Vineyard schools superintendent Dr. James H. Weiss’ $3.5 million dollar budget was approved with little ado by the all-Island school committee this week, a month after the committee voted to restore $11,000 in funding to the budget for arts and enrichment programming across the Island.

The superintendent’s budget is called a shared services budget because it includes funding for programs such as the elementary strings and natural history and arts programs in Island schools.

Last month’s suggested funding cuts for these programs prompted a public outcry, and the money was later restored to the budget.

The budget is a 2.21 per cent increase over last year. “This is actually higher than I would have wanted but it does continue most of the programs that were offered by the shared services,” said Mr. Weiss at the meeting. Teacher salary negotiations have not yet taken place for the coming fiscal year, and the budget does not account for any potential cost of living adjustments. “If negotiations come down some place different then obviously we go back to the drawing board,” said school committee chairman Dan Cabot.

The budget includes $8,500 for an Islandwide school physician, a decision that was made in part because of the increasing threat of H1N1 flu infection.

Another $47,000 will pay for two additional assistants in the Bridge Program and Project Headway. The Bridge Program is for children with autism; Project Headway is for children with a range of needs.

The high school budget subcommittee met briefly prior to the all-Island school committee meeting to discuss its final budget, which will be presented at a public hearing at the high school performing arts center on Monday at 7 p.m. The budget is set for a vote at a high school committee meeting the following Monday, Dec. 7, at 7 p.m.

The committee also discussed new state legislation that requires that school health officials calculate the body mass index of students in designated grades annually. Parents must be notified if a student’s index is too high.

Policies are required to be adopted in schools by June of 2011. “I think this is another prime example of the state mandating something with no funding behind it,” said committee member Susan Mercier. “And it’s a lot of work.”

Other committee members were interested in getting more information from the state about how the index is calculated and what it shows about a person’s health. The committee agreed to invite school nurses to their next meeting on Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. for a discussion.