AMHERST — Eight staff positions across Amherst’s three elementary schools would be lost if a $28.32 million budget, a 5% increase over this year’s $26.97 million budget, is adopted by the Town Council, according to school officials.

Finance Director Shannon Bernacchia told the Amherst School Committee at its May 20 meeting that the budget currently recommended by Town Manager Paul Bockelman, a 4% increase with another 1% from free cash, falls short of the 6% increase, $28.59 million budget, the committee endorsed. That budget had preserved all current staff who work directly with elementary school students.

The town manager’s budget is $269,704 short of the 6% increase. Bernacchia said cutting this shortfall in half could make a big difference. “It would be nice to see slightly more than 5%,” Bernacchia said.

She explained that the problem is unknowns that may come up, including whether another fifth-grade teacher will be needed at Wildwood School. While the budget includes a contingency for that $70,000 expense, Bernacchia said there would be concern about using that money to make a hire at the beginning of the school year.

The staff positions that would be lost in the 5% budget proposal include some employees who work directly with students, including a kindergarten teacher at Crocker Farm School that had been added to this year’s budget, a kindergarten paraprofessional at Crocker Farm that also had been added to this year’s budget, a Caminantes paraprofessional at Fort River School and an English language learners paraprofessional. But 3.4 full-time equivalents would be cut from the central office, as a result of restructuring, and there would also be a loss of a special education district secretary.

Bernacchia said if there is an influx of new students in kindergarten it might be necessary to restore both the Crocker Farm paraeducator and a classroom teacher. Enrollment numbers for the fall semester are not yet known.

The 5% budget, though, does restore three special education academic teachers, one at each school, and reinstates full-time specialists at all three schools, meaning art, music, physical education and library will not face a reduction in hours.

“These would all stay the same for FY26,” Bernacchia said.

To maintain all existing services, the elementary schools would have needed a 9.3%, or $2.51 million, increase to a $29.48 million budget.

Chairwoman Jennifer Shiao read a statement about assessing needs of the school and the 6% was in line with that, even if over the 4% financial guidelines set by the Town Council and a later recommendation from councilors for a 5% budget increase. Shiao said she is concerned about the town’s Finance Committee members doing “budget second guessing” that undermines the role of the School Committee.

“This increase is not arbitrary, it is intentional and it is a direct response to rising costs, state-mandate requirements and the evolving needs of our student population,” Shiao said.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.