GREENFIELD — School officials and the mayor are looking at cuts in services in the town’s public schools next year. The best case scenario they see is to level-fund the budget.
The superintendent proposed a roughly $19 million spending plan, about a 6 percent increase over this year’s roughly $18 million budget.
That leaves the school committee needing to find ways to cut services and expenses.
“We have already made difficult decisions,” about where to cut the budget, Superintendent Jordana B. Harper said. “We will continue to do so if we need to continue, but we’re trying to spare children at the classroom level from the impact of those cuts as much as possible.”
Even with a level-funded budget, the school department will have to cut services because of certain fixed costs like contract raises and inflationary hikes in fuel costs.
Mayor William Martin, who sits on the school committee, noted that around the county schools are seeing decreases in budgets, though Greenfield is seeing increased enrollment, especially among 8th-graders.
The subcommittee supported two recommendations by Martin: to fund $250,000 in Greenfield High School electives and to fund an assistant superintendent position despite a proposal to cut it.
The panel decided to discuss further whether to change current policy on school busing, a measure that could save money.
The subcommittee plans to get its budget proposal to the full school board March 8.
In the meantime, the subcommittee will further tweak the budget, which includes changes to the logistics of how special education is funded and the move of the Math and Science Academy to Greenfield Middle School. Several administrative cuts are also expected.
The superintendent’s original $19 million proposal “is not a wish list,” Harper said. “This is not everything. If it were, you would not see the cuts that are in here. The cuts are real cuts. We feel them.”
You can reach Joshua Solomon at:
jsolomon@recorder.com