NEWINGTON - A one-to-one technology program, a continued path to an enhanced world language curriculum and more support staff for English language learners and students with Autism are just some of the objectives outlined in a $71.8 million school budget proposal for the 2015-16 fiscal year.

       That’s a 5.6 percent increase from last year’s $68 million figure, but Newington Superintendent of Schools Bill Collins expects his requested bump to come down over the course of a budgetary process that concludes at the Town Council in April.

       The Board of Education convenes twice in January--on the 13th and the 21st--to review the proposed $3.8 million increase before ratifying their version of the budget Feb. 4. It is then passed on to Town Manager John Salomone, who makes his adjustments before sending it to the Council.

       Salaries make up 64 percent of the proposed budget, while employee benefits account for another 18 percent of it, Collins told Councilors and members of the public who attended a presentation held at the Jan. 7 Board of Education meeting.

       Salaries will see an increase of a little over $1.4 million--or 2.19 percent more than the $44.6 million budgeted for this purpose last fiscal year--and that’s a contractual obligation the district has, according to Collins’ presentation, which is available on the Newington Public Schools website.

       With that comes a $613,900 raise in employee benefits--or a 0.90 percent increase from last year’s $12.2 million.

       â€�"That [increase] is actually down lower than it has been in recent years because of the contract we just agreed to,” Collins said, referring to a new collective bargaining agreement the Board recently signed with the Newington Teachers Association.

       Other initiatives Collins and the Board are pursuing include providing every student in the district with a laptop--a measure being taken to prepare the district for the online-based Smarter Balanced Assessment, among other things.

       â€�"We’re a little behind schedule,” Collins said. â€�"The technology plan we submitted to the state indicated that we’d be one-to-one by 2017. We’re spending much more on expensive laptops, so it was taking longer to get there.”

       He expects the district’s recent switch over to Lenovo Think Pads-a less expensive item-to change that.

       â€�"We’re now able to play catch up,” Collins said.

       The proposed 2015-16 budget includes $432,738 for instructional technology. Collins noted that the district does not currently have a technology reserve fund.

       â€�"We don’t get to carry things over or save up, so we have to ask for it every year,” he said.

       Other budget areas include $293,000 for autism-related in-district support, as well as $32,000 to turn a part-time ELL instructor into a full-time employee. Enrollment projections have 26 new English Language Learners being added to the student population.

       â€�"We do not have the staff to manage 26 new ELL students,” Collins said.

       And then there’s the district’s magnet school tuition obligation, which, when factoring in a collective $800,000 in state waivers and Open Choice funds, is expected to come out to $198,600.

       The budget proposal also includes about $2.3 million for the 48 students expected to be placed in an out-of-district setting.