Stonington - Residents at Tuesday's town meeting approved a supplemental appropriation of $125,000 to pay for interim security improvements to the town's three elementary schools.

In addition, they approved an additional $40,000 so the town can hire a part-time building inspector. That person would help monitor the construction of projects such as Masonicare in Mystic, the renovation of the Thread Mill in Pawcatuck and Mystic Seaport's new exhibit building. Building fees from those projects are expected to offset the expenditure.

The security improvements are being termed interim because residents are expected to vote this spring on a plan to upgrade the elementary schools.

One of the options under consideration would close the elementary schools and move elementary students to the existing middle schools, which would be renovated. A new middle school would be built.

Other scenarios call for closing West Broad Street School and renovating and expanding West Vine Street and Deans Mill schools. But the new schools would not open until the 2019-20 school year.

The finance board has been reluctant over the past year to approve requests from the Board of Education to spend between $520,000 and $1.7 million or more on security upgrades to the schools because of pending school improvement plans. The $125,000 plan calls for building security walls just inside the entrances to the three elementary school, as well as a fence behind West Vine Street School.

j.wojtas@theday.com

Twitter: @joewojtas