AUBURN – Nearly $500,000 has been cut from the School Department’s $34.2 million budget without any layoffs, Superintendent Tom Morrill said Thursday.

Laying off staff would threaten education and harm the local economy, Morrill said.

Instead, moving money from one account to another and cutting postage, travel and bus parts were approved by the School Committee on Wednesday night.

Auburn is not doing what Lewiston is: having administrators and others teach two days a month to cut spending on substitutes. Administrators can’t be spared, Morrill said.

“We reviewed everything,” Morrill said. Feedback from the faculty said they want administrators available to work with students should the need arise.

The overall goal was to find cuts that affected students as little as possible. The cuts are necessary because the state has reduced what it’s giving to K-12 schools. In Auburn that cut is $440,000 for this year.

That means Auburn won’t buy $55,000 worth of new textbooks.

A $50,000 surplus from the after-school day care program will go into the school budget.

Consolidating bus routes and going from 23 to 22 buses will save $25,700.

And reducing field trips and professional development for teachers will also save.

The cuts were made without touching the $630,000 surplus in a carryover account that may be needed next year. Because the recession is predicted to linger, the state is again expected to cut education aid because state tax revenue has slowed.

Moving a $50,000 surplus from the before- and after-school day care was possible because the program is separate from the School Department, Morrill said. “It’s an enterprise fund, which means it’s a self-sustaining program.”

Day care is offered at Fairview, Park Avenue and Sherwood Heights schools. Earlier this year, another $33,000 from the day care account was moved to the school budget.

A week of after-school care costs $45 per child. Because day care is held at schools, there is no overhead, Morrill said. The program has been in place nine or 10 years and this year is experiencing a decline in numbers due to the recession, Morrill said.

Families who need financial help are given assistance, he said.

Morrill said he’s not happy about not buying new textbooks, but learning can be augmented with information students access online.

Some field trips were eliminated, but not those funded by parent-teacher organizations or others deemed essential, Morrill said.

Every cut has an impact on learning, Morrill said. “We’re trying to deliver on our promise to provide a quality education.” That, he said, is becoming more difficult, and that isn’t expected to go away. “The next two years looks to be very problematic.”