FOXBORO - Amid a continuing decline in expected enrollment, the Foxboro Public Schools administration is seeking a $1.4 million, or 5.7 percent, budget increase for next year.

The increases are pushed by salaries and special education.

Superintendent Christopher Martes, unveiling his $26.3 million preliminary budget to the school committee last week, said the proposal maintains the current level of educational offerings.

"The driving force is to get to level services," Martes said. "That is not even close to a reality in many communities already."

School board members expressed confidence in the administration's ability to stay within budget without a hiring freeze. School committee member Larry Harrington said taxpayers should be aware of high cost of special education mandates. The nearly $7 million special education budget is up 9.6 percent. Special education accounts for 25 percent of the draft budget. Instruction - mainly negotiated teacher salaries - takes another 56 percent of the total request.

Martes said town officials may get a better handle on state aid in January, but that the House leadership is talking about a 5 to 10 percent cut to town and cities. Board member Martha Slattery said Gov. Deval Patrick has signaled a strong support for education, despite the economic hard times.

The draft budget "maintains reasonable class sizes," Martes reported. Board member Kate Kominsky requested a more detailed breakdown on class sizes to aid the committee in its budget deliberations.

Principals and department heads will give budget details during the committee's Jan. 5 meeting.

Member Martha Slattery said that with so many homes under construction in Foxboro, the district can expect an enrollment jump at some point.

Enrollment is expected to drop 33 students next year at Foxboro High School, with an overall districtwide drop of 29 students, to a total of 2,920. Enrollment went down this year as well, by 19 students.

The spending plan still needs to be reviewed by the Advisory Committee.

The committee on Jan. 26 will vote a fiscal year 2010 budget to bring to Town Meeting in May for final approval. FY10 begins July 1, 2009. Harrington said the school funding increases since the fiscal year that began July 1, 2002 have basically kept up with inflation, rather than representing new infusion of resources.

And although Foxboro students show many achievements, he said, with level services "it's difficult to make the kind of inroads that people want to make."