Old Lyme Board of Education passes budget

Old Lyme - With no discussion or questions from the public, the Board of Education unanimously approved a $31,010,964 budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year at a budget public forum Wednesday.

The budget includes more than half a million dollars of debt repayment for the Lyme-Old Lyme High School renovation, the sole reason the proposed budget is $464,201 - 1.52 percent - higher than the current spending plan.

The cost of running the regional school district actually will decrease next year if the budget is approved. At $27,273,512, the operating budget is $123,000 - 0.45 percent - less than the current budget.

The decrease in spending is partly due to declining enrollment. Next year, the district expects to have 1,383 students, 18 fewer than this year, according to Superintendent Elizabeth Osga. That means the district will need two fewer elementary school teachers, Osga said.

Special education costs also will be reduced drastically, by $450,954, because the district will have fewer students with special education needs, Osga said.

The budget will be presented to the boards of finance of both Lyme and Old Lyme in March. A district budget hearing is scheduled for April 2, and the district has tentatively scheduled the budget referendum for May 8.

Also Wednesday, the Board of Education voted unanimously to appoint to the Superintendent Selection Committee the nine members of the school board and the presidents of the unions representing the administrators, teachers and noncertified staff: James Cavalieri, Pam Russell and Tisha Kirk. Osga will retire in June.

The school board also named the Norwalk-based Cooperative Educational Services as its consultant for the superintendent search, at a cost not to exceed $13,500.

j.cho@theday.com