Superintendent offers cuts and corrections to narrow budget gap; librarians, social‑emotional staff and facilities targeted for scenarios
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Summary
Administration presented proposed FY27 reductions and found $300,000+ in potential savings (JROTC correction, deferred facilities, possible nutrition reserve adjustment); committee asked for multiple scenarios showing impacts of keeping occupied positions vs. deeper cuts.
Superintendent Jake Langley presented the committee with a set of proposed FY27 reductions and line‑by‑line corrections on March 25, telling members the administration had found roughly $300,000 in potential adjustments when combining a nutrition reserve pullback, a JROTC staffing correction and a set of deferred facilities projects.
Langley described one correction that reduces the budget by $72,661 after reconciling JROTC federal‑employee staffing levels in the high school and noted a potential $111,000 in savings by deferring selected facilities work. He also said administration believes it can pull a previously recommended nutrition reserve back from the budget because state and federal reimbursements and program adjustments could cover anticipated overruns.
The superintendent presented two library staffing options: (1) preserve current staffing (an estimated cost listed at $249,122 in the full model) or (2) restructure to a 7–12 librarian with a redistributed EdTech allocation, producing estimated net savings (example restructured cost shown as $167,768) but reducing capacity and expertise in school libraries. “This isn’t a revolutionary thought, but it does reduce our capacity and expertise,” Langley said while urging members to weigh tradeoffs.
Committee members repeatedly urged the administration to produce scenario graphics showing the budget impact of keeping filled positions versus cutting vacant lines. Several members prioritized keeping librarians and social‑emotional staff, with one member calling Montello Middle School an area of special concern that may require additional staffing. Meg Shrest, an English teacher who spoke during public comment, described a typical morning aided by instructional coaches and library staff and urged the committee to consider classroom consequences if positions are eliminated.
What’s next: The committee requested multiple budget scenarios (e.g., keep all currently filled positions; add back one social‑emotional coach; maintain a dean at Montello) and asked the administration to deliver those packages before the next meeting so members can compare tradeoffs ahead of the city council presentation.
