Norwich — The Board of Education has few answers about the upcoming 2017-18 school budget, but school officials are planning two public forums on Jan. 30 for residents to discuss issues and ask questions about the school budget.

The forums will be held at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. in the community room at Kelly Middle School.

Superintendent Abby Dolliver told the Board of Education Tuesday that major questions about state grant funding remain unknown and will await Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's budget proposal and legislative action.

But school officials expect the Norwich Free Academy tuition to increase by 2.5 percent, as projected by the NFA board of trustees during contract negotiations two years ago.

School officials also were forced to absorb budget cuts for the current year. In a mid-year state budget cut announced Dec. 29, Norwich's Alliance District school improvement grant was cut by $185,415 for the current school year.

School administrators will absorb the cut by eliminating plans to contract for a school psychologist for $83,780, reduce curriculum and professional development for $32,846 and will postpone plans to purchase equipment for an arts and technology lab at Kelly Middle School for $68,787.