AUBURN – The proposed $37.6 million School Department budget would increase property taxes 6.2 percent, according to Superintendent Katy Grondin.

That would mean property taxes would go up $72 a year on a home valued at $150,000, business manager Jude Cyr told School Committee members Wednesday.

Committee member William Horton questioned the amount of money the School Department was saving each year in the fund balance account. That account has $1.7 million.

Horton questioned why they were dealing with $15,000 in cuts, or eliminating the Land Lab teacher who makes $56,000 a year, when the district has been budgeting $853,000 each year for savings.

“It’s hard to sit here and say we have $800,000, yet we’re not fixing our schools. We’re not doing a lot of things we need to be doing. We keep bonding more money” for school repair.

“We’ve been frugal,” Cyr said. The focus on spending has been in staffing, instruction “and not raising taxes. Decisions were made to be as fiscally prudent as we can.”

The fund balance is a cushion that covers unplanned expenses during the year, Grondin said. If the money isn’t used, it’s put back into the budget. Last year, $853,000 was used to put back in the budget, as will be done this year, she said.

“Thankfully we don’t spend to the penny. Yes, we could have used it on our facilities. But then our budget would be $853,000 higher. Taxpayers’ money is being used.”

Horton said $853,000 a year may be an appropriate amount for cash flow, but this is the third year that kind of money is recommended for savings. “It’s something for us to look at.”

Horton and another committee member also questioned cutting Land Lab teacher Jim Chandler. The lab is among $543,440 in cuts to keep property taxes from going higher, Grondin said.

Chandler would be laid off, as would a central office secretary. Another budget change would reposition the Washburn Elementary School librarian to an ed tech III, saving $49,000.

Last week, Chandler spoke to committee members urging them to save his job and program. The Land Lab “is more than a field trip, and has reached every student in Auburn,” he said.

During student visits at the Land Lab at the East Auburn school, students are shown hands-on science lessons. The lab develops materials for teachers and students, helps schools analyze science test scores and responds where needed with intervention, he said.

After Chandler spoke, Horton said, “I support the Land Lab. I think it has value.”

Committee member Tracey Levesque agreed. “I don’t think you should be going anywhere.”

Grondin said the Land Lab is on the reduction list because there’s nothing left to cut. “We’re bare bones,” she said. “The public needs to realize he’s not a classroom teacher. The Land Lab is an enrichment.”

When deciding cuts, “we went through every single item asking what’s the return on investment, what’s the connection to our vision,” Grondin said. “When we looked at Land Lab over other positions, that position was selected over cutting a classroom teacher.”

Going over revenue numbers last week, Cyr told committee members the state is projecting to give Auburn $18.48 million, a 4.1 percent increase.

“That looks good,” he said, cautioning the numbers were preliminary, could change, and that new state policy will dictate districts pay more.

If passed by state lawmakers, proposed changes would mean districts will have to pay more for MaineCare costs for special ed services — $546,268 in Auburn —  and for contributions toward teacher pensions — $511,103 in Auburn. Until this year the state has paid for teacher pension contributions. To soften the blow, Auburn is receiving $297,000 more in state subsidy.

Those new shifts are some of the big reasons for the higher budget. Others include $647,564 for teacher raises and rising benefits, plus $407,000 to replace aging laptop computers and buy iPads for next year’s second graders.

[email protected]

What now?

April 24: Auburn School Committee vote on the budget.

May 1: Public hearing on the budget, Auburn Hall.

June 11: Residents vote on the budget at a referendum.