Averill Park budget shortfall spotlights music staffing and scheduling conflicts

Averill Park Central School District administrators told the board Thursday night they face about a $1.6 million budget gap for 2025–26 and are weighing cuts that could affect instructional support, electives and extracurriculars, including the music program.

The deficit is driven largely by the end of federal stimulus funding rolled into the operating budget and forecasted increases in costs, the district said. Superintendent Dr. Grinchini and staff framed the discussion as an early step in a multi-part budget process: public presentations, a revised recommendation and eventual board adoption in the spring.

Administrators said the district is using a “modified rollover” that already factors in a governor-proposed increase in Foundation Aid (roughly 6.25 percent in the governor’s proposal) but that the aid amount is not final. “We don’t know where we’re going to land,” a member of the administrative team said, noting the legislature could raise the governor’s number.

Why it matters: district leaders said they have reduced staffing through attrition in prior years and are now running out of places to make noninstructional cuts without eroding teacher support and student services. Parents and students told the board that music offerings and scheduling conflicts are already harming participation and student wellbeing.

Administrators described areas under consideration if the board must close the gap: class size, intervention services (AIS), special-area subjects and electives, athletics, building and district administration, aides and transportation. Matt, a district staff member presenting the instructional side, urged caution about cutting positions that support teachers’ work — instructional technologist and other teachers-on-assignment — because those roles provide professional development, maintain software licensing and handle student-privacy vendor agreements under Education Law 2-d.

The presentation also outlined that five of six teacher-on-assignment roles that supported teaching and learning have been eliminated since 2019; the remaining instructional-technology position is set to retire. The technology/data unit has been reduced from seven full-time-equivalent positions to five this school year, presenters said.

A separate instructional proposal discussed by administrators would phase out the district’s French program over time because the district says it has been unable to recruit French teachers; under the plan, current students could continue through higher-level French courses as needed but incoming seventh-graders would be offered only Spanish. Administrators said the move is designed to preserve continuity for existing students while aligning staffing to available candidates.

Community response: more than a dozen students, parents and alumni spoke during public comment, urging the board to prioritize music offerings and fix scheduling conflicts that routinely force students to choose between honors/AP courses and band, orchestra or choir. Students described losing access to ensembles, larger lesson group sizes and reduced small-group instruction because the music teacher is split between middle and high school duties.

"Musical ability is an important part of a well-rounded student," student Theo Park told the board. "Many students don't get placed in band and choir and never return. Others struggle every year making decisions between other important classes such as core classes and band." He urged the district to examine scheduling models used by neighboring districts that protect music blocks.

Multiple students recounted that scheduling patterns make it difficult to sustain participation: if a student misses a year, they fall behind their peers; if a family prioritizes AP pathways, music is often dropped. Board members acknowledged the testimony and encouraged continued engagement as the budget process unfolds.

What’s next: administrators said they will present budget numbers and tax-cap information at the next meeting and return with a recommendation for adoption later in the cycle. They asked the community to follow the state budget debate because the final Foundation Aid number — set by the legislature in spring — materially affects local options.

Ending: Board members thanked speakers for their testimony and said scheduling and staffing will be part of ongoing budget and policy discussions; no budget votes were taken Thursday.