Timberlane committee outlines plan to cut 36 positions, seeks $6.63 million gap reductions; school board to act April 3

The Timberlane Regional School District budget committee heard detailed proposals from Superintendent Maria on steps the district plans to take to close a $6,626,151 gap between the proposed budget and the budget voters ratified.

Maria told the committee the district and school board set a reduction target and developed a package of cuts intended to meet that figure. "The delta between the proposed budget and the voted budget, you can see there at $6,626,151," she said, and described a plan that reduces the salary-and-benefits line by $3,532,403.

The proposed personnel reductions would eliminate 36 positions: 4 through attrition (vacancies created by resignations or retirements), 22 by cutting currently vacant positions, and 10 by reduction-in-force affecting staff currently employed. Maria said the 22 vacant positions in the plan include many paraeducator roles and that, in places, those positions currently fund contracted services. "We're essentially cutting those open positions in this model by 50%... which is 17 of the paraeducator positions that are currently funding contracted service providers," she said. Committee members raised that cutting those vacant positions would not remove the district's legal obligation to provide services to students.

Other major reduction buckets explained to the committee include: - Principal and director-identified line-item reductions totaling $765,208 made up of 72 discrete reductions (supplies, trips shifted to families, reduced instruments/equipment and reduced professional development). - A $900,000 reduction assumed for transportation costs contingent on the district's current vendor hiring more drivers and on uncertain route/geography factors. - A $1,000,000 cut to the capital/CIP line; administrators said that level of cut would allow funding of projects already in the current CIP/lease but would substantially reduce capacity for future projects.

Maria told the committee the package still left a shortfall "north of $400,000" and said she asked the school board on March 20 whether to look at more positions, assume greater risk in contract lines, or pursue additional capital reductions. She said the board indicated it did not want to reduce additional positions and encouraged administrators to assume more risk and consider capital changes.

The superintendent said the administration will return to the school board with a refined, line-item plan at the board meeting on April 3 for formal approval. She also raised the possibility of exploring a student representative on the budget committee in future cycles and described ongoing capital work under a recently approved phase of a district lease (HVAC and controls at Atkinson Academy and Sandown North).

Discussion, context and next steps Committee members pressed administrators about which positions are affected and legal obligations tied to contracted services. Maria said she would not discuss individual employees publicly because of collective-bargaining and notification requirements, and that staffing reductions will be presented to the board as a package. She also said retirement and attrition assumptions were already incorporated into the numbers the administration is preparing.

The superintendent and the business administrator told the committee they will provide more detailed line-item information to members by email and will present a specific proposed budget to the board on April 3. The committee scheduled additional meetings and presentations to review special education, student services, CIP, and other program lines in October and November as part of the budget calendar.

Ending The school board will consider the refined plan April 3; the administration asked committee members to submit any document requests to the superintendent and business administrator in advance so staff can prepare materials for review.