ERVING — The Erving School Committee will hold a public hearing on Wednesday to pick one of three potential fiscal year 2025 budgets — two to the tune of nearly $4.06 million and another that totals approximately $4.13 million.

The committee voted in favor of a $4.06 million budget that would reduce preschool classes and use the funds saved from that reduction to hire an adjustment counselor during its meeting last week. However, School Committee Chair Mackensey Bailey said “out of an abundance of caution” for procedure and an aim toward transparency, the committee will revisit the topic at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.

“I can’t speak for the committee, but what we talked about and voted for on Tuesday, I’m still supporting that as what we plan to do,” Bailey said. “Our intention is always to be transparent and open. … Ultimately the decision will be up to the committee, but we’re always willing to consider the community’s feedback.”

The second and third budget options, both totaling $4,055,112, serve as a $3,626, or 0.09%, reduction compared to the FY24 budget.

Some of the largest budget cuts in Option 2 include the reduction of one preschool classroom, saving the district $48,383, and a 43% reduction of funding for special education bus drivers, saving more than $78,000. The proposed budget also cuts the superintendent’s salary by $1,182.

The decision to reduce the district’s preschool classes from two classrooms to one came after the committee reported relatively low enrollment numbers for the 2024-2025 school year.

“Currently, there are eight children registered with the possibility of 15 known children that would be eligible for the preschool class,” School Committee member Katelyn Mailloux-Little said at last week’s meeting. “Due to these enrollment numbers being really low, even if all of the eligible children in Erving enrolled, I am feeling like we don’t have high enough enrollment numbers to support two preschool classrooms at this time.”

Option 3 contains nearly identical uses of funding to Option 1, but takes 2% of its funding sourced from town appropriations, roughly $76,648, and replaces it with funding sourced from grants and other forms of revenue. The largest change between Option 1 and the other two is the hiring of an adjustment counselor for an additional $111,919. Bailey said Erving Elementary School administrators expressed a significant need for an adjustment councilor amid a spike in students seeking mental health support.

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“They said that they needed another adjustment counselor to support the needs of the students,” Bailey said. “We’re seeing an uptick in students with mental health needs for a number of reasons, and they felt that the extra position would help.”

Anthony Cammalleri can be reached at acammalleri@recorder.com or 413-930-4429.