AUBURN — Close East Auburn School. Cut raises to teachers. Eliminate three of six elementary guidance counselors and one high school assistant principal.

Those ideas were discussed Wednesday night after Auburn city councilors told the School Committee it had to pass a budget with no more than a 1.8 percent increase.

That would mean Superintendent Katy Grondin’s recommended budget would have to be reduced by $1 million, bringing the proposed school spending plan to $38.9 million.

Reducing $1 million in spending would mean a home valued at $150,000 would pay $19 more a year; instead of $105 more a year in the initial budget recommendation.

This year’s budget is bigger, Grondin said, because of uncontrollable increases in special education costs, staff raises and health insurance costs. Grondin called her spending plan a “maintenance” budget.

She said she’ll have a list ready for the April 1 meeting, the night of the budget’s public hearing.

But in an emotional voice, Grondin warned that it would hurt students while city services would remain unchanged.

The city hall draft budget includes a 1.79 percent increase.

“I did not hear any staff reductions except for three,” Grondin said. “No fire station closes. No department at city hall closes.” The Police Department would not lose any employees. “You will see the same services on the city side. A $1 million cut to schools will impact the education of students.”

Councilor Mary LaFontaine, the mayor’s representative on the School Committee, said, “The will of the city councilors this year, and of a lot of our residents, is that we stay with the City Charter and have no more than a 1.8 percent increase.” 

LaFontaine said she does not want to cut student programs, but that Auburn cannot afford a “Cadillac” School Department.

“We don’t have the Cadillac version,” Grondin said.

School Committee member Peter Letourneau suggested three areas that could be cut: raises to teachers, reducing the number of elementary guidance counselors from six to three and cutting one high school assistant principal.

School Committee member Christopher Langis said the committee must do “what’s right for students and taxpayers.”

Langis said he doesn’t favor cutting sports, music, arts or libraries, but savings have to be found. He suggested closing East Auburn School, which would save about $500,000.

Member Bonnie Hayes said she didn’t want to debate cuts before seeing a list from Grondin, who has a deep understanding of Auburn schools that individual committee members do not.

Laurie Tannenbaum agreed, adding that she didn’t agree with cuts.

“It makes me sick,” she said. “I don’t agree with reducing teachers. I don’t agree with reducing counselors. I don’t agree with reducing administration. I don’t know where to begin.”

While agreeing to make a list, Grondin said she didn’t want to appear defensive. “What I do recognize is, and I’ll say it again, we are going to impact the education of Auburn students with this cut.”

City councilors ought to understand what they’re asking, she said. “It’s easy to say, ‘Cut $1 million.’ There’s no responsibility with that, for students not receiving services, for schools (without) safe cultures. It’s easy to say something without knowing the ramifications,” Grondin said.

“Having to freeze staff wages that the city doesn’t, or we have to lower our services that are going to hurt children and families and the city does not, that makes me angry,” Grondin said.

To run a school department, some increases are necessary, Grondin said.

The School Department is “at bare bones,” Grondin said. “For the last 10 years, we have reduced, reduced, reduced. That’s a fact that people don’t quite understand.”

The committee will meet to hear Grondin’s list at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 1, in the Council Chambers of Auburn Hall. A public hearing will follow at 7 p.m.