CLIFTON PARK — The Shenendehowa Central School District would lose $3.7 million in state aid this year if New York Gov. David Paterson’s proposal to cut state spending is approved by the Legislature, according to Superintendent of Schools L. Oliver Robinson.

The governor has proposed that $2 billion in spending be removed from the current state budget, some of it being increases in aid to school districts.

The Shenendehowa school board is considering several local options to save money, including cutting field trips and professional development expenses through the end of the year, Robinson said.

A public meeting on what the cuts could mean to the school district is planned for 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Gowana Library on the school campus.

Robinson and his staff have outlined a number of possible areas for spending cuts, which will be discussed during the special meeting.

He said the proposed cuts in state funding pose serious problems for school districts because they come after the tax levy has been approved, taxes have been collected and the school budget has already been allocated and partially spent.

Shenendehowa is slated to receive the maximum 10 percent cut in aid under the formula proposed by the governor. Other school districts would see cuts as low as 3 percent.

“Although the governor’s proposal is not final, the administration is carefully developing a plan to make any needed reductions to offset such a significant loss in revenue,” district spokeswoman Kelly DeFeciani said. “However, the district remains hopeful that the state Legislature and governor will reconsider this proposal based on the potential devastating impact it will have on schools and programs for students.”

Robinson said school officials understand the state’s need to reduce spending, but across-the-board cuts for schools are especially difficult.

“While these are challenging times, the conversation should never be solely focused on cutting. The conversation should be about what we value as a school community and what we absolutely need to preserve at all costs,” he said.

He said the school board is considering three options for reducing spending through the end of the school year: a hiring freeze leaving several currently vacant positions open, a spending freeze on all non-essential items including field trips, professional development and certain supplies and a full audit of money that might be available because of unanticipated savings in health insurance and retirement contributions.

DeFeciani said the impact of each of the options is now being studied.