Stonington — The Board of Education is expected to vote on consolidating the town’s two middle schools and get its first look at the proposed 2017-18 budget when it meets at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Stonington High School Commons.

The board will discuss a proposal by Superintendent of Schools Van Riley and school administrators to close Pawcatuck Middle School and have all middle school students attend the larger Mystic Middle School.

Fifth-grade students who now attend the middle schools will move back to Deans Mill and West Vine Street schools, which currently are in the midst of a $67 million renovation and expansion project. The board also is expected to vote on when the consolidation will take place. Riley had recommended it take place in the fall of 2018.

On Wednesday afternoon, Riley posted an updated report and video about the consolidation on the school district website, www.stoningtonschools.org.

The consolidation is under consideration because Riley has said a decline in enrollment, which is projected to continue, will make it increasingly difficult for the district to offer the programs that students need. It also would produce an inequity between the two schools, as the smaller Pawcatuck Middle School would not have enough staff to offer some programs that Mystic does. Riley also wrote in his latest update that the consolidation would allow middle school students to build a sense of community before transitioning to the high school. Mystic Middle School would receive a new name.

While there would be almost no reduction in teaching staff, as teachers would move with students to Mystic, the consolidation would save a projected $816,096 the first year by reducing administrative, custodial and clerical positions. The savings would continue. The influx of teachers from Pawcatuck is expected to allow the school system to offer more academic programs and extracurricular activities.

The consolidation, which calls for adding 50-60 parking spots, upgrade air conditioning, adding lunch tables and addressing other items, while converting Pawcatuck Middle School into space for central office staff, special programs, the town Recreation Department and the Stonington Community Center, would cost an estimated $797,000 to implement. The town would close the current School Administration building in Old Mystic and likely sell that property.

At several public forums since last fall, some parents have expressed concerns about long bus rides, and the effect on sports teams and the schools’ award-winning music programs.

A committee is working out all the details of the consolidation, from scheduling, curriculum and building layout to bus routes and changes to the extracurricular programs. School officials have stressed that teachers, parents and students will be included in the planning discussions.

As for busing concerns, Riley wrote in his update that a study has shown that the Pawcatuck students will now be on the bus 12-15 minutes longer each way if they are now bused to Mystic. He added that there are opportunities to reduce that time. He said the ride times still are shorter than some of the current Mystic Middle School routes, and are well under the school board’s maximum ride times. There also would be late buses for students who need rides homes after sports and extracurricular activities.

j.wojtas@theday.com