Referendum on Lyme-Old Lyme Schools’ Budget to be Held Tuesday, Budget Meeting Monday

‘Rainy Day Fund’ Will Not be Used to Offset 7.4% Budget Increase

LYME/OLD LYME–Registered voters and qualified taxpayers on Tuesday will be asked to weigh in on the proposed $39.7 million budget for the regional school district serving Lyme and Old Lyme. 

The District 18 Board of Education earlier this month voted unanimously to hold a District Budget Meeting this evening, Monday, May 5, at 6:30 p.m. in the Board of Education Conference Room at Center School. Members of the school board will adjourn to a referendum vote the next day.

A livestream of Monday evening”s meeting can be viewed at this link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF2_W7yYtFwx067Ici9776Q/live

The agenda for the meeting is at this link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WB8EzTFs_0MSwy-MnBEaU67YXJNbRkvJ0Vwdw3qYFrk/edit?tab=t.0

The proposed budget represents an increase of $2.7 million, or 7.39%, over the current spending plan. Superintendent of Schools Ian Neviaser has said the bulk of the proposed budget increase is related to debt coming due on the extensive renovation project in four of the district’s five buildings. 

Of the proposed budget’s $2.7 million increase, $1.8 million is attributable to debt payments on the renovation project. 

Voters in late 2022 authorized spending up to $57.5 million on the project. During this budget season, Neviaser has emphasized the district will be spending about $17 million less than that due to grant funding and good interest rates.

The proposed budget includes an increase in special education spending of $726,721 over the current year.

Neviaser said the increase in special education costs is driven by more students, who need to be placed in programs outside the district to meet their needs. There are four students requiring outplacements in the coming year compared to one student when the current budget was approved. 

There are currently 180 kindergarten through grade 12 students with disabilities in the district compared to 162 in 2020-21, according to budget documents. 

Employee benefits are up $448,485, salaries for certified staff members are up $278,654 and transportation costs are up $164,234.

The proposed budget includes maintenance and improvements to district facilities totaling $359,200 for a sound system in the high school auditorium, lighting in the middle school auditorium, replacement of the preschool playground and paving of the sidewalk in front of the middle school. 

Reductions were achieved by turning the high school assistant principal position into a ten-month position rather than a full-year position and reducing middle school education staffing by one position. 

A music teacher cut in Neviaser’s initial recommendation is back in the proposed budget after the school board agreed the reduction would be detrimental to the music program. The district will find savings elsewhere in the proposed budget to cover the cost, Neviaser said. 

District budget documents show that Old Lyme would be responsible for $31.51 million of the budget, while Lyme would pay $6.96 million. Both towns are billed by the regional school district based on enrollment.

That’s a proposed increase in Old Lyme of $1.99 million, or 6.7%, and in Lyme of $299,504, or 4.5%.

Neviaser in a Tuesday email said the regional school board won’t use any of its $3.1 million undesignated fund balance – or Rainy Day Fund – to offset the spending increase despite calls to explore the option.

“The board has not chosen to make any changes to the current proposed budget and plans to go to referendum with what we believe is a fiscally responsible and reasonable request of a 2.69% increase in the operating budget coupled with a 4.7% increase in debt service, which is the main driver for the overall 7.39% increase,” he said. 

School board Chairman Jason Kemp, who said he was speaking for himself rather than the full board, wrote in an email Tuesday that the undesignated fund is generally used for projects that might be too large for an annual budget, but too small to go to referendum and bonding. 

“While nothing is planned at the moment, an example of such a project would be to replace the track which we are told can’t really be resurfaced again. It would be fiscally irresponsible to spend that down significantly to cover a year of debt service on the PK-8 school project,” he said. 

Residents voting through an absentee ballot must submit the 2025 application, which are available on the town’s websites and the Secretary of the State website. Only absentee ballot applications with the current year printed on them will be accepted. 

Absentee ballots must be received by the town clerk before the close of polls on the day of the referendum. 

The referendum is open to registered voters and non-resident property owners in each town.

The referendum will be held May 6 from noon to 8 p.m. The vote will take place in Old Lyme at the Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School Gym, 53 Lyme Street. Lyme residents will vote at the Lyme Town Hall, 480 Hamburg Road.

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated with details of the time and location of the Budget Meeting, and links to both the meeting agenda and the livestream of the meeting.