New London — The Board of Education, without much controversy, passed a $72.9 million school budget for fiscal year 2022 on Thursday.

The budget is accompanied by a $45 million appropriation request to the city, which is 2.2% or a $982,188 increase over last year’s funding. The portion of the school budget up for consideration by the city is funded jointly by taxpayers and the state’s Educational Cost Sharing program.

The mayor will incorporate the school’s spending request into his overall budget for presentation to the City Council on April 1. City administration, as it has in past years, will argue the school board’s request amounts to a 4.6% increase in funding directly from taxpayers considering the fact that state education funding is expected to remain flat again.

School Superintendent Cynthia Ritchie’s proposed budget notes that the final impact on the city’s tax rate includes other factors such changes in the grand list, increases or decreases in city revenue and possible changes in expenditures in other city departments.

The City Council has the ultimate say on spending.

The budget passed by the school board on Thursday is a slight reduction from the spending plan introduced by Ritchie. The school board cut $306,548, calling into question a major hike in special education tuition costs at the Interdistrict School for Arts and Communication, or ISAAC, a New London charter school.

Because of proposed hikes in special education at ISAAC, budgeted funding for the estimated 34 special education students had risen from $401,737 this year to $883,502 next year.

“I thought it was too much money. They are supposed to charge a reasonable rate per pupil for special education,” said school board member Bryan Doughty.

School finance director Rob Funk said he plans continued talks with representatives of ISAAC about the way the district is being billed.

Other budget drivers include contractual wage increases, drops in magnet tuition and grant revenue, a 6% health insurance rate increase and electricity costs associated with construction at the high school. The increases are offset in part by an increase in Alliance funding, a drop in workers comp rates, reductions in after-school program and contracted instruction costs. There are also 20 paraprofessional positions being left vacant and two administrative positions being cut — the assistant principal of Harbor School and a director of curriculum, instruction and assessment 6-12.  

The district is expected to receive $8.4 million over two years through the federal Elementary and Secondary Emergency Relief Funds program, or ESSER, to address COVID-19 related needs.

School board member Rob Pero questioned the addition of two new administrators in positions funded with those funds. He said his concern was focused on what happens to the positions once funding dries up.

The new positions are assistant director of mental health and an assistant director of curriculum, instruction and assessment preK-12.

Board member Elaine Maynard Adams said that with so much of the school’s budget dependent on grant funds, the school board’s yearly task always includes decisions on which positions were worth saving and fit into the budget.

New London schools this month started in-school classes four days a week for those students who request it. Ritchie said there have been 513 requests from students to make the switch and 156 students have already joined for the four-day instruction. More are expected to be added in the coming days and weeks.

“It’s wonderful to see the halls filled a little bit more,” Ritchie said.

The district continues to maintain and support two-day-a-week hybrid instruction and full distance learning for some students.

Teachers and staff in the district, meanwhile, have started getting vaccinations. Ritchie said with guidance from Ledge Light Health District, vaccination clinics opened at Foxwood Casino last weekend. There will be an additional 1,500 slots allocated for school staff over this weekend.

“We believe every employee interested in getting the vaccine will have an opportunity this weekend,” Ritchie said. “There’s a lot of relief and happiness as we go through the process.”

g.smith@theday.com