LENOX — The School Committee has given unanimous approval for a proposed $15.5 million spending plan for the town’s public school district in fiscal 2025.

Residents will see an increase of about 6.5 percent after school choice and other revenues are factored in, as well as a free-cash infusion by the town.

The level-services spending package includes several “value-added” features totaling $196,000 — notably, $128,000 for curriculum coordination.

A new, phased-in position as districtwide director of curriculum, instruction and assessment will be filled by promoting Morris Elementary School Principal Brenda Kelley. For the 2024-25 school year, she will split her time 50-50 between principal and curriculum director.

Over the next three years, she will train her successor, an assistant principal  to be hired, while stepping up her elementary school curriculum leadership grade by grade into Lenox Memorial Middle and High School. By September 2027, Kelley will take on her new position full time for PreK though Grade 12.

The goal is to coordinate and align curriculum at all grades and for students at all ability levels, Superintendent William Collins said. The creation of a dedicated curriculum director position has been a longstanding district goal.

Kelley, a former principal at the Allendale Elementary School in Pittsfield from 2014 to 2020, recently was nominated as a candidate for distinguished elementary school principal of the year, a national award. “We’re excited about that and everyone is rooting for her,” Collins said.

The award was established by the National Association of Elementary School Principals.

"This is a true testament to the collective effort of my dedicated staff, supportive community, and the limitless potential within our students,” Kelley said when the nomination was announced two weeks ago.

The overall school district spending proposal includes:

• Union contract and other experience-related "step" salary increases for teachers and for other staff in the school district;

• Special education costs covering residential out-placement tuition for several students totaling about $200,000, part of the $3.2 million student services special education budget, up 30 percent from the current year;

• Inflation-driven supply costs;

• A facilities coordinator for the elementary school and Lenox Memorial Middle and High School.

Helping to cover the budget increase is school choice revenue of $1,950,000, reflecting an unexpected $130,000 increase from mid-February projections, said Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operations Melissa Falkowski.

About 40 percent of the 783 students in the district are nonresidents, primarily from Pittsfield. The Lenox district is one of the few schools with a projected level enrollment in coming years because of school choice, Superintendent Collins noted.

Other budget details outlined by Falkowski:

• The gross operating budget for the 2025 fiscal year is up by 10.2 percent from the current year, increasing from just over $14 million to $15.5 million.

• The town will kick in $300,000 from free cash by agreement with Town Manager Christopher Ketchen. The cash cushion is funded primarily by lodging and meals revenue and motor vehicle excise taxes, among other sources.

• Once all school district revenue is factored in, the net operating budget of just under $13.2 million amounts to a 9.1 percent increase over the current year.

• In addition, benefits are budgeted at nearly $3.7 million. Thus, the school district is asking the town to appropriate $16.8 million, up by 8.5 percent.

• With the free cash infusion, the taxpayer impact comes to $16.5 million, an increase of 6.5 percent year over year.

The school district budget proposal, including proposed capital investment, remains to be supported by the Finance Committee and the Select Board ahead of final action by annual town meeting voters on May 2. Education spending has won town meeting approval by overwhelming margins in recent years.