Stonington — It is expected the school board will ask the Board of Finance to appropriate $571,389 to cover a deficit in the current budget due to operating the schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Board of Education is expected to discuss and likely vote on the request at its 7 p.m. virtual meeting Thursday.

In a letter to the school board that includes a spreadsheet outlining the costs, Superintendent of Schools Van Riley said the schools have incurred $1,037,104 in costs due to COVID-19. He wrote that after deducting state and federal COVID-19 aid received by the school system, a deficit of $571,389 remains. He recommended that the school board request that money from the finance board.

In December, Riley told the school board that the school system returned $572,523 to the town as a surplus from its 2019-20 budget on June 30, and stressed that the school system has been trying to contain the COVID-19 costs to within that amount. He had recommended the school board request that money be used to offset the COVID-19 bill.

The school system has incurred costs for items such as personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies, additional custodians, paraprofessionals and substitute teachers, increased utility costs for items such as ventilation and programs to help students struggling with remote learning.