Public schools could see expanded pre-kindergarten programs and more educational specialists with the district’s proposed 2018 budget. School officials presented the $41.1 million proposal at the February 13 school committee meeting.

School business administrator James Kiely prioritized a new, $105,613 pre-kindergarten classroom at Potter Elementary School. The funding would cover hiring a teacher, a teaching assistant, a speech and language therapist, and an occupational therapist. Potter Elementary is also slated to add monitors for the playground and lunch periods.

The proposed budget also includes $53,549 for a new instructional technology specialist at Dartmouth Middle School. In recent years, the district has expanded its instructional technology programs in the elementary schools, and the new hire will continue this through the middle school level, Kiely said.

“We felt this is the next step,” Kiely said.

The middle school would also gain a reading specialist for $53,549 – a critical need, Kiely said.

“The middle school has a defining need that was quite obvious to us,” Kiely said.

The proposal would eliminate two teaching assistant positions — one in physical education at Dartmouth Middle School and one at the Quinn Elementary library — and a secretary position at the high school.

The 2018 budget reflects a 2.6 percent increase on the 2017 budget of $40.8 million. Kiely said the percentage increase is in line with previous years.

Kiely also touched upon budget proposals that, while proven to have a positive impact on students, the district could not fund in 2018. Among them: a new physical education teacher and instructional technology specialist at the high school; an additional custodian for the middle school; an additional teacher, reading specialist, outreach social worker and library media specialist at DeMello Elementary; a teaching assistant and part-to-full-time secretary at Potter Elementary; and a math specialist at Quinn Elementary.

School committee members did not vote on the proposed budget, but will discuss details in the upcoming month.