North Stonington — The Board of Education has reduced the district's operating budget to a 1.97 percent increase overall, removing a curriculum director position requested by the superintendent. 

Board of Education Chairman Robert Carlson said the board was not comfortable with the proposed 4.42 percent increase Superintendent Peter Nero presented in January, and instructed Nero to find cuts.

Nero came back with a 2.3 percent increase; however, the board felt there could be additional savings by removing the proposed curriculum director, voting 5-2 to remove it at its March 14 meeting and leaving the district's budget up $251,943 overall.

"I think that we did our best due diligence to get it down," Carlson said. "It's pretty much bare bones now, considering the increases with contracts and medical (insurance) ... we did a zero budget increase the last two years in a row."

Among the items taken out of the $13,011,045 budget were money for textbooks, an increase in instructional supplies, close to $60,000 in maintenance costs and money for replacing equipment, which has been halved over the budget last year.

Health insurance costs spiked 13 percent in the district after relatively modest growth over the past few years.

North Stonington is part of a consortium that purchases health insurance with a number of other districts in the region.

Changes in state grants also required the district to fund some staff out of its own budget.

Money budgeted for capital expenses also was cut by the selectmen at their meeting March 15.