AUBURN — Saying it’s time to update the Auburn School Department’s master plan for school buildings, Business Manager Jude Cyr recommended that $25,000 be spent to hire a consultant.

Cyr recommended hiring McCormick Facilities Management of Dexter to help a Master Facilities Planning Committee come up with a blueprint for the makeup of Auburn schools in the future.

But that didn’t sit well with School Committee member Lane Feldman, who said the School Department could not afford to hire a consultant and the work should be done with existing staff.

“We’ve done it once already, recently,” Feldman said. “We couldn’t come to an agreement. We’ve been asked to cut spending. I just think this is $25,000 to pay somebody to facilitate something we didn’t do on our own.”

Feldman was referring to a 2008 recommendation to create larger elementary schools and close the small East Auburn Community School. That plan was shelved after East Auburn parents and neighbors showed up at School Committee meetings in force to protest.

Cyr told Feldman that what was done in-house in 2008 was just facilitating a subcommittee, and more objective expertise is now needed.

In addition, because of staff cuts made since then, no one is available to do the in-house work, Feldman was told. He suggested giving the work to the new assistant superintendent who will start on Aug. 1.

“You really need an engineer,” Cyr said, to objectively look at existing building space and enrollment and make recommendations. McCormick Facilities Management “are the professionals,” he said. “They’ve done this in and out. I know it’s a lot of money, but I think the end result is you’ll get the data you want.”

Superintendent Katy Grondin said the McCormick company would be more than a facilitator to the Master Facilities Planning Committee. The company would act as facilitator, but would also provide answers with research and facts. That kind of expertise and time isn’t available with existing staff, Grondin said.

For the next new master plan, “we need the credibility,” School Committee member Bonnie Hayes said.

“We need the dollars,” Feldman said.

Committee Chairman David Das said a decision would be made at the next School Committee meeting on Aug. 3 on whether to spend $20,000 or $25,000 to hire a consultant.

In other business, Cyr gave an end-of-year finance report on the 2010-11 budget that ended June 30. The $34.1 million budget ended with a fund balance — money that was not spent — of $580,000 that will be carried forward for the 2011-12 budget.

The biggest chunk of money came from health insurance savings. The School Department saved $321,620 after labor contracts were changed two years ago. Staff are now paying more to have their spouses on the department’s health insurance plan.

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