It only took a few weeks for staunch opposition to develop against legislation encouraging Connecticut schools to consolidate.
By Friday, hundreds of teachers, parents and students from mostly small towns packed a public hearing at the Legislative Office Building. Many wore stickers that read "Hands Off Our Schools."
Republican Rep. Gail Lavielle says people are upset because they don't feel "people outside their community should be dictating how they should educate their children."
Proponents of the bills have tried to quell the outcry.
Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff of Norwalk says his bill, which targets districts with fewer than 2,000 students, does not close or consolidate schools. He says lawmakers want to improve students' access to programming like art and music, but also save the state money.
