Dr. Bret Apthorpe, Jamestown Public Schools superintendent.

The Jamestown Public Schools District will likely make an announcement Monday on which day instruction will officially end for the school year.

Dr. Bret Apthorpe, district superintendent, said during his Facebook Live discussion Friday that he hopes an official end date can bring some closure for students and staff.

“It’s important to me that we wrap this year up,” Apthorpe said. “I’ve been meeting with my leadership team and we’re just triple-checking our calculations because you have to have that 180 days of instruction.”

The superintendent said Ring Elementary School will have one additional day than the rest of the district after the school was closed earlier this year for a day.

“I’m going to get that announcement out first thing Monday morning as to when the school year will end,” Apthorpe said. “At that time, of course, our principals, teachers and students will have to recalibrate all of their deadlines and expectations. Real non-negotiable for me is that when the school year ends, the school year ends, right? Whenever our last day of school is, it needs to be the last day for our staff and our students. I don’t want to stretch this thing out any longer than we have to because we have a herculean task in front of us when we look at reopening school and getting schools ready for kids.”

The superintendent also discussed concerns that remain over the district’s budget. He said state education officials have yet to release what state aid schools will receive — hampered over the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

“It’s probably the scariest proposition in my 33-year career,” Apthorpe said, noting Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s comment that schools could see a 20% reduction in state aid.

With a $90 million district budget, Apthorpe said $70 million comes from state aid. A potential 20% reduction in that aid would have a dramatic impact.

“I don’t even know how you do that,” he said. “That’s so draconian to poor schools. It’s like you’re not even going to have enough bodies to teach. No administrators, it’s just awful.”

Apthorpe said school officials were expecting to receive information on state aid numbers that Friday, which would help prepare for the June 9 school budget vote. However, he learned the information may not be made available until at least May 20.

“I know that the state’s doing this because they’re hoping the federal government will help out because I know they don’t want to have to make those decisions,” Apthorpe said. “So, the big wait game continues.”