East Lyme — The Board of Education unanimously voted to adopt the superintendent's proposed $49.5 million 2019-20 late last month. That figure, compared to this year's spending plan, represents a $1.5 million, or 3.18 percent, increase.

The spending bump is in line with previous proposed budgets, Superintendent Jeffrey Newton said Wednesday.

Newton said most of the budget's spending increases are within five key areas, including security/safety, technology upgrades, special education, certified staff retirements and health insurance. Combined, those make up 65 percent, or nearly $1 million, of the proposed budget increase. Contractual salary raises make up 26 percent of the increase, at nearly $390,000 higher than this year’s plan.

When asked if the security and safety hikes were necessary this year, Newton said inadequacies within the district’s information technology infrastructure were negatively impacting learning and therefore need to be addressed now. Those improvements, which will cost an estimated $115,000, will include upgrading the district’s network and wireless connectivity, as well as enhancing overall IT security.

“Our entire information technology infrastructure, because technology is moving so fast, needs restructuring,” Newton said. “Our wireless connectivity and IT infrastructure is not up to speed, so things are spinning, things are breaking down. We can’t have too many devices on at the same time. All of that needs to be rectified.”

Newton highlighted the myriad ways the district sought to decrease costs and balance the next year's budget. Primarily, he said the district will not hire replacements for retiring staff. At least seven people are expected to retire next year, he said.

Because of those retirements, as well as elementary school redistricting and rising elementary enrollment projections, Newton said staff will be shifted throughout the district to avoid layoffs and accrue savings, reducing a total of seven certified staff and three paraprofessional positions, as well as eliminating the director of technology position.

Combined, Newton said the shifts will save the district $613,552.

He also spoke about the district’s efforts to regionalize services, such as snow plowing, shared transportation and maintenance, with nearby towns as well as with East Lyme. Savings from regionalization initiatives are approximately $34,000, district Finance Director Maryanna Stevens said.

The district plans to relocate its Coastal Connecticut Program — which aids 25 high school students in need of smaller class sizes — to its Central Office next year. Presently, the district pays nearly $30,000 in rent to house the program elsewhere in town.

In terms of revenue, the district expects a $300,000 increase in tuition revenue accrued from nonresident students, such as high school students coming from Salem. The district should see $6.9 million in Education Cost Sharing grants next year — $300,000 higher than this year’s allotment, Newton said. Countering that, special education funding is expected to drop by $200,000, he said.

Board of Finance Chairman Bill Weber said he has not yet reviewed the education budget in detail, so he could not comment on where additional cuts could be made. The Board of Finance cut $200,000 out of this year's education budget last spring before moving it to referendum.

Weber said the Board of Finance typically seeks to keep overall budget increases level with the previous year's grand list percent increase. Last year's grand list saw a 0.8 percent increase. First Selectman Mark Nickerson recently proposed a total town budget with a 3.94 percent increase.

The Board of Finance will hold its hearing on the education budget March 18, while the Board of Selectmen will have its hearing in early March. That date has not yet been set.

m.biekert@theday.com