Another school year has ended along with another set of high school graduations. Each year I take note as to the graduating class sizes at various schools in the region. Doing so allows me to see just how foolish we are in Connecticut when it comes to our limited dollars for K-12 education.

Even the largest class in the region has decreased in recent years. Connecticut has a decreasing population and net-zero job growth. Yet we continue to be foolish and fund multiple school systems, instead of one or two. Please do not tell me the cost would be the same. It would not be if smart people were in charge. If done right, the cost of administration would drop, saving money and leaving more to be spent in the classroom, rather than the front office.

A look at the numbers.

On the extremes, Norwich Free Academy had 468 graduates, Wheeler High in North Stonington, 43 (really!). Looking elsewhere around the region, Lyme-Old Lyme had 99 graduates, East Lyme 243, Montville 172, Stonington 178, Waterford 183, Fitch (Groton) 238, New London 190, and Ledyard 228.

Given those numbers, there should be one district from the Connecticut River to the Thames River and one from the Thames River to the Rhode Island line for southeastern Connecticut. Not only will this save Connecticut money it will solve the racial imbalance some communities have, as well as help close achievement gaps.

The population of Connecticut is less than half of New York City, yet we duplicate almost everything 169 times. We will not survive as a state unless we begin to think about how we can deliver services efficiently.

Regional high schools are only the beginning. We should regionalize all public safety dispatch centers, not just a few. Face it, 169 communities do not need dispatch centers. Instead, about seven to 10 centers to dispatch police, fire and EMS would be more than enough for a state the size of Connecticut.

Savings can also be found by forming regional police, fire and EMS units. For a small state, Connecticut spends millions of dollars more on equipment and personnel than it would have to if organized efficiently.

Likewise, form regional public works operations. Every community does not need a street sweeper, vacuum truck, bucket truck, etc. Smaller towns do not use this equipment daily.

I have never been a fan of the General Assembly telling communities what to do. However, as resources continue to decline, I am in favor of the legislature telling cities and towns they can either share services or lose state aid.

We already do some things regionally; the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments is a great example of what can be done regionally. The little things help, such as regional household hazardous waste collection, regional animal control and the like. The problem is those are small-dollar savings. It is time to remake the delivery of big-dollar services.

There is really no other option. We cannot tax our way forward. We have seen what two massive tax increases in recent years have done to fix the problem — nothing. They proved so economically damaging they have reduced revenue for the state.

The time is now to be bold and remake how government delivers services in our communities. It should have been done decades ago. Without the sharing of services, Connecticut will not ever fix its fiscal problems.

Keith J. Robbins has served as first selectman of Bozrah, chairman of the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments, and president of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities. He now lives in New London.