With a school closing, layoffs, reconfigurations and other cuts looming, parents of Wareham Public Schools voiced their concerns regarding the proposed 2015 budget at a joint meeting on Jan. 15.

These concerns were heard by the Finance Committee, Selectmen, the Town Administrator and the School Committee.

Closing the East Wareham Early Childhood Center and reconfiguring Minot Forest and Decas elementary schools were among proposed reductions in the budget.

Minot Forest Elementary would house grades pre-K through 1, and Decas would house grades 2 through 4. From there, all 5th graders would go to the Middle School.

With schools being split by grade instead of region, Superintendent Kimberly Shaver-Hood said there are about 70 families with children who would go to different schools.

Parents expressed concerns with potentially having to pick up their children separately or drop them off at two different schools.

“This process is ongoing,” Shaver-Hood said. “We have said, ‘let’s look at start times and configurations, and how that would fit together.”

Travel times were also a concern of parents since students may have to travel to opposite ends of town.

“We’ve been looking at the routes, and we do not anticipate any route being over 40 minutes,” Shaver-Hood said.

Other speculation included staff cuts. The proposed budget includes 16 layoffs, and residents had one question on the matter: who will be cut?

This question could not be answered because the budget is just proposed and it may violate collective bargaining, according to Selectman Peter Teitelbaum and School Committee member Cliff Sylvia.

“I don’t think you’re going to know until well into the summer of the finality of the cut process, but that’s the nature of the budget process,” said Sylvia. “We’re talking about programs and kids, and that is the guiding light as to who gets cut and why.”

These cuts will come from administrators, teachers, clerical, paraprofessionals and custodians. These layoffs would save the schools $662,038, according to Shaver-Hood.

Overall, residents had a level of discomfort with the School Committee approving a budget with cuts and transportation changes without knowing the specific details.

The budget will be voted on by the School Committee on Jan. 29.