AMHERST — A $26.97 million budget to support Amherst’s three elementary schools for fiscal 2025, protecting level services for classroom instruction, is being recommended by the Amherst School Committee.

The School Committee Tuesday voted unanimously to recommend the Town Council adopt the budget that is $1.04 million, or 4%, over this year’s $25.93 million budget.

The budget still has the $244,640 in reductions, including a nearly full-time administrative position in the central office and a loss of a full-time custodian, meaning that rather than 12 custodians, with four in each of the buildings, the schools will be down to 11 custodians, with one likely to split time between Wildwood and Fort River schools.

The vote on the budget came after adjustments were made following outcry from families and students over the loss of instrumental musical instruction and special education. These were prevented through an extra $259,331 when Amherst officials offered to boost its 3% increase to a 4% increase, for the schools, libraries and municipal services.

Interim Superintendent Douglas Slaughter said various other adjustments and additions were made in the budget plan, with 1.84 full-time equivalents lost.

“In the budget reductions section, basically the positions, professional staff, the special education teaching staff, the instrumental music teaching staff and the paraeducator positions that were formerly in the reductions, have been zeroed out,” Slaughter said.

The budget is also supported by $400,000 in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund money.

School Committee Chairwoman Sarah Marshall thanked all the families and students who offered comment at meetings and in writing.

“Just to be clear for the public, this budget takes full advantage of that extra 1% of funding from the town of Amherst,” Marshall said.

“I do want to say yes to everybody’s patience and the people who are being squeezed in the central office, we appreciate that,” said member Deb Leonard.

The elementary school budget is unlike the budget for the Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools, where significant cuts to educator positions are still possible should a request for nearly $1 million more from the member towns fail.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.