LEWISTON — The influx of new students is causing questions about where more money may be needed in the 2016-17 budget, according School Committee members Monday night. 

There are specific areas that are affected more than others, and one question is whether or not to increase staffing, according to administrators.

The areas addressed Monday were:

* The elementary and middle schools are understaffed in terms of teachers and ed techs for English Language Learners. Hilary Barber, director of the Lewiston ELL department, talked about the need for additional staff positions to keep pace with the growing number of students. For the first time, the number of ELL students in Lewiston now number 1,400, or just over 25 percent of the total student population.

* Administrators for the Special Education program requested improvements, but want to find the best way to lower the budget and keep more students with specialized learning needs in Lewiston schools. Lewiston received 100 new special ed students this year.

* More funding is requested technology programs as the number of students has risen.

In his preliminary budget, Superintendent Bill Webster has proposed a $69.8 million budget, a 7.8 percent increase, largely due to more students.

Ward 5 School Committee member Richard White said he wants to be able to make the best decision. “I’d rather cut something that isn’t working that cut something that is.”

This fall enrollment numbers showed Lewiston student population was 5,431, way more than expected.

A study to predict student growth done last year predicted Lewiston would gain 100 new students. Lewiston gained 270 new students.

Lewiston will receive more money from the state for the additional students, but there’s a lag of a year or two, depending on the program, Webster has said.