Augusta school board prioritizes potential FY27 cuts after hours of public testimony urging to spare music, mental‑health staff

Augusta — The Augusta Board of Education opened a special meeting on April 27 and, after adding and extending a public comment period, spent the evening prioritizing possible reductions to the school department’s FY27 budget sent back by the city council.

Board members said the city’s budget direction requires the school side to identify roughly 2.5%–3.8% in cuts — roughly $2.5 million to $3.8 million — and the board worked through a preliminary list of positions and line items to meet the lower end of that target. No final layoffs or permanent reductions were implemented at the meeting; the board voted to place specific positions and line items on a preliminary “cut list” that will be passed (with explanation) to city council for its consideration.

Why it matters: Parents, students and staff told the board the choices carry real consequences for student safety, belonging and future opportunities. Dozens of people urged the board to preserve music education, arts and athletics, and district mental‑health supports — arguing those programs reduce absenteeism and support students who struggle in the classroom.

What speakers told the board

Audra Mabel, a parent and a pediatric health worker, said cutting school social workers would remove an essential site of mental‑health support for students who cannot access outside care: “When they can’t get in at school, where are they getting it?” she said.

Students speaking for Coney High School’s music and extracurricular programs described music as essential to their well‑being and college readiness. “These clubs are necessary to getting into college,” said Matteo Hardy, a senior who said music and clubs helped him develop leadership and collaboration skills.

Multiple parents and district employees testified specifically about the proposed elimination of a middle‑school instrumental teacher and the potential loss of Erin Carr, the band director many speakers singled out as a pivotal mentor. “Miss Carr is the reason students find their place,” said Kiera Greger (reading a statement). K‑12 music coordinator Russell Caverly told the board removing the middle‑school position would weaken the pipeline that feeds high‑school ensembles and community events.

Administrators’ framing and constraints

Superintendent Tracy (identified in the meeting) and the district’s administrative team said they had already trimmed earlier budget drafts and identified roughly $1.0M in non‑student‑impact adjustments (a state funding formula change worth roughly $162,000, lower‑than‑expected insurance increases, small transportation and capital postponements). That left the board to prioritize which remaining positions or programs to place on a preliminary cut list.

Administrators singled out several categories of possible reductions: social‑emotional positions (elementary social workers, school clinicians), co‑curricular stipends and clubs, athletic pay‑to‑play options (partial pay‑to‑play at about $100 per sport vs. a full cost pass of roughly $700 per sport), and instructional positions (classroom teachers, world‑language staffing, ESOL supports).

Board actions and votes

• The board amended the agenda to add a 30‑minute public comment opportunity (motion carried 6–0).

• After public testimony the board voted to extend the comment period and later voted, by a series of line‑by‑line decisions, to add several items to a preliminary cut list. Notable procedural outcomes included placing two vacant and two filled general‑education ed‑tech positions on the cut list and, later in the evening, adding first‑grade and fifth‑grade classroom positions to the cut list on a 6–1 vote. The board also added several non‑classroom reductions (supplies, some stipends, one security post reduction, and possible changes in administrative titles at a small number of schools).

What the board will send to the council

Board members said they would present the prioritized list and the painful tradeoffs they had made to the city council at the council’s next meeting; the council will adopt appropriations and may accept, reduce or request changes to the district’s proposed totals. Board members also agreed to continue exploring federal/title funding and other short‑term funding sources that might preserve some positions before final cuts are enacted.

Next steps

The board will present its prioritized options to Augusta’s city council at the council’s upcoming meeting; the district said it can reconvene on short notice if the council asks the board to find deeper reductions. The board emphasized that none of the proposed cuts are finalized by the board alone and that the city council has ultimate appropriation authority.

Quotes

“Music is a gateway to your soul,” parent Corey Daniels told the board, describing multi‑generation participation in the district’s music programs and imploring the board to preserve band and instrumental instruction.

“As a school nurse, I see how decreasing mental‑health supports creates a huge hole,” said Abby Folsom, who urged keeping clinicians and social workers in elementary schools.

“I don’t want to do this,” Superintendent Tracy told the board as the administration explained the mandatory process the district is following after the city’s direction on the tax increase target.

What the public asked for

Speakers pressed the board to protect: middle‑school instrumental music and band, school‑based social workers and clinicians, Key Club and other student leadership programs, foreign‑language offerings (Latin was specifically cited as at risk), and co‑curricular activities and athletics. Several speakers suggested alternative fundraising or booster support for some costs but said fundraising cannot replace core counseling and clinician services.

The bottom line

The board took a first, public pass at prioritizing deep and painful reductions. The meeting left several high‑impact items on the preliminary cut list — including a small number of classroom positions and district supports — and set the stage for a presentation to the city council, which will determine final appropriations and may require the board to reconvene if deeper cuts are requested.