East Lyme ― The 2023-2024 budget proposal presented this week by Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Newton presents a bleak, post-pandemic picture for the highly ranked school system, with 18.5 positions on the chopping block as the district seeks to address an unusually high increase it attributes largely to inflation.

The $57.9 million spending plan represents an increase of almost $3.8 million, or 6.97%, over the current budget.

Newton’s proposed budget hits hard in the lower grades, with proposed cuts to positions including eliminating four elementary teachers and three elementary technology teachers. Those positions were funded for the past two budget years with federal pandemic-relief funds.

“Our schools continue to address pandemic learning loss,” officials wrote in presentation documents. “Reductions in positions and programs will hamper ongoing recovery efforts.”

The superintendent’s presentations in previous years have been heavy on justifications for more staff members or new initiatives. This time around, it is rich with warnings about the impacts of the recommended cuts and any additional reductions that may be called for as the budget planning process moves forward.

The state Next Generation Accountability System for 2021-22 released last month found East Lyme was the second-highest performing district in southeastern Connecticut, after Lyme-Old Lyme. But no districts in the region saw an increase in their overall score from the last assessment in 2018-19.

East Lyme Schools’ administrators in a PowerPoint presentation at the Monday meeting said proposed budget cuts will affect efforts to address learning losses and increased mental health needs resulting from the pandemic. It will also make it more difficult to continue the progress the district made three years ago when it finished rolling out laptops or tablets for every student.

The administrators put the “impact of inflation” at almost $1 million of the total proposed increase. They cited health insurance, utilities, maintenance and minimum wage line items as those most affected by rising costs.

Newton in a Tuesday email said the proposal represents the highest increase he’s brought forth in his 10 years as a superintendent.

“I think we will see many districts across Connecticut coming to the table with much higher budget requests than in previous years,” Newton said.

Patrice McCarthy, executive director of the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education, agreed.

In a phone interview Tuesday, she said her organization is seeing significant increases in expenses in school districts across the state. She attributed the local budget woes not only to often-cited issues like heating oil prices, but also to increased salaries that many schools have had to offer to compete amid shortages of bus drivers, paraprofessionals and teachers in the wake of the pandemic.

She said her organization’s advocacy has involved asking state lawmakers to “meet their funding commitments” to cities and towns.

The effect of fewer elementary school teachers is most stark at Niantic Center School, where two third-grade classes could have 44 students split between two classes based on preliminary estimates. District guidelines target class sizes of 18-20 students at that grade level. Numbers indicate the rest of the classes are projected to remain within district guidelines except for first grade at Flanders School, where estimates show a possible 56 students split between three teachers. That’s about 19 per class when no more than 18 students per class is recommended.

Newton in an email to The Day said such early projections will need to be watched closely for any movement up or down. “And discussions will most likely ensue over the coming months with the Board of Education regarding any warranted adjustments,” he said.

Board of Education Chairman Eric Bauman said the school board will discuss the superintendent’s recommendation at a special meeting on Jan. 30. He declined to comment on the proposal or its implications before having a discussion with the full board.

The proposed spending plan was unveiled against the backdrop of a current budget that is currently $455,760 in the red, according to figures provided Tuesday by Newton. The district has been working to bring down the deficit from a previously announced $677,000.

Newton has cited health insurance, special education and electricity increases as the major factors in the existing deficit. The school system in the coming budget is assuming a 12% increase in health insurance costs in the proposed budget, according to Newton.

In addition to the cuts specific to the elementary schools, Newton is recommending cutting roughly two of four positions in the high school-level career exploration program known as Coastal Connections, five paraeducators, roughly four library assistant positions, one district-wide instructional technology coach and $50,000 in part-time custodial work. The program provides internship opportunities and delivers individualized instruction in a smaller setting to students who need it.

Video of Newton’s budget presentation is not available on the district’s YouTube channel because of technical difficulties, according to the superintendent’s office.

e.regan@theday.com