Averill Park board confronts $1.6 million budget gap; co-teaching, class-size changes and layoffs proposed

At a March 24 meeting of the Averill Park Central School District Board of Education, district leaders outlined a roughly $1.6 million budget gap for 2025–26 and described a package of cuts and program changes designed to close it.

Superintendent Jim (role/title not specified in the transcript) told the board the district faces about $4.5 million in cost increases — driven largely by health insurance and benefits — while projected revenue increases total about $2.9 million, leaving a shortfall of about $1.6 million. Jim said the district budgeted to preserve a $2.6 million reserve set aside last year and is planning a mix of staffing changes and other savings to balance the books.

The proposal would: implement a co-teaching model in larger elementary classrooms; reduce some library aide hours to two clerk-focused hours per elementary library day; avoid replacing two departing teachers and two departing aides; and eliminate six aide positions. Jim said the district…