Editing Prospect, Connecticut (section)

==Education==

Since 1969, the town of Prospect and the town of [[Beacon Falls, Connecticut|Beacon Falls]] have jointly operated [[Regional School District 16 (Connecticut)|Regional School District 16]], with the first full school year having been operated in 1970. Both towns did not have access to a [[High School]] of their own, pursuant to the original intent of school district consolidation in Connecticut for small towns, and sought to consolidate their Boards of Education and begin research on the establishment of a new High School for district members.<ref>{{cite news |date=December 17, 1969 |title=First Beacon Falls-Prospect School Board Officers Named |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/74795276/ |work=Naugatuck Daily News |location=Naugatuck |access-date=September 29, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite report |author= Judith S. Lohman|date=September 18, 1998 |title=Original Rationale for Regional School Districts |url=https://www.cga.ct.gov/PS98/rpt%5Colr%5Chtm/98-R-1158.htm |publisher=Office of Legislative Research |access-date=September 29, 2020}}</ref> A high school would not be built in Region 16 until a 1998 referendum in the region approved the construction of [[Woodland Regional High School]] in Beacon Falls, with it opening on September 4, 2001.<ref>{{cite news |date=June 6, 2011 |title=Woodland Regional High School celebrates 10 years |url=https://archives.rep-am.com/2011/06/06/woodland-regional-high-school-celebrates-10-years/ |work=Republican American |location=Waterbury|access-date=September 29, 2020}}</ref> The two towns almost dissolved the regional school district in the late 1970s over the composition of the Board of Education, poor funding, and a lower quality of education for students. The composition of the Board of Education was originally slated to be split evenly between the two towns, which was agreed upon prior to the referendum approving the merger.<ref name="Region 16 Battle Continues">{{cite news |date=February 19, 1977 |title=Region 16 Battle Continues |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/75080195 |work=Naugatuck Daily News |location=Naugatuck |access-date=September 29, 2020}}</ref> According to a March 1976 [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] ruling which upheld an earlier decision, the principle of [[One man, one vote]] applied to the Boards of Education of regional school districts.<ref>{{cite news |last=Fellows |first=Lawrence |date=March 28, 1976 |title=High Court Rule Stirs School Boards |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/03/28/archives/high-court-rule-stirs-school-boards.html |work=The New York Times |location=New York |access-date=September 29, 2020}}</ref> At the time, Connecticut had 16 regional school districts, and 11 regional school districts were in conflict with this ruling, which affected 34 towns, including Prospect and Beacon Falls. Beacon Falls then attempted to dissolve the regional school district, which at the time only officially contained Long River Middle School, on the basis that the Supreme Court ruling now constituted a [[breach of contract]] between Beacon Falls and Prospect.<ref name="Region 16 Battle Continues"/>

[[File:Prospect Elementary School.jpg|right|thumb|Prospect Elementary School on Route 69]]Prior to the construction of Woodland Regional High School, Prospect students attended High School at Wilby High School in [[Waterbury, Connecticut|Waterbury]] until 1983.<ref>{{cite news |date=April 27, 1982 |title=Board Fights Over Renovation Delay |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/676104542 |work=Meriden Record-Journal |location=Meriden|access-date=September 29, 2020}}</ref> After the contract with Waterbury concluded, Prospect high schoolers had the choice of attending [[Nonnewaug High School]] in [[Woodbury, Connecticut|Woodbury]], Wolcott High School in [[Wolcott, Connecticut|Wolcott]], Naugatuck High School in Naugatuck, Connecticut, Masuk High School in Monroe, Connecticut, Seymour High School in Seymour, Connecticut, Emmet O'Brien Technical High School in Ansonia, Connecticut as well as Kaynor Technical High School in Waterbury, Connecticut.</ref>.<ref>{{cite news |date=January 6, 1983 |title=Wolcott School To Benefit From Accepting Prospect Students |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/368794790/ |work=The Hartford Courant |location=Hartford |access-date=September 29, 2020}}</ref>

Since 2015, total enrollment in Region 16's school district has been declining, losing 192 students between 2015 and 2019.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gugliotti |first=Elio |date=February 2, 2020 |title=With Region 16 schools shrinking, superintendent proposes adding out-of-town students |url=https://www.rep-am.com/local/localnews/2020/02/02/with-region-16-schools-shrinking-superintendent-proposes-adding-out-of-town-students/ |work=Republican-American |location=Waterbury |access-date=September 29, 2020}}</ref> In early 2020, the Board of Education began to discuss a policy wherein non-resident students from other towns could attend school within the district, which would cost about $15,800 a student in tuition, but as of the February 22, 2020, no further action was taken on the measure.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gugliotti |first=Elio |date=February 22, 2020 |title=Region 16 BOE tables action on changes to nonresident student policy |url=https://www.rep-am.com/local/localnews/2020/02/22/region-16-boe-tables-action-on-changes-to-nonresident-student-policy/ |work=Republican-American |location=Waterbury |access-date=September 29, 2020}}</ref>

Funding for Region 16, which today controls and operates four schools, is based on the number of students from each town attending the district. As of 2020, the operating budget for the district was $40.7 million, with the town of Prospect responsible for $20.5 million due to the town's children making up 63.25% of the school district's student population.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gugliotti |first=Elio |date=April 29, 2020 |title=Region 16 school board OKs $40.7M budget |url=https://www.rep-am.com/local/localnews/2020/04/29/region-16-school-board-oks-40-7m-budget/ |work=Republican-American |location=Waterbury |access-date=September 29, 2020}}</ref> The town, like Beacon Falls, funds its portion of the region's budget through property taxes.

In 2011, voters approved a $47.5 million bonding package that would fund the construction of Prospect Elementary School, renovate Laurel Ledge Elementary School, and build a new office for Region 16 in Prospect on the former location of Algonquin School on Coer Road.<ref>{{cite news |date=May 23, 2015 |title=New school nearly finished |url=https://www.rep-am.com/local/localnews/2020/02/22/region-16-boe-tables-action-on-changes-to-nonresident-student-policy/ |work=My Citizen's New |location=Waterbury |access-date=September 29, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=June 4, 2015 |title=Algonquin School set to be razed |url=https://www.rep-am.com/local/localnews/2020/02/22/region-16-boe-tables-action-on-changes-to-nonresident-student-policy/ |work=My Citizen's New |location=Waterbury |access-date=September 29, 2020}}</ref> The new Prospect Elementary School (grades K–5) replaced Algonquin School (grades K–3) and Community School (grades 4–5). Students in grades 6–8 in Prospect and Beacon Falls attend Long River Middle School, and students in grades 9–12 attend [[Woodland Regional High School]].