The Deep River Board of Education approved a proposed $5.6 million budget, a $111,708 or two percent increase from current year spending, for the 2022-’23 school year at its March 17 meeting. The budget will now move to public presentation before the Board of Selectman and Board of Finance on a date to be announced.

The budget for Deep River Elementary School was achieved after two workshops for the review and presentation of the budget in February. Salaries, which account for 64.1 percent of the budget, will see an increase of $102,200, or 2.83 percent, from current year, totaling at an accounted $3,711,414 for the overall budget, and includes regular and extra compensatory wages for employees.

Within the salary portion of the budget includes a 0.55 percent increase in teacher salaries, with an additional $7,098 provided from the current year. The increase is due to contractual increases, none related to increases in staff. Paraeducators will see no change in salary, neither will those working at the school cafeteria or secretarial offices.

The overall increase in salaries is primarily due to a budget line of $70,160 in salaries that are under negotiation, a figure not found in budgets from the previous three school years, and is a trend also seen in budgets for the other elementary schools in Chester and Essex. According to Superintendent of Schools Brian White, the figure reflects the potential impact of six labor contracts that were under negotiations during the budget processes for all three towns in the district, resulting in a delay for potential new salary increases.

Employee benefits, making up for the second-largest portion of the budget at $1,193,877 or 21.86 percent of spending, have been cut by 37 percent from the current year, while health insurance spending has remained unchanged at $652,708 funded, and unemployment compensation has remained unchanged as well.

However, allocations to the Health Insurance Reserve Fund have dropped 100 percent from the current year’s rate of $20,571, affecting the slight drop in employee benefits.

“The reduction in health insurance was attributed to, in part, our experience during the past year,” said White. “Going back three years ago, we had a low balance in our insurance reserve. One of the strategies we employed to increase the reserve was we budgeted a supplemented amount to the insurance reserve as a way of reestablishing it. This year, because our reserve levels are healthier, we no longer had a need to budget for that additional reserve contribution. As a result, that reduced the budgeted amount for insurance next year.”

Supplies for instruction materials in various subjects are receiving a boost, including an increase of 96.25 percent, or $8,185, for materials in reading, and a 60.64 percent, or $4,346 increase, for materials related to technology used in class.

In the field of mathematics, a significant boost in funding will be directed toward the purchase and replacement of textbooks, with a 249.43 percent increase in the acquisition of new materials. Property services that will be on the receiving end of greater funding will include security, with a $1,465 or 183.13 percent increase, and a 150 percent increase in funds for the repairing and maintenance of the principal’s office.

The budget points out the increased need for supporting the mental health student that can be everyday issues, as well as those exacerbated by the effects of the pandemic. One of the priorities for the district carrying over from the current year is social emotional learning, with its main focus on the mental health of students.

The budget cites mental health as a critical focus in light of the many stressors of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, and that pathways for improving the emotional health of students is an integral part of performance.

The date for the referendum on the budget has not been determined yet. For updates on future budget actions, visit www.reg4.k12.ct.us/district.