Waterford ― The town’s school board has approved a 2024-25 school budget with a $3.1 million increase, representing a 5.67% hike from the current budget.

It includes the addition of two armed security officers (ASOs) ― retired police officers who carry guns but have no arresting authority ― to the town’s elementary schools.

Board members, absent members Marcia Benvenuti and Deb Roselli Kelly, voted 4-1-1 Thursday to approve the $57.5 million spending plan, after meeting several times over the past month to discuss cost-cutting measures. The school board’s proposed budget is about $300,000 lower than the one Superintendent of Schools Thomas Giard III initially proposed Feb. 1.

The two armed security officers, who will be employed and supervised by the school, will cost $40,000 each, Giard said Thursday. They will be implemented on top of the existing school resource officer, who rotates between the town’s three elementary schools.

Giard said he will consult with the police department to figure out the details for the officers’ rotations and assignment, and come up with a job posting.

A separate, preliminary motion to add the armed security officers to the budget proposal passed 4-2, with members Laurie Wolfley and Chris Jones opposed.

Wolfley said Waterford Police Chief Marc Balestracci has made it clear the schools are safe.

“I just don’t think there’s a place for a roving, armed, retired police officer in our schools,” Wolfley said.

Jones said he was not against the idea of having officers but thought the cost was too high.

Wolfley ultimately voted for the budget proposal, with the officers included. The only member to vote against it was Jones, who argued the $57.61 million was too high and that the board could cut $90,000, either from special education transportation or school software.

But his motion to strip the proposed budget by $90,000 failed 3-3. Board Chairwoman Pat Fedor in explaining her no vote said everything that made it in the budget had already been scrutinized, and she would not support taking anything out.

At the same meeting, the board agreed to increase the number of school resource officers (SROs) ― who work in the schools but are active police employed by the local department ― from two to three next year by revising a memorandum of understanding with the department.

Giard said that extra school resource officer position will be “100% in the police department budget for 2024-25 at no cost to the Board of Education at this point.”

On Jan. 17, the school board held a special meeting to get public input on the topic of armed security or school resource officers. Out of 25 residents who weighed in, 11 said they would be open to either type of security, seven voiced support for SROs and seven either admitted concerns or opposed adding more armed personnel.

The additional school resource officer is included in the $39.27 million general government spending plan approved by the Board of Selectmen on Feb. 6.

Now that the town and school budget proposals have been approved, they will go to the Board of Finance in March, then to the Representative Town Meeting in May, he said.

“The RTM will ultimately set a budgetary amount for the Board of Education in May,” Giard said, adding that the RTM controls the final budget number, but can’t change, add or remove specific items to the budget.

d.drainville@theday.com