FARMINGTON — Two support staff employees in the Mt. Blue Regional School District will be laid off at the end of this school year as a result of cuts in the 2010-11 budget approved by voters last month, the school board decided Tuesday.

Positions cut include a full-time custodian and a bus driver/custodian. Four employees will become part time and will lose their health benefits.

The work year will also be reduced by three days during the summer for bus driver/custodians, and secretaries will have their work year cut by two days. These will be scheduled outside of the school year so they do not affect students, according to the report by the district’s budget committee.

When the $22.1 million school budget was compiled and reviewed earlier this spring, a wage freeze for all district employees amounting to $203,000 was included in the draft.

Administrators agreed to a wage freeze but there is an impasse in negotiations with the teachers union.

Director Robert Flick of Farmington, who is on the negotiating committee, said the dispute has been referred to a mediator.

The union representing the support staff — custodians, bus drivers, secretaries and education technicians — rejected the salary concessions that represent $88,000.

“We negotiated in good faith and they go ahead and do a budget that has a freeze. It’s not right,” union President Terry Mosher said in an earlier interview.

Opposing the work force reduction were Flick and directors Iris Silverstein of Farmington. Both questioned how the schools will get cleaned properly with fewer employees working fewer hours.

Facilities director David Leavitt said a “team-cleaning” approach has already been started and has proven to be a more effective system of maintaining the buildings.

The board also directed him to research companies that provide transportation and cleaning services and get cost estimates. Leavitt estimated outsourcing the work could save the district $300,000 a year.

Flick called the idea “utterly ridiculous” and questioned the quality of the work that would be done by contracted cleaners and drivers.

Leavitt said many school districts in Maine are looking into the option and it is a widely-accepted practice throughout the country.

Anticipating community resistance to the idea, Chairman Raymond Glass said no decision will be made without public input.

“We will have a very, very thorough discussion,” he said. “But we need to do everything we can to save our education programs.”

Director Robert Pullo of Wilton said it is the board’s responsibility to do its homework and research all options to save money.

Next year, the district expects to have an additional $1 million cut from its state aid, and the Legislature could again cut aid midyear if revenues continue to lag. The 2010-2011 budget reflects a decrease of $1.5 million over last year and a loss of $1.6 million in state aid. It eliminated 12 teaching positions and cut programs, supplies and operating costs. Due to retirements, vacancies not being filled and job shuffling according to seniority, only two teachers actually lost their jobs.