The School Board has taken $372,000 out of the 2009 proposed operating budget, bringing the amount to $56.8 million.

Actual appropriations will be higher for 2009- 10 since that number does not account for salary increases for the three employee unions in the district.

Those will appear as separate warrant articles on the March ballot. Next year, teacher pay raises will cost $987,763, while custodians and maintenance staff will be $63,413 more.

At its Monday, Jan. 5, meeting, the School Board approved a third contract for the union of library assistants, secretaries, teacher aides and other support staff. But the provisions of the new contract are not being released until the union vote, which is scheduled for the middle of this week.

School Board members said their budget serves the needs of taxpayers in a recession economy without compromising educational programs.

“We made cuts very thoughtfully,” said Vice Chairman Terry Wolf. “It was what we felt would be ... shaving it as closely as we could without cutting or bleeding.”

The budget is $72,000 more than the default amount, which the district legally must spend to provide a public education and pay teachers for the 2009- 10 school year. The default budget for the year incorporates the cost of adding the 12th grade to Bedford High School. Both the default and the proposed budget do not include new programs, school officials said.

The School Board will hold a public hearing on its proposed budget on Monday, Jan. 12, at 7 p.m., at the Bedford High School theater.

The deliberative session will be at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 3, at the high school. The budget goes for final approval before voters on March 10.

The budget cuts, totaling exactly $372,540, were spread out over a dozen areas. They include: minus $25,000 from the high school operating budget, $10,000 from the middle school operating budget, $52,953 from the community education program, a $47,402 custodial position at the middle-high school complex and $47,000 in fuel.

Three of the reductions were half-time teaching positions at Bedford High School – teachers for family and consumer science teacher, English and Social Studies.

The others were $30,000 in the electricity allowance, the $5,247 Trends in International Math Science Study, $40,257 for one bus, and $20,000 from the co-curricular and athletics operating budget. These came after Superintendent Tim Mayes shaved $278,810 from the budget.

The board also decided against any major changes to the school calendar, saying it would revisit the issue in the fall. Chairman David Sacks said parents had come up to him saying they wanted school to start after Labor Day and wondering why the district had a second vacation in April after one week off in February. But other board members said they had not heard a public clamoring for a change to the schedule.

“I think it is better to start after Labor Day, but I’m not prepared to turn the calendar upside down to achieve that,” Sacks said.

Other board members said changing the schedule would not satisfy other families. “I think if you asked 10 families to assemble a calendar, I think you would get 10 different calendars,” said Don Graff.

Bob Donahue suggested the district could cut April vacation down to perhaps a day, leaving more time for the summer. One resident spoke out against that idea.

“I feel April vacation is critical. Without it, those students have two and a half months without a break,” said Faith Schuetz. “The end of the school year is really pretty much a race to the finish and that week in April gives students a chance to rest up and regroup before they start in on that.”

In other business, the board approved the four-grade program of studies for Bedford High School next year and overnight activities for intersession at the school, which is Wednesday, April 22 through Friday, April 24. Intersession offers students academic activities beyond the traditional classroom.

In addition to overnight trips to Mt. Washington, Utah and Denmark, among others, daylong jaunts are scheduled for the Currier Museum of Art and the New Horizons shelters in Manchester. On campus, activities will range from medieval combat re-enactments to “Fun with Science.”