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Timberlane board approves budget realignment with staff reductions and repurposed special‑education role
Summary
Facing voter‑mandated reductions, the Timberlane Regional School District board approved a package of reductions—including elimination of one tech specialist, one middle‑school assistant principal, several teaching and paraeducator positions—and voted to repurpose an open position into a middle‑school special‑education facilitator to preserve services.
The Timberlane Regional School District board on April 2 approved a set of budget realignments intended to bring the district into compliance with the FY27 amount approved by voters, including personnel reductions and targeted cuts to capital and stipends.
Superintendent Justin summarized an executive package the administration and budget committee developed after voters trimmed the district’s proposed budget. The package aimed to identify roughly $4 million in reductions from an initial $92 million proposal. It included reductions to transportation funding, shifting a lease payment into the following fiscal year, elimination of several open positions, scaled‑back stipend increases for extracurricular coaches and arts staff, and cuts to capital spending.
After discussion about the operational impacts, the board approved several motions. Members voted to eliminate one technology‑specialist position effective June 30, 2026 (motion carried; one abstention), to eliminate one assistant principal position at the middle school (motion carried; one dissent and one abstention), to eliminate two open teaching positions, to remove six regular‑education paraeducator/library assistant positions, and to eliminate two elementary teaching positions. Those personnel actions were described by administration as necessary to match staffing to projected enrollment and the voter‑approved budget.
At the same meeting the board unanimously approved repurposing an unfilled TTA position (referred to as CC 1105) into a special‑education facilitator at the middle school, effective July 1, 2026. Administration and several board members characterized the move as a way to preserve legally required LEA (Local Education Agency) representation at IEP meetings, improve timely testing and identification, and support case managers and teachers in the building after the assistant principal post is removed.
Board members and administrators debated trade‑offs: some stressed that delaying capital repairs and safety upgrades can compound costs later, while others urged that personnel reductions—though painful—are fiscally responsible given declining enrollment pressure in some grades. Administrators said they had sought less painful reductions first, and that some capital items were restored compared with earlier budget‑committee recommendations.
The board emphasized that the recommendations are reversible only by board vote and noted there will be ongoing implementation conversations about staffing assignments, volunteer roles to support libraries, and targeted supports for students affected by changes. Superintendent Justin said employees recommended for reduction in force had been notified of the administration’s recommendation and that some staff had been directed to other positions for which they are qualified.
The board’s actions tonight change the staffing and spending plan the district will implement while it prepares for next year under the voter‑approved budget.
