Norwich - The Board of Education on Tuesday approved a $75.8 million 2015-16 budget with a 6 percent spending increase that calls for restoring middle school world language and instrumental music programs that had been eliminated several years ago in budget cuts.

Board members were unanimous and adamant in support of adding $180,000 to the draft budget reviewed Monday by the board's budget expenditure committee, despite receiving direction from city leaders to keep the spending increase to 1 percent.

Board members repeated arguments made Monday that Norwich has fallen behind surrounding towns in preparing middle school students for high school and must add world languages and instrumental music that have been offered for years in other towns.

Other than the three new positions, the budget contains only contracted spending increases, with nearly all of the $4.28 million increase falling in either salaries or tuition payments, including for Norwich Free Academy.

Including the $180,000 for the new positions, certified salaries will increase from $17.2 million to $18.7 million, a nearly $1.5 million jump. Support salaries will rise by $651,360 to $5.7 million.

Tuition costs for NFA, other magnet and regional high schools and special education placements will total $28.2 million, an increase of $1.6 million. NFA costs - $21.6 million for tuition and another $2 million the city public school district spends for special education support staff at NFA for Norwich students - make up about one-third of the total public school budget.

NFA tuition increased by 2.5 percent, but Norwich's total bill will increase by 2.18 percent based on enrollment.

The board's approved budget will be forwarded to acting City Manager John Bilda, who will present his proposed budget, including a bottom line for the Board of Education, to the City Council on April 6.

Superintendent Abby Dolliver and school Business Administrator Athena Nagel met with Bilda and Comptroller Josh Pothier on Friday. At the meeting, Bilda requested the school budget be kept at a 1 percent spending increase.

City officials told school administrators that every 1 percent spending increase in the school budget amounts to a 1 percent tax increase, a 0.41-mill increase for each percentage point.

Nagel told the school board Tuesday that if cuts are ordered, they would have to be applied to a small portion of the budget, excluding contracted costs and any school programs funded mostly or entirely by state and federal grants. About 40 percent of staff positions are funded through grants, including 90 percent of the Bishop School Early Learning Center and 100 percent of the Family Resource Center at the Case Street School.

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