Ashford, Mansfield and Willington to consider ‘weight’ of votes

Information about pending changes to the E. O. Smith school board’s weighted votes will be made available at a 7 p.m. meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 23 at the Audrey P. Beck Municipal Building in Mansfield. Another public info meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 30 at the Willington Public Library.

If you are like most people, you probably didn’t know that the school board overseeing Edwin O. Smith High School (Regional School District 19) has “weighted” votes.

The District 19 Board of Education is made up of 12 members – four each from the towns that make up the district, Mansfield, Ashford and Willington. (Other towns send students to E.O. Smith, i.e. for the vo-ag program, but do not have representatives on the school board.)

When board members vote on a motion, it is not a one-for-one vote. Currently, a Mansfield board member’s vote is weighted as 1.896; a Willington board member’s vote is 0.646 and an Ashford board member’s is weighted as 0.458.

Now, because of new population statistics produced by the last U.S. Census (2010) the district is being instructed to revisit the weight of each vote.

More information about this process will be made available at a 7 p.m. meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 23 at the Audrey P. Beck Municipal Building (Mansfield Town Hall), which is located at the corner of Routes 195 and 275 (South Eagleville Road), next door to the high school.

Another public information meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 30 at the Willington Public Library, 7 Ruby Road.

The CT State Board of Education is proposing that the weight of Mansfield’s votes increases, and that the weight of Ashford’s and Willington’s votes decrease.

Changes to the “weighted” votes are supposed to be put before voters in Ashford, Mansfield and Willington on Nov. 6, Election Day.

In order to pass, all three towns must approve the change.

If the vote fails Nov. 6, it could be sent to another referendum or it could be left to the CT Department of Education to make the final decision.

Questions? Contact E.O. Smith High School Superintendent Bruce Silva at 860- 860-487-0877 during school hours, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Posted October 22, 2012

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