Carroll County school administrators are starting the budget process early to prepare for another and even leaner budget next school year and they are seeking the input of principals to make the necessary cuts.

“We’re trying to be proactive,” said Greg Denney, chief financial officer for the Carroll County schools. “The main thing we’re concerned with is the removal of the stimulus money.”

This year, the Carroll County school system received a little more than $4 million in stimulus funds through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Next year, those funds will not be available and with state revenue continuing to falter, state funds will probably not be available to replace the federal stimulus. That leaves a $4 million hole the school system is going to have to plug next year, and that is on top of this year’s $8.5 million in cuts from the system’s state funding.

The cuts have moved into the sensitive territory of classroom instruction, and that is where the principals can offer insight, Denney said.

“We got everybody together and basically just had a brainstorming session because you know they’re the ones dealing with the school situation every day, so they know what’s working, what’s not working in their schools,” Denney said. “They can make recommendations that I might not have as much knowledge about.”

The principals offered some very painful suggestions – art and music programs, middle school athletics, fewer paid days for full-year employees, limiting band attendance in competitions or at away games, limiting the distance high school athletes travel for competitions, delaying purchases of new textbooks, larger class sizes, alternative scheduling.

The Board of Education members are reviewing the list and adding suggestions of their own, for instance rehiring Superintendent John Zauner at half-time after his retirement. They will be discussing the list at a future meeting.

The cuts will hurt, but with dwindling revenue, they may be necessary.

“It’s killing our instruction, the quality of our instruction, because the first thing is the class sizes are increasing significantly,” Denney said. “The state has allowed you to go two over on class size. They may even raise that more. So now, you’ve got kids in the middle grades with 30-something kids in the class.”

Other potential cuts could mean that some of students’ favorite classes could be dropped from their schedules. It could also mean extracurricular activities may disappear as the dollars dwindle. Some activities such as middle school athletics could be replaced with activities at the Carroll County Recreation Department. Others, such as art and music, may not be replaced so easily since private instruction can be fairly expensive.

“I know personally from my child, that’s the one thing she loves the most is art,” Denney said. “I can’t imagine explaining to a kid that she can’t have art, but that’s a possibility and that’s a painful possibility.”

The only other option is raising the school system’s revenue, either by raising the millage rate or by some other means. One suggestion from the principals is to sell advertising space on the buses.

The county system is getting started on next year’s budget process early so the public can have some input. Once the Board of Education narrows down the most cost-effective cuts and decides on its priorities, the public will have a chance to comment on them either by online survey or public meetings or possibly both, Denney said.

The consequences of the discussion can impact the future for years to come.

“These are the same kids that some day hopefully are going to grow up and run the country,” Denney said. “You need them educated.”