WOBURN - Mayor Thomas McLaughlin forwarded an approximate $44.05 million education budget to the City Council Tuesday night after the School Committee approved the FY'09 spending plan following a public hearing last week.

Although that budget proposal still lacks funding for six teaching positions that exist this year, school administrators vowed to closely watch enrollment projections at the sixth grade level to ensure that a planned reduction of two teaching jobs doesn't overwhelm educators and incoming students.

A number of Kennedy Middle School teachers and parents objected to the sixth grade teaching cuts at the recent public hearing, arguing that teachers would be overtaxed and that a surge in classroom sizes would threaten the learning atmosphere.

According to School Supt. Dr. Carl Batchelder, he will closely watch enrollments during the late spring and summer months and hire an entry level sixth grade teacher if the class size numbers warrant a change to the FY'09 budget plan.

"In speaking to [Kennedy School Principal Carl] Nelson, I indicated that we needed to deal with this solution and not rush to judgment about whether we would or wouldn't fill the sixth grade position," the supt. said.

"It's not a done deal so to speak that the sixth grade position will be cut," Batchelder told the public. "I can assure you that your principal is very much on the job. And I know he'll keep a close eye on the situation."

Under the budget plan, the following major cuts would be made to existing services:

* Four elementary school teachers (saving $156,000);

* Two sixth grade posts ($78,000 savings);

* One elementary school reading teacher ($39,000 savings);

* A Wyman bus route ($40,000 savings).

The spending proposal will also zero-fund landscaping accounts for the WMHS property. The condition of the high school grounds, especially along the site's frontage with Montvale Avenue, has been criticized by area residents due to an abundance of overgrown wildflowers and weeds.

School officials had originally hoped to allocate $100,000 for upkeep at the high school.

Although the School Committee had initially recommended that an approximate $43.8 million spending plan be forwarded to McLaughlin's office, the education board tacked an additional $230,000 onto the FY'09 budget to account for cost-of-living pay hikes to employees.

Last week, the School Committee ratified a collective bargaining pact with the city's teachers, which will give a three-percent raise to educators next year.

In exchange the teachers' union agreed to increase its contribution towards health insurance premiums by 2.5 percent.

With the WTA contract now inked, the School Committee must now turn to negotiations with the district's five other employee unions, which represent the school system's custodians, paraprofessionals, nurses, secretaries, and cafeteria workers.

"The mayor spoke to [Asst. Supt. Joseph] Elia and said this would be the time to project out [the salary increases] for the entire district," said Batchelder, explaining how administrators arrived at the $230,000 increase to the budget.

After the mayor reviewed the School Committee proposal, he sent the FY'09 spending plan down to the City Council for its review last night (see related story). The council can not add to the budget, but can decrease the bottom-line allocation during its deliberations, which typically take place in June.

The council's Finance Committee is tentatively scheduled to meet next Monday with school officials to discuss the budget.