During a School Board meeting on Monday that was packed with attendants both in person and on live stream, the Jaffrey-Rindge School Board took an initial look at what potential cuts it might make after $3 million was cut from its original proposed budget.

Residents at deliberative session voted to reduce the proposed budget from $33.76 million to $30.76 million. Now, the majority of the School Board is advocating for a no vote on the budget article, which would put the district’s default budget of $33,858,458 into place.

The board considered a list of possible areas for reduction compiled by district administrators, though Superintendent Reuben Duncan said that together, all recommendations exceeded the total $3 million – totaling about $4.17 million –  and were all at this point only points of discussion for the board, with no decisions made.

Classroom programs and cutting teachers were among the considerations, particularly unified arts positions at both the middle/high school and elementary schools. Elimination of Conant Middle High School unified arts would eliminate two to three full-time positions, for a savings of about $250,000. For both elementary schools, it would eliminate between five and six positions, for a savings of about $500,000 to $600,000. Sharing unified arts programs between the elementary schools was also proposed.

Increasing class sizes through elimination of teaching positions was also proposed, including up to six full-time employees at the elementary level, which would increase class sizes to at or near the state caps of 25 for classes up to second grade, and 30 for grades three to five. Elimination of two full-time employees at the middle school level would also possibly increase class size.

Several of the potential cuts were aimed at early childhood education. Among the proposals were reducing kindergarten from full day to half-day for $150,000 of savings and eliminating the staff daycare center, which would remove three full-time employees and about $170,000. Cutting the district’s preschools for 4-year-olds would eliminate 7.2 full-time positions, for about $400,000.

Extracurriculars were also potential areas for cuts, including the elimination of clubs and athletics for a reduction of 4 1/2 positions of coaches and advisers, and $750,000 in savings. Cutting field trips and residency programs would save $100,000, and cutting the summer education program would save $75,000.

Possible cuts also included salary freezes for SAU and non-union employees, for $140,000, elimination of non-contractual staff development for $75,000 and consolidation of job responsibilities in the SAU and elimination of up to one to two full-time employees, for about $75,000. Eliminating two behavior support administrators would $300,000, and cuting four non-administration behavior support positions would save another $300,000.

Several areas of building maintenance were on the list, including eliminating a painting and carpeting cycle for a savings of $120,000, and reducing purchase of print materials such as books by $75,000.

Board member Sandra Stewart said, “None of them are things I want to do, but we have to start making choices.” She said that looking to the Little Orioles and preschool and field trips with expensive busing costs were among her first instincts.

“It really is a lot of poor choices,” said Chair Chris Ratcliffe. He said his focus was on “sustainable choices,” not on things that could carry the district over a single year, saying that otherwise the district may be back again next year facing the same issue.

“If we’re going to make cuts, let’s make cuts we can live with,” he said.

Ratcliffe said measures like salary freezes are only temporary, because eventually, the district will have to either give salary increases, or lose employees. He said that, unfortunately, left decisions that resulted in the loss of positions.

School Board member Charlie Eicher said the issue was not so dire as board members made out, suggesting that because the original budget proposed by the board was about a $2 million increase from the current budget, that really what the district was looking at was a $1 million cut.

Ratcliffe pushed back on that assertion, noting that the district has voted in a teacher contract, which is built into the budget. It is also dealing with rising costs of special education services, has added programs, expanded the pre-school to be universal, added back in an advanced math class and ad ded a STEM program at Rindge Memorial School, among other changes. He said special education increases alone have added about $1 million to the budget.

The board did not make any official decisions on Monday, but said conversations on the budget and potential cuts would continue, including during a School Board finance committee meeting scheduled for Thursday at 4 p.m. in the SAU, and the next-scheduled School Board meeting on Feb. 24.

Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.