Groton – Superintendent Michael Graner has proposed an education budget of about $77.7 million for the coming fiscal year, an increase of about 1.3 percent compared to current spending.

Graner had earlier proposed an increase of about 1.6 percent, but cut the proposal after meeting Jan. 4 with the Board of Education. The board met Monday and will discuss the revised budget during the coming weeks before submitting it to the town council on Feb. 22.

The proposal includes increases of $499,650 for contractual pay raises for teachers and other staff; $492,410 for tuition for Groton students attending magnet schools elsewhere and $350,000 for health insurance.

Under the Affordable Care Act, every employee who works 30 hours or more for the schools must be offered medical insurance as of this year. Groton Public Schools has about 120 to 130 part-time employees, mostly paraprofessionals but also substitute teachers, who were not previously eligible for insurance but who now are, Graner said. He does not know yet how many employees would take advantage of the insurance.

Other budget increases include $225,000 to replace outdated computers and promethean boards and $157,000 for about a dozen paraprofessionals for special education students.

The budget would maintain a maximum class size of 20 students per teacher in kindergarten through grade 2 and 25 students per teacher in all other grades.

One challenge is the cost of tuition for students leaving Groton to magnet schools. About 400 students have opted for magnet schools outside the district, which means Groton must pays tuition for those students. About 50 of the students also receive special education services the district must provide in the receiving school.

An ad hoc committee and the school board are considering making Northeast Academy a performing arts intra-district magnet school, or one that accepts students from anywhere within Groton. Though the board hasn't voted on this yet, the plan could be used to draw back families who have sought arts programs elsewhere.

In other areas, Graner said the district would expand a program offered by Teachers College Columbia University and add a stipend for unified sports, or those which allows disabled students to participate on teams with non-disabled peers.

“We’ve really made some great gains in terms of expanding curricular and extracurricular programs,” Graner said.

d.straszheim@theday.com

Twitter: @DStraszheim