be the same as that used by the Board. When we inquired why we should provide this
information, which we had no obligation to provide, to this outside party, we were not given a
reply.
We inquired both because this is sensitive information, and because we have various
initiatives in play to reduce insurance costs and did not want an outside party to interfere with
that process.
Despite the fact that we believe we were not obligated to provide this information, in the spirit
of transparency and collegiality, we authorized our broker/consultant to release the
information to the entity the Mayor requested us to release it to, with the caveat that only our
broker could negotiate on our behalf with insurers, and only the Board of Education, after
negotiating with its unions, could authorize any change.
What is troubling about this incident is the Mayor and his staff do not seem to understand
that, for the reasons noted above, the Board of Education is unlike the other Town
departments in that we have a level of independence which they do not possess. Our primary
responsibility is educating children, while the Mayor has other, sometimes conflicting
interests.

We are writing to bring this to the Council's attention and to make clear that while we will
continue to be cooperative in sharing information, provided it is a two way street, and doing
our part to control costs and taxes, it is crucial that we maintain our independence so we can
do what is in the interest of our top priority -- the children of this wonderful City.
Thank you.

Very truly yours,

William Nimons
Chairman
Ansonia Board of Education

Mayor David S. Cassetti

City Clerk
Town Clerk