AFTON – On May 17, the Afton Central School District will ask district residents to approve a budget for the 2011-12 academic year totaling $14,724,301.

The tentative spending plan, which was adopted by the district’s board of education on April 21, represents a $273,362, or 1.89 percent, increase in spending over the current year’s budget.

Members of the school community will have the opportunity to learn more about the proposed budget at a hearing at 7 p.m. Thursday in the old high school gymnasium. This is a change of venue for the meeting, which was initially slated to take place in the school’s auditorium.

“This has been the most difficult budget year since I became a superintendent,” said Superintendent Betty Briggs.

According to the administrator, the district faced a $1,461,910 budget gap. Closing the gap required a number of cuts, including the elimination of 6 instructional and 4 non-instructional positions. While four of these positions were vacated due to retirement, it was not an easy decision for school leaders.

“It is very difficult to cut positions, since in a district our size any cuts make a tremendous impact on students,” Briggs said. She said she hopes some of these positions will be restored to part-time or in full as the district continues to look for ways to cut costs.

Athletics was another area singled out for reductions. As a result, modified volleyball and golf have been cut completely. Modified boys and girls basketball teams will also be reduced, leaving one for each. Equipment and supply budgets have also been trimmed.

There was trimming elsewhere as well.