The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School and all-Island school committees voted last week to certify amended budgets for the coming fiscal year.

The new operating budget for the regional high school now totals $22.7 million, reflecting a 3.2 per cent increase over last year and a 1.3 per cent decrease from a pre-pandemic version of the budget.

The shared services budget for the Vineyard superintendent of schools has also been reduced to $6.9 million, a $100,000 decrease from the budget approved last November.

The budget cutting capped weeks of negotiations between school leaders and the union representing the teachers, amid heated discussion about whether to give up cost of living increases, as many towns are doing.

School superintendent Matthew D’Andrea announced last week that negotiations with the union, which includes 446 teachers, janitors, food service workers and others, had been resolved.

Instead of giving up cost of living increases, the union has offered a two-day furlough where union personnel would not work for two professional development days. The savings across all school districts would total $400,000. Savings specific to the high school would total $114,000, Mr. D’Andrea said.

At a school meeting, Mr. D’Andrea said he appreciated the offer, and will “keep it in our back pocket” in the event that further budget reductions are necessary.

— Will Sennott