Old Rochester Regional Junior High and Senior High Schools are looking at changes to the faculty and staff as discussions progress for the 2014 budget.

At $17,014,145, the current budget proposal is a 2.25 percent increase from the 2013 fiscal year budget.

“Knowing we have some increases in this budget from health costs and contractual obligations, I said ‘Be creative. Look at what you have,’” said Superintendent Doug White.

Under the budget constraints, Junior High Principal Kevin Brogioli proposes shuffling some faculty positions. Brogioli would like to change the part-time reading specialist position to full-time, which would include teaching one English class. Currently, one of the guidance counselors is teaching an English course.

“I’d like to get the guidance counselor out of the English teaching business,” said Brogioli.

Brogioli would also like to add a second physical education teacher. After cutting one physical education teacher position a few years ago, Brogioli said classes have been very large and there have been scheduling issues.

To offset the cost of the new hires, Brogioli said a few cuts will have to be made. If the budget is approved, a certified physical education teacher would replace the school’s physical education assistant and the librarian's hours would be cut to part-time.

“There would be no librarian in the afternoon,” explained Brogioli. “It’s not ideal, but it’s the best way with the confines of the budget.”

By reducing the librarian’s hours, students would only be able to check out books until 10:40 a.m. Brogioli said teachers could still take their students to the library.

Brogioli said students could use their “flex time” in the mornings to check out books. “It doesn’t really change the students’ point of view too much,” he said.

At the high school, Principal Michael Devoll said he would like to add a campus aid, a position that was cut three years ago.

The job would include monitoring the parking lot before and after school as well as manning an in-school suspension room, which is something the school has not been able to maintain.

“That’s been detrimental to how we can work with students who need assistance. This position could assist in keeping our students here,” said Devoll.

He added, “With the heightened sense of security needs, this is also a person who would be able to assist in that.”

Budget needs will continue to be discussed with the School Committee's budget sub-committee.