ERVING — Erving School Union 28 is looking to hire a second preschool teacher following the School Committee’s unanimous vote on Tuesday to maintain a second preschool classroom.

The vote resulted from a meeting focused on “looking at [budget line items] that were not expended or fully expended from last [fiscal] year, ending June 30, and seeing if those line items are still needed,” School Committee Chair Mackensey Bailey summarized before discussion took place. The committee referenced the nearly $4.06 million requested fiscal year 2024 budget proposed in January, which includes a nearly $3.87 million town appropriation after an amendment by voters at May’s Annual Town Meeting.

“Seeing that we have the budget for it — it’s already there, it’s already budgeted for … to me, it makes sense to reinstate the second classroom,” Bailey said before making a motion to do so.

Following a March 21 public hearing, the School Committee voted to cut $200,000 from staff salaries and $30,000 in special education transportation funding, a decision prompted by the Selectboard’s request to trim $332,000 from the FY24 budget. At a Selectboard meeting on April 10, sixth grade teacher Mark Burnett outlined the cuts as including layoffs of two preschool teachers, two math interventionists and two education specialists, as well as a 20% reduction for the technology director’s budget and “significant cuts to assistive technology and student resources.”

With the original budget request now replenished following the May 10 Town Meeting vote that amended the town’s appropriation for the school to nearly $3.87 million from the original $3.54 million brought forward that factored in staffing cuts, the amount allocated for staff salaries now stands at $992,713. According to the current contract, Erving Elementary School Unit A staff members, such as teachers, make between $47,093 and $90,916, depending on their experience and credentials.

Consideration of adding a preschool classroom during Tuesday’s meeting arose in response to a projected increase in preschool student enrollment for the coming school year. The school expects to have roughly 17 to 18 students enrolled in preschool for the 2024-2025 school year.

In addition to whoever Superintendent Jennifer Culkeen hires as a second preschool teacher, Samantha Butynski is expected to return to her role teaching preschool for the coming school year. Butynski, who spent eight years as a paraprofessional at the school before transitioning to a teaching role two years ago, previously reported being laid off with little warning on April 5 as part of the $200,000 in staffing cuts. She noted that her termination coincided with that of preschool teacher Kathryn Buell, the school’s only other preschool teacher.

The School Committee will continue to analyze the budget to ensure the school is not spending in excess. They will particularly consider reductions to budget line items 102 and 103, which entail equipment-related expenses. Members of the school community voiced a wariness about any further budget reductions during Tuesday’s meeting.

“I’m actually really confused why we’re trying to lower any line items here,” Burnett said. “It would be fine to move them if you want to adjust them and move them, but you’re the School Committee representing the school. We had this massive Town Meeting — biggest one I’ve gone to in 30 years — and we got [the budget] passed, and here we are two-and-a-half months later and we’re looking to cut areas.”

Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-930-4231 or jmendoza@recorder.com.

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