Andover Public Schools Superintendent Magda Parvey told the school committee Thursday the district has reduced its $1.9 million budget deficit to $177,845, a development that could reduce the number of full-time positions it planned to eliminate to 2.25 from 18.7.
Parvey expects the district will be able to close the remaining deficit without layoffs. In a note to APS families and staff on Friday, she said the savings came from more teachers planning to retire than anticipated. “We expect this number may decrease further through natural attrition as staff make personal decisions in the coming months,” Parvey said.
Last month the school committee gave preliminary approval to the budget that cuts the positions and also increases athletic and fine arts fees by 2.5 percent. The school committee is scheduled to take a final vote on its budget recommendation when it meets on March 6. Annual Town Meeting needs to give final approval for the budget when it meets beginning April 29.
Parvey said the budget preserves programs for students and includes $50,000 in spending cuts on contracted services by her office, as well as the teaching and learning and finance and administration departments.
“The budget process is complex and requires careful adjustments based on many factors. Key drivers of our budget are student enrollment, assessing, and maintaining responsible staffing levels,” she said. “A number of this year’s retirements are middle school educators, and we anticipate a lower enrollment for our rising 6th grade students for the 2025-26 school year.”