Montville — The Board of Education Tuesday approved a $37,199,779 budget for submission to the town, a number slightly lower than the budget originally submitted by the acting superintendent.

Acting Superintendent Brian Levesque on Tuesday told the board he wanted to reduce his budget proposal by more than $110,000 after identifying a way to decrease the school district’s energy usage.

Levesque said a resident approached him and said he believed the Board of Education could reduce its energy costs, something the superintendent said had been on his mind during the budgeting process. After meeting with the district’s energy consultant and working with other administrators, Levesque was able to reduce the budget request.

The approved budget is a 1.55 percent increase over the current budget. In addition to the energy savings, Levesque eliminated one staff member from the central office and reduced the line item for supplies. The budget also contains funding for technology upgrades and negotiated increases to teacher salaries and benefits.