ATTLEBORO - In an educational world where MCAS testing and federal requirements are forcing schools to place new emphasis on basics, the head of the city's school system has placed the three Rs at the top of her list of budget priorities for next year.

Last week, Superintendent Pia Durkin submitted budget proposals to the school committee that emphasized reloading, restructuring and remediation to replace counselors and others lost in 2004 budget cuts, make support services more available to students and assist those who have fallen behind in school.

While she did not link her proposals to specific budget amounts, Durkin specified nearly 11 new positions that would be needed next year, including adjustment counselors, math coaches and reading specialists.

She also called for the equivalent of 2.5 kindergarten teachers, who would be necessary to begin expanding the city's kindergarten system to a full-time program.

Serious work on the budget began last Tuesday night, with the first in a series of meetings by the school board's finance subcommittee, which spent time listening to building principals. A formal vote on the budget by the school committee does not come until late March. Durkin's budget presentation last week contained virtually no mention of adding novel programs or advanced classes, focusing instead on recouping personnel losses from previous budget cutbacks and putting in place services to help failing students catch up and average students increase their skills.

The concentration on basics comes at a time when Attleboro schools are under pressure to increase student achievement because of federal annual yearly progress requirements and toughened state MCAS standards.

The urgency of that mission is underlined by the failure of five city schools to meet federal improvement standards last year and a high school graduation rate that falls 8.6 percent below the state average.

Following is a breakdown of the approach the superintendent is seeking:

Reloading. Durkin called for an increase of 1.5 middle school adjustment counselors, returning staffing to the level that existed before counselors were eliminated during the 2004 budget year. The school committee restored partial staffing for the positions last year.

"Restoration that occurred in fall 2006 does not meet the extent of our student service needs," said Durkin, who added that adolescent pupils at the middle school level are most in need of adjustment services.

Restructuring. The adoption of a full-time kindergarten program is the centerpiece of budget initiatives presented by Durkin's administration, with the addition of 2.5 new teachers. If approved, the program would roll out over three years with only five classes to be converted to full time in 2007-2008.

Durkin said the addition of full-time kindergarten would not only help better prepare youngsters for first grade, but pay dividends as pupils move into higher grade levels. Studies indicate that children who attend full-time kindergartens are less likely to need remedial classes or be retained later on.

Restructuring would also include the addition of an administrator at the high school to help guide students and their parents toward support services they may need to pass courses, meet graduation requirements and otherwise make the most of their education. Durkin said there is evidence that parents and students often do not know to go to for help when it is needed and that faculty members are also sometimes at a loss.

Remediation. Budget priorities circulated this week underlined the need to help failing students and help average students climb toward proficiency. Initiatives mentioned by Durkin include adding the equivalent of four reading specialists to provide full-time reading support at all elementary and middle schools, together with increased literacy programs at the high school and with MCAS support in science and the addition of two, part-time positions in the vocational sector.

Durkin also wants to see planning for a "grade 9 academy" at the high school that would ease the transition of middle school students by specifying a team of faculty members who would work with freshmen on a continuing basis. A major objective would be improving uneven reading and literacy skills.

The high school has already launched a "credit recovery" program that would assist students who narrowly failed some courses by receiving credit by completing an intensive, 30-hour course and taking a test.

Durkin, who acknowledges that the commitment to greater achievement will also require a greater financial commitment from the city, says meeting student needs is not only defensible but imperative. An effective school system is a necessity not only to support students but to ensure the general qualityof life.

Finding the money to institute the planned reforms is another matter.

For the past few years, schools have received the minimum funding prescribed by the state in the city's annual budget. The superintendent says she and her administration will work to build support by providing a "focused, transparent" budget with a clear rationale for each initiative.