Montville — Heather Nenna remembers that her parents helped cover fees for some of her favorite field trips — to Old Sturbridge Village, Mystic Aquarium and Mystic Seaport.

"That's always how it was growing up," said Nenna, president of Dr. Charles E. Murphy Elementary School's Parent Teacher Organization and a parent of two students, speaking about the elimination of elementary school field trips from the budget a few years ago. "I'd love to see field trips come back. Students are going to get so much more going out in a hands-on opportunity to see a historic monument or presentation. Those are the things they'll remember, appreciate and learn from."

Nenna was one of more than a dozen parents and educators gathered for a budget forum at the Murphy School library Monday night, pushing the Board of Education to figure out ways to bring back elementary school field trips, middle school sports and more diverse language programs.

Many parents said they'd be willing to help pay for field trips and fundraise to help students who couldn't afford costly fees. Others said they'd be willing to pay at least $100 to help students participate in sports or extracurricular activities. The school board considered but did not implement a pay-to-play system last year.

Parents also universally derided school busing, with many saying that delayed and modified routes caused by persistent bus driver shortages convinced them to simply drive their kids to and from school this year.

The forum was one of at least three planned in the next two months as district leaders prepare the 2019-20 school year budget, which won't be finalized by the Board of Education and approved by the Town Council until the spring.

"The Board of Education's communication subcommittee has set up several methods to gain feedback from the community as we build the budget," said Acting Superintendent Laurie Pallin, including an online budget survey. "We value the input of Montville community members. Their responses at meetings and on the survey will be used to guide decisions."

Board of Education Chairman Bob Mitchell said officials hoped to learn parents' priorities.

"What things do you want to see maintained?" he said. "What as a last resort would you never want to see cut from our budget?"

Pallin noted that once district leaders assess personnel expenses, they will determine whether any budget cuts are required or whether the district "can add some things that have been cut the past few years."

She added that officials were working to recruit and train bus drivers as quickly as possible to improve student busing. The district has implemented incentive programs for new drivers but still faces an uphill battle, in part because of a three-month training process, Pallin said.

"It's an issue we take seriously and we're working hard on, to get well-trained drivers and the shortest routes and making sure our students are safe," Pallin said.

Several in attendance applauded Montville programs and the district's ability to maintain small class sizes and give students individualized attention.

"Small class sizes are a very big thing," said Katy Finucane, a kindergarten teacher at Murphy for five years. She said Montville elementary classes average between 15 to 18 students, whereas she knows teachers in other nearby districts "with almost double that many."

Forums are also planned for Thursday, Jan. 24 at Mohegan Elementary School and Monday, Feb. 4 at the high school, both at 5:30 p.m.

b.kail@theday.com