Auburn School Committee weighs $500,000 city-requested reduction; leans toward using fund balance

The Auburn School Committee discussed how to meet a City Council request to reduce the School Department’s proposed FY 2025–26 operating budget by $500,000 at its April 16 meeting, with members indicating a preference for using one-time fund-balance reserves rather than cutting special-education outplacement spending. A final, formal vote on the budget is scheduled for a special meeting on April 30 at 6 p.m.

The discussion opened when Superintendent Sue Doris reviewed updates included with the committee’s budget memo, saying health-insurance premium increases came in at 13 percent (versus the 15 percent budgeted), producing a savings she calculated at $168,531, and that the district’s cost-sharing estimate with LRTC was $18,331 (budgeted at $74,800), a $56,469 variance. "Together, those updates reduced our operating budget by $225,000," Doris said. She reported the department’s revised proposed operating budget figures as presented in the memo.

City Council representative Adam Platt told the committee the council has not taken a formal vote but that a straw poll of council opinion has coalesced around a $500,000 reduction. "The call right now to the school department is 500,000," Platt said, adding that councilors want clarity about which services or positions would be affected.

The committee discussed two scenarios to reach the council’s target: draw an additional $275,000 from the fund balance, or reduce the special-education tuition line by $150,000 and use $125,000 from fund balance. Amanda Kuchar, the district’s business manager, explained the trade-offs. She noted the district had budgeted $1,750,000 from fund balance in the proposed budget and described the two scenarios’ estimated effects: the larger fund-balance draw would raise that figure to about $2,025,000 and, by her estimate, leave the district with just under $3,000,000 in reserves; the alternative would leave about $3,100,000. Kuchar contrasted those amounts with the district’s statutory 5 percent fund-balance threshold, which she said is about $3,200,000 under next year’s numbers.

Committee members raised risks tied to each option. Several members said using fund balance would be the least disruptive to services in the coming school year. Pat Gautier and other committee members cautioned that repeated use of fund balance is not sustainable indefinitely: "At some point, that's…we're going to dry it out," a member said. Members also warned that reducing the special-education tuition line is volatile because outplacement needs can change; Doris told the committee some students who had been budgeted midyear left the district, producing the present projected variance, but she said there is no guarantee that pattern will continue.

Committee discussion included staffing and vacancies: Doris reported nine midyear teacher openings and projected seven openings going into the next school year if there are no additional resignations or retirements; she also noted a small number of bus-driver vacancies and that educational technician positions were filled. Those vacancy counts factored into members’ assessments of whether positions could be left unfilled temporarily as a way to reduce costs.

Members repeatedly framed the choice as a short-term trade-off. "To me, it makes more sense to take it out of the fund balance because either way, we would end up hitting it if we need it," Doris said, explaining that if the district spends that budget line in-year it would tap the fund balance regardless. Other members said they preferred taking less from reserves and were prepared to accept more risk in the special-education line to preserve fund balance.

No formal budget motion was taken at the April 16 meeting. The committee scheduled a special meeting to adopt the final budget on Wednesday, April 30 at 6 p.m.; Superintendent Doris said the committee will finalize the proposal that night so the budget can go to the City Council on May 5 and so voters can consider the school budget in the June 10 validation referendum.

Why it matters: The committee’s choice affects special-education services, the district’s emergency reserves and the structure of future budgets. Committee members noted uncertainty remains over the FY 2024 audit and state and federal funding prospects, which could change available reserves after audits are complete.