Norwich — The preliminary 2016-17 Norwich public school budget totals $79.3 million, a 4.53 percent increase over this year's budget, with most of the increase attributed to tuition and health insurance, school officials said. 

The Board of Education Budget Expenditure Committee got its first detailed look at the preliminary budget Tuesday, and later School Business Administrator Athena Nagel presented a summary to the full board. The overall budget is $3.4 million over this year's $75.8 million total.

“The bottom line changes frequently,” Nagel said. “We still have some unknowns.”

The budget contains no new programs or positions, Superintendent Abby Dolliver said.

Overall tuition costs are projected to total $30.7 million, an increase of $2.5 million over this year. Major medical costs would total $7.3 million, an increase of $2.2 million.

But another major component of the budget, certified salaries, would have a projected $521,721 drop in expenses to a total of $18.2 million.

Support salaries also would drop by $34,535 to a new total of $5.6 million.

Nagel said the decreases are the result of restructured positions, elimination of some positions, retirements and new hiring at lower levels and the receipt of grants to cover some positions previously in the tax-funded budget.

Nagel said some numbers changed even between the two meetings Tuesday. And earlier in the day, Nagel met with First Student, the contracted school bus company.

Although the school district still has three years remaining on the transportation contract, persistent transportation problems this year could lead to changes in the contract, Nagel said.

Two of those changes would mean additional buses, one with six additional buses and one option with two additional buses, at a cost of $90,000 to $100,000 per bus.

School officials broke the budget into several components to depict major costs as a percentage of the budget.

Norwich Free Academy tuition, transportation and support services paid for by the city Board of Education would total $24.2 million, about 30 percent of the total budget.

Insurance and utilities would total $10.7 million, 13 percent of the total.

The amount remaining after all fixed costs and obligations would total $33.1 million, 41 percent of the budget.

Board of Education Chairman Aaron “Al” Daniels expressed frustration at the fixed rising costs in the budget even without any new programs or staffing. Daniels called the early budget presentation “a first step” in the process.

“This is maintaining,” Daniels said. “I'm scared. As I discussed with the mayor. We've got to look at the budget a different way.”

Republicans swept majorities on the City Council and the school board in November for the first time in decades with promises to cut property taxes. Daniels, who was an incumbent re-elected in fall, said he is not ready to accept the budget as presented.

“But at the same time, I don't want to see us go backward,” he said.

c.bessette@theday.com

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