The Greater Johnstown School District faces the potential loss of an estimated $200,000 in state aid through proposed elimination of a weighting factor on daily average attendance of secondary level students.

Elimination of the special aid feature which weighs each junior and senior high pupil at 1.25 for aid purposes, has been recommended in connection with Gov. Hugh L. Carey's $10.69 billion state budget for the 1975-76 fiscal year beginning April 1.

Weighted aid at the secondary level was proposed for elimination last year, but pressure from suburban areas caused the state Legislature to continue the added aid for another year.

Superintendent of Schools Robert D. Agone said this morning that his office has received no specific information on the state aid proposals for the coming year.

Informed of the proposal to eliminate the weighting factor at the secondary level, he said a preliminary computation indicates that this could cost the school a loss of $20,000 in assistance.

In terms of local impact, a $200,000 loss in state aid is equivalent to about $12 per $1,000 of assessed valuation in the City of Johnstown and corresponding rate figures in the township portions of the district.

When the proposed elimination comes up for legislative action, the Republican-controlled state Senate is expected to fight for continuation of the secondary weighting program.

Argone explained that educational costs a the secondary level are higher than at the elementary level because of the departmentalized programs such as physical education, science laboratories, home economics, industrial arts, etc.

As a result, the state has traditionally contributed more toward the secondary-level cost through the weighting formula in which a school district receives aid for one additional student for each four in its daily average attendance. This results in 25 percent more state aid for secondary level pupils than for the same number of elementary children.

With a state aid ration of 73 percent, the school district is currently receiving $866 per student in assistance against a state ceiling of $1,200 in per pupil cost.

The district's daily average attendance -- not enrollment -- runs in the range of $1,050 at the secondary level. With the 1.25 weighting, the number of pupil units on which the $866 aid is received can be boosted by as much as 260, representing more than $200,000

Business Administrator Carl E. Diltz, in providing some of the financial data, said that the $200,000 potential loss of state aid in that amount would be "very damaging" to the school district's financial situation.

He noted that until specific information is received from the state on the assistance plans for the coming year, it is impossible to determine the overall effect of the various factors being considered.