NEWINGTON - More than $1.5 million was cut from the Board of Education’s proposed budget as technology expenditures were reduced and administrative salary raises were frozen, among other measures, all to bring the increase to the 2.6 percent passed by the Town Council.

       Meanwhile, the middle school’s gifted and talented program will remain intact, new math courses will move forward and no teaching positions will be lost through layoffs.

       The potential layoffs became a core concern when discussions regarding how to close the gap between the board’s requested 4.8 percent increase and Town Manager John Salomone’s 2.6 percent first began. The Board got some help from the Council in the form of $588,000 in Capital Improvement Program (CIP) funding that was directed to school needs that included the purchasing of a new bus, but still had $1.5 million to eliminate.

       The district’s 78 non-tenured teachers got notice of the potential for layoffs, with Superintendent of Schools Bill Collins estimating that as many as 10 positions could be lost.

       But by roughly a week before the final version of the budget passed the Council, Collins had ruled out the necessity for any layoffs, pointing to the resignation of one teacher and the unexpected retirement of two others.

       When the Board met prior to the Council’s last budget meeting, members entertained eliminating $200,000 that had been set aside for the purchase of instructional supplies.

       â€�"These are books that are directly related to the curriculum,” Collins said during the April 22 meeting. â€�"I would feel extremely uncomfortable knowing we’re not giving people what they need.”

       The Board agreed, and voted unanimously to cut the reduction in half.

       In previous discussions, the Board considered delaying the implementation of new math courses that included statistics.

       â€�"I struggled with that,” Collins said. â€�"It’s difficult to tell the kids enrolled in the courses not to take them.”

       Funding for the purchase of new technology devices saw $89,478 in reduction and, later on, another $46,000 that was taken out. Thanks to the town CIP funding, the Board was also able to eliminate an additional $188,828 in this area. They were also able to eliminate $55,000 that had been set aside for technology infrastructure.

       The administrative salary freezes were part of a $560,000 reduction that included numerous items within the district’s salary account. Collins said that he anticipates losing eight positions, but through attrition and not layoffs.

       The Board also avoided eliminating the middle school gifted program.

       Not only did the Board opt out of an $8,000 reduction that would have raised Newington High School athletics fees, but they voted to add $4,000 to the department’s budget.

       In early discussions, there was talk of going as far as to eliminate the high school ice hockey team. When a representative met with Collins with an offer from participants to pay $100 more in fees to save the program, the Board estimated that costs for other sports would have to go up between $10 and $15.

       â€�"We’ve been an excellent program and I’ve seen the improvement,” said board member Josh Shulman, who made the motion for the increase. â€�"And I’d love to see what [Athletic Director Chris Meyers] does with it.”