Stonington — The Board of Education on Thursday night decided not to approve the 2021-22 proposed budget because some members felt the 4.8% increase was too much.
Last month, Superintendent of Schools Van Riley proposed a $41.6 million budget — with a $3.4 million, or 8.9%, increase from last year's budget — to the board.
While the Board of Finance has recommended the school budget increase not exceed 1.5%, Riley has pointed out that the school budget has shown decreases of 0.30% and 1.32% in the past two years. Even with an 8.9% increase, he said, the three-year average increase would be 2.4%, which is the average of what had been approved in years before that and is what is needed to maintain programs.