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The total represents a 1.55 percent increase from the 2012-2013 budget of $45,587,192.
The budget proposal will be presented to the Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance, which will have the opportunity to make changes.
Among the new expenditures will be salaries for four security monitors, who will be added to the current staff of five. “They direct traffic on School Road, manage students and playgrounds and greet visitors,” said Superintendent of Schools Colleen Palmer. “They are a consistent presence.”
Also reflected in the new budget are expenditures for “state-mandated teacher evaluations and learning standards. We’re activating new assessments,” Palmer said.
One of the issues discussed before the budget vote was staffing, with board members indicating an additional teacher may be needed to accommodate increased enrollment in the fifth grade.
Board chairman Philip Schaefer said it would be difficult to add staff now because “we’re weighing every dollar and it’s a balancing act.” It also was determined that it's too early to add additional staff for the next school year because enrollment figures aren't known yet.
What’s not in the published budget is funding for a school resource officer. At Tuesday’s meeting, Mike Marotto, the assistant principal of Weston High School, presented a plan for hiring a school resource officer, but said it’s in a preliminary stage and the board hasn’t acted on it yet.
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