The public will have a chance to weigh in Thursday on the Medford School District’s proposed budget for next school year — a budget that contains millions of dollars in cuts and the potential elimination of jobs.

The school district’s budget committee meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at Oakdale Middle School, 815 S. Oakdale Ave.

After taking public comment, committee members will hear district officials answer 31 questions they submitted about the budget.

“We are grateful for the engagement of the budget committee members who have submitted thoughtful questions and given us the opportunity to provide thoughtful answers,” said Natalie Hurd, communications and community relations director for the district.

On Thursday, the committee could also approve a proposed 2024-25 budget for the school board to review and eventually adopt, unless committee members feel another meeting is needed on May 30.

The committee first met on May 2, when members heard a presentation from district officials and Superintendent Bret Champion on the proposed budget.

The $202-million proposal includes $7.6 million in cuts and the possible elimination of 32.5 positions. District officials originally said most of these eliminations could occur through attrition. While officials originally estimated that five to 10 employees could be laid off, the estimate is now lower, the district said Tuesday.

Ilex Brandenberger, chairman of the budget committee, said in an interview that the committee has to be smart about recommending any proposed cuts. 

“If we aren’t smart about how that’s done, then we’re cutting programs or things that are very useful to people … that we shouldn’t be cutting,” said Brandenberger, a district parent and 2023 school board candidate who served on the committee previously.

Any cut in the school district budget can have an impact on people’s lives, Brandenberger said, “and how can you not be emotional about that?”

Brandenberger said he submitted five questions for district officials to answer during Thursday’s meeting. A few of those questions came from people within the district that he consulted.

“Obviously, anything that is increasing in the budget while we’re also making cuts is something very interesting to look at,” Brandenberger said. “Why are we increasing part of the budget when we’re having to cut people from other parts? That doesn’t really make a lot of sense to me.”

Brandenberger said he always tries to ask “difficult questions” to district officials during the budgeting process.

“I think it 100% is the duty of the budget committee to ask difficult questions of the school district because the whole purpose of having that committee is to make sure that the district is spending our public money in the most appropriate way possible,” Brandenberger said.

South Medford High School instructor Paul Cynar, who has worked for the district since 2016, said in an interview that he will likely speak during Thursday’s meeting. He noted that he was not among the employees who received notice of a potential layoff, but he knows several people who have. 

“I’m going to tell (the committee) a lot of people in the district find the claims to be disingenuous,” Cynar said. “There may be issues nationwide with less money, but I don’t think what we’re facing is that — I think it’s … poor decision-making.”

Cynar and Brandenberger’s comments came as Champion joined three other superintendents throughout the state in a video message to talk about the impact that budget cuts are having on their districts. Presenting a united front, the superintendents urged greater investment in public education.

The school board will hold a public hearing June 6 on the proposed budget submitted by the committee before adopting the final version on June 27.

Medford joins large districts in plea for state to address ‘education funding crisis’