Merrimack School Board reduces next year’s spending plan, vote on entire budget Tuesday

MERRIMACK – The Merrimack School Board made a number of recommended reductions to the 2013-14 budget at a special meeting Wednesday night, but won’t vote on the entire budget until next week. The proposed 2013-14 budget is $67.29 million, which calls for eliminating 6.5 teaching positions and adding two part-time educators. At the elementary level, 2.5 positions would be nixed, while the remaining four would be cut from the high school. All of these cuts are due to declining enrollment, save for the French teacher at the high school, which Superintendent Marge Chiafery initially said was due to lack of interest in the subject. Students and members of the public expressed their opposition of cutting of the French teacher at an informal budget hearing Monday night. Assistant Superintendent Mark McLaughlin offered the School Board the option Wednesday night to reinstate the part-time French position at Merrimack High School. “We went back to the drawing board … what we tried to achieve a comprise, which was both fiscally responsible and based on those expressed concerns,” McLaughlin said.