New London — Faced with a marked increase in student enrollment and a need for the teachers to support the influx of students, School Superintendent Manuel Rivera has proposed a 5.7 percent increase in the fiscal year 2017-18 school budget.

Rivera presented a $69.7 million spending plan to the Board of Education this week, one that Rivera called a “same services” preliminary budget that accommodates wage, energy, transportation, special education and health insurance increases along with a projected jump in enrollment of 226 students to a total of 3,761.

Rivera’s budget is a $3.7 million increase over this year’s $66 million spending plan.

“The enrollment demand for seats in New London’s public schools, from both residents and non-resident families, requires that we provide the necessary number of teachers, continue to advance quality instructional programs, make curriculum improvements, ensure the quality and effective ‘interventions’ for students, provide the lowest class sizes possible, and the best teachers and school leaders that we can bring to our community and students,” Rivera wrote in his letter to the school board.

Rivera said the school district is operating in a “deficit mode” because of the loss of state revenue, the lack of increased funding from the city and increased expenses that have included the hiring of 12 new teachers.

Both Mayor Michael Passero and school board Chairman Scott Garbini expressed some skepticism that the budget as presented would survive without cuts. It typically doesn’t.

Garbini said while his first priority is the students, he is also a taxpayer and cognizant of the fact that residents will not support a major tax increase.

“It is high,” Garbini said of the proposed budget. “I can’t imagine presenting to City Council something this high.”

But Garbini said the city’s support of the school district fell short of expectations last year and left the district scrambling to find funding to support not only an increase in students but the evolution of the state’s first all-magnet school district.

Garbini said the school board will look for a “reasonable balance” in weighing the needs of the students and the concerns of taxpayers as the board continues budget deliberations over the next few weeks.

“People are sending their kids to our district,” Garbini said. “They are loving what we are doing and we need to continue the momentum.”

The proposed school budget is broken into three major categories of revenue sources: 31.99 percent from the city, 32.92 percent from the educational cost sharing funds from the state and 35 percent from a mix of state, federal and private grants. There is a minimal amount in a category labeled “other.”

The City Council eventually will vote on the general fund portion of the school budget, which is the combination of educational cost sharing funds from the state and a portion funded by taxpayers.

The council last year did not increase funding to the schools when it approved $42.4 million in spending. Rivera’s new budget proposal would require the approval of $45.3 million from the city.

Passero said Rivera’s proposal would push the tax rate up by more than 2.5 mills.

“The increase they’re proposing right now would be impossible for the taxpayers in the City of New London to fund,” Passero said. “While I’m committed to supporting the schools ... I believe a tick over 40 mills for a tax rate is as high as we can sustain to keep New London healthy.”

Governor Dannel P. Malloy’s proposed budget, however, might be a game changer for the city. The proposal would boost the state revenues to the city by about $9 million, including an increase of $5.7 million in ECS and special education funding, according to numbers compiled by the Connecticut School Finance Project.

Rivera’s budget does not reflect any proposed increases and Passero admits that it will be several months before the city has a handle on what to expect from the state.

“We all know the state education funding system is unbalanced and New London has been cheated for years. We’re counting on the governor’s reformulation to finally be fair to the City of New London,” Passero said. “We’re hoping the governor’s proposed budget, especially his education reforms, get passed. The extra support for the school system is needed.”

g.smith@theday.com