Voting is underway in the referendum on the proposed Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Board of Education 2018-19 budget. Voting is taking place in Lyme and Old Lyme from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Lyme Town Hall and Cross Lane Firehouse respectively.
The proposed budget for the 2018-19 school year, which the board of education approved in February, is $34,298,528 representing a 1.97 percent increase over the current year.
Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Superintendent Ian Neviaser and LOL Schools Board of Education Chair Mimi Roche stated in the March Focus on Education newsletter to the community that, “The majority of this budget increase is being driven by the cost of employee health insurance,” adding, ” Unfortunately, our renewal rates for this year are expected to be between 15-18 percent.”
Neviaser and Roche note, “Accordingly, we have developed a budget that will allow for this increase 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,” explaining, “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 detailed in the newsletter, namely:
- 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 noted as follows:
- 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.