AUBURN — The Auburn School Department would have three fewer administrators and three fewer teachers but no property tax increase in the budget Superintendent Tom Morrill gave to the School Committee on Wednesday.

The final budget will depend on action by the committee and Auburn City Council, as well as how much state legislators approve for education. But like local officials, state officials are trying to avoid raising taxes.

Proposed spending for 2010-11 is $34,167,444, about $30,000 less than the current budget. That’s less of a cut than what most districts are experiencing.

While school districts are facing cuts in state education money, Auburn is one of 12 communities getting more money. Auburn will receive $380,000 more from the state because the city’s valuation went down 5 percent, while statewide property values went up 3 percent.

How much school districts receive from the state is based on a community’s property valuation and the number of students.

“We’re very fortunate,” Morrill said Wednesday. “It doesn’t mean there aren’t needs, but we’re not dealing with some of the very difficult situations that exist.”

But while Auburn dodged a big wave this year, Morrill said he tried to position the budget to get ready for more severe cuts the year after next, when federal stimulus money now helping schools will disappear.

Auburn has used money that came from the federal stimulus for professional development for teachers. When that money goes away “no one can take the learning given to people away,” Morrill said. Also, cuts made at the administrative level “will position us for that second wave. We’ve done that purposely trying not to impact the classroom directly.”

Morrill is proposing the school department:

• Shrink office space of administrators by consolidating to the fourth floor of Auburn Hall, saving $30,000.

• Not replace three administrative positions vacated by retirements, saving about $196,000 a year. Auburn Middle School Principal Kathleen Cutler is retiring. Her job would be filled, but two deans at the middle school would be cut to one dean. Office of Learning and Teaching Director Elaine Dow is also retiring. Dow’s spot would be filled, but the assistant director position would not. Another special education system administrator retiring would not be replaced.

Three high school teachers are retiring and will not be replaced, saving $124,299.

One custodial position vacated by a retirement will also not be replaced, which means a total of seven positions cut.

While looking for ways to save includes eliminating positions, “we’re trying not to contribute to the unemployment situation” and cuts through attrition, Morrill said. “We feel we’ve been very successful doing that in the past, and we’ll continue to do that.”

There will be three fewer teachers at the high school, which will slightly increase some classes, but it won’t impede students from getting the courses they need, Morrill said. Average class sizes at the high school now range from 15 to 17.

Fewer personnel does mean less ability to do things like intervene when students experience difficulty. “That requires dollars to make sure we have the personnel to deliver that,” Morrill said.

But Auburn plans to make the best of what it has to work with and expand technology. “We’re exploring things like ‘text free courses’ that rely on the digital media that has great promise as students are the digital natives.”

The budget was approached with two priorities, Morrill said, deliver quality education in the most efficient way, and not increase the burden to taxpayers.

The School Committee will work on the budget in the upcoming weeks. A public hearing on the school and city budgets will be April 5 at Auburn Hall. The committee is scheduled to approve the budget April 7. Auburn will ask voters to approve the budget in a referendum May 11.