Story originally appeared on WMUR.com.
AUBURN, N.H. — A New Hampshire school district is nearly $800,000 over budget and the school board is making some serious cuts.
The Auburn school board outlined some options on Thursday night to fix the issue for the school year and lessen the impacts on the next one.
The school board cited an unexpected number of students in need of special educational services as one of the reasons.
“One of the biggest factors in all of this is the intensity of services were greater than we anticipated 18 months ago,” said school board chair Alan Villeneuve.
The board is not maximizing the reimbursement from the state for some special education expenses.
Money for field trips, school bus transportation, classroom supplies and spring sports are on hold.
“Coach stipends, field upkeep, any additional equipment, refs, all those expenses, just to run the spring sports program, those will not be able to be funded,” said school board member Janice Baker.
Superintendent William Rearick took part of the blame.
“The revenue projections I was provided with were inaccurate,” Rearick said.
A handful of paraprofessionals and other staff are at risk of losing their jobs.
On Thursday, board members said they’re considering all options, like liquidating their trust funds, using the state’s “catastrophic aid,” and securing approval from the DOE to over-expend their budget.
The board said they’ll provide updates to families about where they’re at in their plan as it progresses. The next scheduled meeting is April 9.
