The Mattapoisett School Committee has approved a budget of $6,782,234, a 6.2 percent increase above the current budget.

At a public hearing held during Monday night’s meeting, Superintendent Doug White said, “I believe you will see that the budget you see tonight meets the needs of the students.”

The biggest factors in the $400,000 increase are for professional staff salaries and special education costs.

There is an almost $87,000 increase in professional staff, including $25,185 to move the media specialist position from part time to full time and adding a part-time health education teacher at the cost of $19,030.

“It’s something we haven’t been able to do in the past,” White said of the health teacher. “This allows us to allow important conversations to happen with our students as they move through elementary levels.”

Most of the other increases in the professional staff category are due to contractual step and level changes, such as moving from a bachelor’s degree to a master’s degree.

Much of the $242,068 increase in the “other” category is due to a new method of handling special education costs. In the past, circuit breaker funds, state aid to help with unforeseen special education costs, were used to offset the budget.

Business Administrator Patrick Spencer said circuit breaker is meant to be a “relief fund, not a budgetary offset.”

Tuition for special education costs affected by circuit breaker total more than $200,000 for the coming year.

The other category also shows an increase for Bristol Agricultural High School, in the amount of $30,000 for transportation and $15,532 for tuition. White said more students will attend the vocational school next year and that new transportation is required to bring it in line with regulations. Previously, students were transported to the school via the Mattapoisett Council on Aging van.

An additional $20,000 accounts for funds used for students who have become homeless while residents of Mattapoisett. A provision called McKinney Vento requires towns to provide transportation for these students so they don’t have to attend a new school due to their change in circumstances.

Other increases include almost $14,000 for education equipment, principally Chromebooks and other technology needs.

The budget was approved unanimously and will now go to Town Meeting for a vote.

In other news: The School Committee voted to keep two school choice slots open. The program allows school districts to accept out of district students in return for $5,000 in tuition.