BETHEL — Regional School District 44’s confirmed reduction of state aid for the current school year is about $20,000 more than expected, and may likely lead to the elimination of a few part-time or stipend positions.

But it’s not this year that Superintendent David Murphy is as concerned about as much as school year 2010-11.

“For this year, we will continue our spending freeze, and may not fill any vacant small positions,” he said.

The district learned last week that it will receive about $249,000 less than the state had said it would get.

Next year, Murphy believes the district may lose as much as $640,000. And to make matters worse, he said the district will have virtually no carryover from 2009-10 to apply to next year’s school taxes.

“We will be looking at everything — support services, positions, programs, facilities,” he said.

Adding to the monetary troubles are assessments of the district’s member towns that are higher than the state average.

“Everything will be on the table,” he said. “We have minimized our budget for the past several years.”

The approved budget for the current year is $9.6 million, which is several hundred thousand dollars fewer than the year before.

An ad hoc committee comprising five community members, five school board members, a selectman from each member town, the building and grounds director, and the board’s chairman began studying all district schools and other buildings last month.

Plans are to assess each, then make recommendations to the full board for possible closure or restructuring no later than April as part of the budget development process for 2010-11.

District buildings are Andover Elementary School, with 31 students; Woodstock Elementary School, 85 pupils; Crescent Park Elementary School in Bethel, 290 students; the Telstar Middle/High School complex, about 500 students; the bus garage; and the former Ethel Bisbee School, that currently serves as the district central office.

Murphy said the Dec. 14 board meeting will include a discussion on the curtailment for this year and any actions that could be taken to reduce district costs. But the real work will start in January.

“This is just the beginning,” he said.

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