The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools face up to $4.7 million in funding cuts, and school board members are considering some major cuts to balance the 2009-10 operating budget.

"I think everything should be on the table," board member Mike Kelley said Thursday night at a public hearing and work session on Superintendent Neil Pedersen's recommended budget. About 80 parents, teachers and staff members attended the meeting, and many spoke in support of programs that face cuts.

The district will initially cut $900,000 from the budget, but that figure presumes the state and county maintain present funding levels. Pedersen said the Orange County Board of Commissioners is considering a budget scenario that reduces district funding by an additional $2.3 million. And Gov. Bev Perdue's proposed budget would cut $1.5 million in state money to the district, he said.

"We all have to face the realities," Pedersen said. "It's impossible to do that without impacting some of our core services. It's impossible to do that without impacting people, positions and jobs."

But Pedersen added that the district will get some funds from the federal stimulus package -- an estimated $700,000 increase in Title I funding, which supports programs for disadvantaged students, and a $1.7 million increase in funds for "exceptional student" programs.

Despite the additional Title I funding, many speakers at the hearing worried about possible cuts to programs that help minorities and disadvantaged students.

"We ask that you do not balance the budget on the backs of students who have the least," said Michelle Laws, chairwoman of the local NAACP's education committee. "Do not cut the programs that will affect them the greatest."

In response, most board members said they would oppose proposed cuts to the middle school after-school program, in-school suspension as well as the AVID program, which prepares disadvantaged students for college.

Instead, board members are considering cutting elective classes, particularly those with low enrollment, increasing class sizes and cutting teacher's supplementary pay by up to 5 percent.

A 5 percent decrease in teacher supplements would save a total of $633,330. The supplements range from $3,570 for newer teachers to $13,020 for veterans with more than 25 years of experience.

"To me, this is a very fair way to spread the pain," board Chairwoman Lisa Stuckey said. "All over the country, people are taking pay cuts."

But Dianne Jackson, a media specialist at Glenwood Elementary, said she was concerned the board hadn't notified staff members that supplement cuts were being considered.

"Please don't dishonor our teachers by talking about their livelihoods without giving them the opportunity for input," Jackson said.

Board members are scheduled to vote on a final budget to submit to the Board of Commissioners at their April 2 meeting.

INITIAL PROPOSED CUTS

• 10 percent cut in non-personnel funding for central office and schools

• 5 percent cut in salaries for central office employees

• cutting five days from teacher assistant contracts in grades K-3

• cutting one teaching position from high schools, increasing class sizes

•eliminating a bus driver/clerical position at middle schools

PROPOSED CUTS IF NEEDED

• media center assistant positions at two high schools

• the equivalent of four full-time elementary music, art and physical education teaching positions

• $10,000 for sports and clubs at each middle school

• world language courses for kindergarten and grade 1

• requiring middle school core teachers to teach five class periods per day

• high school career center assistant positions

• reducing the number of gifted education specialists serving elementary schools

• requiring high school athletic directors to teach two class periods

• cutting high school athletics budgets

• eliminating foreign language classes with low enrollments

• eliminating service learning coordinator positions