Region 1 Overview

The Geography & History of Our District:

Located in the northwest corner of Connecticut, Region One serves the towns of Canaan (Falls Village), Cornwall, Kent, North Canaan, Salisbury, and Sharon. Approximately 13,000 people live in the region’s 275 square miles, the area is known for its natural beauty. Citizens of the six towns pursue a wide variety of occupations including farming, financial, legal, and academics but service occupations dominate the economy of the area. Health care facilities include a hospital and several nursing establishments. Small shops and village centers add to the local charm. Large shopping centers are within reasonable driving distance.

Region One was the first regional school district in Connecticut and it is unique in that it serves seven different school districts, six elementary schools and one regional high school. Each of the towns in the region (Falls Village/Canaan, Cornwall, Kent, North Canaan, Salisbury/Lakeville, and Sharon) has its own K-8 elementary school governed by an autonomous board of education. Housatonic Valley Regional High School is governed by the Region One Board of Education. Region One is managed by the Regional Schools Service Center (RSSC), commonly referred to as Central Office.

The RSSC/Central Office was established in accordance with Section 3 of Special Act #405 of the 1959 session of the Connecticut General Assembly. The RSSC/Central Office is governed by the seven boards of education noted above and is made up of the offices of the Superintendent, Business and Human Resources, and Special Education Pupil Services; their mission is to provide cost effective educational and operational leadership for the seven school districts.

Aspirations for Our Schools:

To provide a common experience for students in each of our schools, we strive regionally for new and improved ways of teaching, grading, addressing social/emotional needs. We are committed to developing our staff and curriculum. Much of the work on instructional improvement and curriculum development is accomplished through region-wide efforts of the staff, which includes about 240 teachers and specialists. To do this the staff is organized into two education organizations, one at the high school, and one comprised of the six K-8 schools. Together, with the Superintendent and Assist. Superintendents, these staff associations help provide regional unity. As a result of the cooperative efforts of the boards of education, administrators and the education associations, the region has been recognized by the State of Connecticut and surrounding school districts as having outstanding professional development and teacher evaluation programs.

Our High School

Housatonic Valley Regional High School (HVRHS) was opened in 1939 to serve the towns of Falls Village/Canaan, Cornwall, Kent, North Canaan, Salisbury, and Sharon. This legislative innovation became the prototype for “regionalization” in Connecticut and beyond. HVRHS, with approximately 350-400 students, is a comprehensive high school. In addition to general and college preparatory offerings, the high school course of study includes a vocational agriculture program. About 40 students from the six towns attend one of Connecticut’s regional vocational-technical schools.

Our Elementary Schools

The six K-8 schools; Cornwall Consolidated, Kent Center, Lee H. Kellogg, North Canaan Elementary, Salisbury Central, and Sharon Center; each have approximately 70 – 300 students. Class sizes are small, with an average of 15 students/class; upper grades tend to be departmentalized.