PORTSMOUTH — A school budget for 2021-2022 that calls for a 1.8-percent increase in expenditures was approved unanimously by the School Committee Tuesday night.

The $42.27 million spending plan would require a $923,111 increase (2.7 percent) in the town appropriation — the amount to be raised through taxes.

Budget figures have been adjusted since Feb. 23, when the first draft of the school spending plan was presented to the committee. That budget plan called for a 2.5-percent hike in expenditures and a town appropriation increase of 3.9 percent, which board members said would never fly with the council.

Since then expenditures were whittled down due to numerous factors, according to Superintendent Thomas Kenworthy and Director of Finance Christopher L. Diluro:

•  The district’s projected categorical group home aid increased by about $100,000 to $609,672.

• High-cost special education state aid went up by $29,308 to $129,011.

• Spending reductions were made to all areas of the budget other than contracted personnel expenses.

• Projected tuition from parents of Little Compton students who attend Portsmouth High School increased by $20,942, to $963,332.

• Health and dental premiums rates were reduced based on updated information.

• One instructional coach was eliminated and a CTE position at PHS was reduced as part of administrative restructuring. (A vacancy is expected in the PHS administrative team next year, Mr. Kenworthy said.)

Two SROs in budget

The revised budget includes funding to support the second student resource officer the district currently enjoys, the superintendent said. The district did not win an extension to a COPS grant that been funding the extra position, so the budget includes another $40,000 to keep the structure the same.

One of the SROs is stationed at PHS and also spends time at Hathaway School. The other SRO, at the middle school, also responds to Melville. 

The budget also includes a list of nearly $2 million in anticipated grants and other restricted funds the district is expecting. “We do not want to lose sight of the fact that we do have $1,913,125 of additional federal grants and other restricted funds that we will be submitting to the town to fully disclose our budget,” Mr. Diluro said.

School Committee Chairwoman Emily Copeland lauded administrators for keeping expense increases to a minimum. 

“I mean, when you think of personnel, benefits, all the things that go into running the schools, to be able to have kept it to 1.8 percent is really amazing,” she said. “It’s not a spending problem that is really challenging Portsmouth right now; it’s more of a revenue problem in terms of this $169,000 loss in state aid that we weren’t expecting. I think that’s why we’re having to ask the town for more than what is reflected in our spending to a large degree.”