Salem - The Boards of Education and Finance gathered for a special joint meeting Thursday evening to discuss Superintendent Joseph Onofrio's initial budget proposal for the 2015-16 school year.

While the meeting did not end with concrete changes to any line items in the proposed budget, members said it did serve the purpose of opening lines of communication and creating better understanding between both boards.

"I think it was a very worthwhile effort," school board Chairman Stephen Buck said at the end of the meeting. "It was an opportunity for the Board of Finance to (understand) what our motivations and our priorities are."

Instances of miscommunication and misunderstanding presented themselves throughout the talks, with Board of Finance members admitting to sometimes oversimplifying the human element of areas in the budget where they see large percentage increases.

The Board of Finance, however, expressed concerns that annual budget increases are unsustainable, particularly with decreasing enrollment at Salem School. Members encouraged the school board to think outside the box for new ways to handle problem areas.

"I've got to trust you guys are doing the best you can do in the numbers," said Board of Finance Chairman T.J. Butcher. "But our numbers are high. I don't know if we can sustain the number that you guys are asking for."

While numbers and statistics were part of the discussion, overall talks went beyond facts and figures, discussing philosophies and big- picture goals of the school system and the quality of the education at Salem School. Special education costs, gifted and talented education, ways to increase attendance at Salem School, the ongoing school efficiency study and cost of sending students to East Lyme High school were all subjects of debate.

School board member Pamela Munro applauded the discussions, saying she has been frustrated in past budget seasons listening to Board of Finance discussions of the school board's proposal without the ability to comment and clarify.

"This is why we're doing this, so it's not just you (the Board of Finance) conjecturing," Munro said.

Butcher agreed.

"I thought it went great," he said at the end of the meeting. "It was a chance to ask any little questions you've got. That is not a chance you get during the presentation."

While not unheard of in other towns in Connecticut, the joint meeting Thursday was a break from the normal budget presentation process in Salem. Typically town boards present their proposed budgets to the Board of Finance in March without previous discussion between the boards.

For this reason - and out of concern for what implications a joint meeting might have in relations to other town boards - the finance board originally rejected the Board of Education's request for a meeting. It reconsidered that decision earlier this month, and voted 4-3 to meet with the school board. The finance board has not yet come to a decision for how to handle similar requests from other boards.

The Board of Education will have its next regular meeting on Feb. 2 at 7:30 p.m. in the Salem School Media Center where it is expected to go over Onofrio's initial budget and decide on a final proposal to bring to the board of finance in March. The Board of Finance will meet next on Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. in Town Hall.

j.hopper@theday.com

Twitter: @JessHoppa