NORTH PROVIDENCE – North Providence school leaders are requesting a total budget of $61,769,424 for fiscal year 2021-22, compared to this year’s budget of $58,668,107. The roughly $3.1 million, or 5.3 percent requested increase, comes largely as a result of pandemic-related costs, said Superintendent Joseph Goho, who presented the proposed budget at last week’s School Committee meeting. The district plans to request a total of $34,037,237 from the town, an increase of $1,186,977, or roughly 3.5 percent. In addition, the district is projecting an increase of roughly $1.3 million in state aid, for a total of $26,513,187. The planning process for next year’s school budget has been one of the most challenging yet for school officials juggling unexpected expenses created by the pandemic.