The plan includes fees for athletics and extracurricular activities and will lead to an increase in school lunch prices.

And, if the schools get additional money recommended by the finance committee and selectmen, they will set up an alternative program for secondary students; restore art, physical education and music classes in the elementary schools; and keep two more teaching jobs.

What won’t change are plans to close the Devine Early Learning Center, all but eliminate school bus service and cut more than 40 jobs, about half of them teachers.

“None of these are reductions we wanted to take,” said School Superintendent Richard Silverman.

The school committee approved a series of cuts if the school budget remains at the current $29.17 million for the 2007-08 school year.

“We know, as a minimum, we will get that next year,” said school committee Chairman Larry Azer.

It also approved plans for how it would spend the additional $330,000 the selectmen recommend for the school budget or the $500,000 more it would get under the plan endorsed by the finance committee.

Town meeting, which begins May 15, makes the final decision on all town spending. If town meeting gives the school more money than the finance committee plan, “I’ll be more than happy to come back and divvy up the money,” Azer said.

The committee agreed with Silverman's recommendation to restore five teachers in the elementary schools, where projected class sizes were averaging 29.

“We cut more elementary teachers than were reasonable or that we could function with” under an earlier version of the budget, Silverman said.

The high school athletic budget will be cut nearly in half, from $406,676 to $214,480. The school will drop freshman teams, and sports will be eliminated based on participation and the need to offer the same number of programs for boys and girls.

Azer said the athletic cuts will mean the school will drop “a boys’ sport and a girls’ sport for each season.”

High School Principal William Conard and Athletic Director Robert Wargo will recommend where the cuts will be made.

The school will add an annual $100 fee for participants in school athletics, and a $40 charge for clubs and activities at the high school and middle school.

Silverman said the administration was mindful of what happened when fees were imposed four years ago, with fewer students playing sports.

“We tried to find a fee that’s reasonable and doesn’t discourage participation,” Silverman said.

School lunch prices would rise between 10 cents and 25 cents due to the committee’s decision to have the company that runs the program pick up $40,000 in utility costs.

“In general, our school lunch prices are on the low side,” Silverman said.

The committee decided to make its top priority, if additional money is available, the creation of an alternative program for secondary students who are too disruptive for regular classes.

School committee member Maureen Kenney felt the schools were being forced to make an unfair choice.

“It’s painful to us to take money away from kids who want to learn,” she said.

Silverman said it would prevent more expensive placements in special education programs and would benefit all the students in the two schools.

“These are the most disruptive students in the Randolph school system who are causing problems for all the other students,” he said.

If the increase in the school budget is larger, the committee would restore librarians in the secondary schools and restore art, music and physical education classes in the elementary schools to once a week.

Most of the cuts have been discussed since January and are needed to cover the cost of negotiated pay raises, special education programs and other expenses. Voters rejected a $4.16 million tax increase in the March 27 town election that would have maintained current school programs.

Fred Hanson may be reached at fhanson@ledger.com.