MANCHESTER – The Bedford School Board has scheduled a sit-down with Manchester Mayor Frank Guinta to hash out some concerns surrounding the city’s proposed school budget, which could cut off programs to Bedford students.

The proposed budget is about $7 million less than this year’s.

The mayor and selectmen have been trying to come to a compromise and recently voted not to lay off teachers, but rather look at cutting athletic, ROTC and other programs.

On Tuesday, May 13, Bedford and Hooksett school officials met with the mayor and his political adviser.

“The meeting, I would say, was a good one,” said David Sacks, chairman of the Bedford School Board.

He said Bedford officials were committed to having similar conversations with the mayor, aldermen and city School Board members in advance of a June 10 decision on the Manchester school budget.

Sacks said Manchester was obligated by contract to provide the same quality education to Bedford seniors at West High School as it has to students who have gone there in the past. He noted the district is paying an additional $200 premium on top of regular tuition for its pupils at West, to aid with the transition of its high school students to Bedford.

Since the issue ultimately comes down to what Bedford says is a legally binding contract, Sacks conceded a lawsuit is a possible outcome, but he said the school district is currently not pursuing that option.

“I don’t believe that’s even worth talking about now,” Sacks said.

If the Manchester school district can figure out a way to run schools on whatever budget they are given without increasing class sizes or jeopardizing their accreditation, they will not be in violation of the contract, Sacks said.

The meeting was non-public and without a quorum of any board, Sacks said, in keeping with the Right to Know law.

The Manchester School Board has announced several times that they would not authorize sending 80 pink slips to teachers in Manchester schools this year. The deadline for issuing pink slips has come and gone, coaxing sighs of relief from the district’s teachers but furrowing the eyebrows of Manchester school officials as they look for other areas to shave millions of dollars.

“It’s a good thing if they believe they will have enough funding that they won’t have to lay off teachers,” Sacks said, adding that the Bedford School Board is reserving further action until Manchester’s Board of Aldermen has reached a final decision.

“We’re obviously going to stay as engaged as we can,” said Sacks.

The phasing out of Bedford students from West High School resulted in lost revenue for the Manchester school district, despite the $200 fee Bedford paid on top of tuition rates for the phasing out of each student, a process that some have blamed for the current school budget crisis.

Since the city of Manchester’s public budget meeting on April 28, when about 2,000 people attended – including all Bedford School Board members and Superintendent Tim Mayes – the Manchester School Board has said three times they would not lay off teachers.

The Manchester School Board asked for $153 million to cover the costs for the district in 2008-09, but the mayor wanted $140 million in his budget for the district’s appropriations.

While it makes up about half of the mayor’s overall $276 million budget proposal for the city, the school budget $7.3 million less than the district’s 2007-08 appropriation.

Board of Aldermen members have said they would be happy with tax increases of between 2 to 4 percent, or a budget around $145 million, for the school.

A school appropriation of $145 million would still be $2.3 million less than what they’ve been authorized to spend this year.

“Is it better than $140 million? Yes,” Sacks said, adding he still has reservations about the Manchester school district’s ability to maintain their current level of education even with an extra $5 million.

If there are no layoffs, the Manchester school officials have they said may be compelled to deal with deep cuts in other areas. Programs such as music, art, ROTC and sports are all endangered.

“I find it hard to understand how they can deliver the same quality of education and programming with a number less than the current budget,” Sacks said.

– Stephen Beale contributed to this report.