Voters approved the Lyme-Old Lyme Schools proposed $33.3 million budget by a substantial margin in both Lyme and Old Lyme. In Lyme, there were 141 Yes votes and 21 No votes while in Old Lyme, 267 residents voted Yes and 90 voted NO.
The total number of votes across both towns supporting the budget was 408 while a total of 111 rejected it, which represents a 78.6 percent majority in favor of the budget and 21.4 percent voting against it.
Ian Neviaser, Superintendent of Lyme-Old Lyme Schools, stated via e-mail, “We appreciate the continued support of both towns and will continue to work to provide a top notch educational experience for all the students in our district.”
Turnout was exceptionally low in both towns. In Old Lyme, where there are 5,639 registered voters according to the Democrat Deputy Registrar of Voters Sylvia Peterson, a total of 6.33 percent of registered voters turned out to vote.
The now approved budget for the 2018-19 school year is $34,298,528 representing a 1.97 percent increase over the current year.
Neviaser and LOL Schools Board of Education Chair Mimi Roche stated in the March Focus on Education newsletter to the community that this budget allows for a significant increase in the cost of employee health insurance, “… yet continues to maintain all of our award-winning academic and extracurricular offerings, which are commensurate, and oftentimes superior, to both public and private schools throughout Connecticut.”
Neviaser and Roche said, “This budget supports our commitment to:
- Continued adherence to class size guidelines. •
- Reduction of staff to account for an enrollment decline at the elementary and middle school levels. •
- Continuance of existing academic and extracurricular activities. •
- Adjustments for anticipated changes in the special education population. •
- Adequate funding for maintenance and repair of buildings and grounds. •
- Scheduled replacement of technology and equipment. •
- Program improvements that are consistent with high academic and operational standards.
Three facilities projects are included in the budget:
- gaining commission approvals for an artificial turf field
- replacing the Center School gymnasium floor
- replacing the Mile Creek fuel oil tank.
Similarly, two program improvements are included:
- Next Generation Science Standards curricular support/training
- technology infrastructure advancements.
For further information on the proposed budget, visit this link for a copy of the 2018-19 budget.