(a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, any regional school district which does not include all elementary and secondary grades may add or withdraw grades in accordance with the provisions of subdivision (1) or, if applicable, subdivision (2) of this subsection.

(1) Any regional board of education in a school district which does not include all elementary and secondary school grades may recommend a study of the advisability of the addition to or withdrawal of grades from the regional school district or, upon the request of two or more of the town boards of education of the member towns, shall recommend such a study to the chairmen of the town boards of education and chairmen of the boards of finance or other such fiscal authorities in each town affected. Within thirty days of receipt of such recommendation, such chairmen shall each appoint one of the members of their boards and the chairman of the regional board of education shall appoint one member of the regional board from each member town to a study committee. The Commissioner of Education shall appoint a consultant to the study committee. The study committee shall proceed in the same manner as the temporary regional school study committee except that the expenses of the committee shall be borne by the regional school district and shall not exceed three dollars times the number of pupils in average daily membership of such town and regional school districts as defined in § 10-261 and the committee shall submit its report to the participating towns no later than one year from the date of its organizational meeting. If the committee recommends a plan for addition to or withdrawal of grades from the regional school district and the referenda held in the manner provided in § 10-45 result in an affirmative vote in the regional school district as a whole, the participating towns shall implement the plan.

(2) Any regional board of education in a school district which does not include all elementary and secondary school grades and has a total of three member towns, each with a population between three thousand and seven thousand five hundred persons pursuant to subdivision (27) of § 10-262f and a combined population for such towns of at least ten thousand persons, but fewer than twenty thousand persons may recommend and develop a plan for the addition to or withdrawal of grades from the regional school district or, upon the request of two or more of the town boards of education of the member towns, may make such recommendation and develop such a plan. If the regional board of education recommends a plan for addition to or withdrawal of grades from the regional school district, referenda shall be held in the manner provided in § 10-45. If such referenda results in an affirmative vote in the regional school district as a whole, the participating towns shall implement the plan.

(b) The procedures in subsection (a) of this section shall not be used to dissolve a regional school district, but may be used to empower the regional school district to administer all programs which are provided in the member towns and are under the general supervision and control of the State Board of Education. In such case, if the vote in each member town affirms the expansion, the town boards of education in such member towns shall be dissolved in accordance with § 10-46a. If the vote is not affirmative in all the member towns, but is affirmative in a majority of such towns, the towns voting in favor of such expansion may initiate a study of the feasibility of establishing a regional school district to administer all programs which are provided in such towns and are under the general supervision and control of the State Board of Education. Such study shall be initiated and conducted pursuant to sections 10-39 through 10-45. In such case, the study may be made forthwith without using the procedures for withdrawal of a town or dissolution of a regional school district provided in sections 10-63a through 10-63c. If a second regional school district is so established by referenda, the first regional school district shall be dissolved. The State Board of Education shall make the relevant determinations required by § 10-63c for such dissolution of an existing regional school district. The assets apportioned to the member towns of the new regional school district may be transferred directly to said district. If secondary schools are among the assets so transferred to the new regional district, said district shall accept applications from the remaining school districts for admission of secondary students for a tuition based on per pupil cost for a period of at least three years after the dissolution. The State Board of Education may withhold from the next grant paid pursuant to § 10-262i to the town or regional school districts so established an amount equal to the proportionate share to be borne by each such district of the cost of the services rendered by said state board during the dissolution of the regional school district.