Waterford — The Board of Education has approved the superintendent’s proposed budget for the 2015-16 year, with only one addition to what the superintendent originally presented to the board, keeping the budget at approximately $45.5 million.

The board on Feb. 19 added $20,000 to the service contract professional line item, according to Superintendent Jerry Belair. The addition brings that line to $60,600.

The additional money, included in the revised budget amount, is to be used to fund a search for a new superintendent, Belair said. The budget stands at $45.47 million, showing a 1.58 percent increase over the 2014-15 budget, according to Belair. The proposed budget still requires town approval.

The budget Belair originally proposed stood at $45.45 million and included a 1.53 percent increase.

Earlier this month, the board voted to extend Belair’s contract to June 2016. Belair announced last year that he intended to retire at the end of the 2014-15 school year, though his contract included an option for the board to extend it by a year. The extension does not change the budget.

The $220,000 payment originally slated for Belair for the 2014-15 school year was divided between salary and retirement benefits, and the same arrangement is expected to continue through 2015-16.

The $220,000 has been allotted as salary for the superintendent position in the 2015-16 budget, according to Director of Finance and Operations Bob Sirpenski.

Sirpenski said assuming Belair continues through 2015-16, he will still receive the amount as split between salary and benefits, with $99,000 for salary and the rest into tax-sheltered retirement accounts. The split between salary and benefits will be done through a line item transfer from salary to a new annuity line item that would be added, according to Sirpenski.

The arrangement has allowed Belair to begin receiving his pension during the current school year.