The South Lane School District has released its proposed budget for the 2017-2018 cycle. The district has warned residents for months that, due to legislative action on part of the budget, cuts would be coming down the line for South Lane. 

The Ways and Means Committee has allocated $7.8 billion to the state school fund. That number falls approximately $600 million short of the current standard services level. To make up the difference, schools must cut services, days and staff. 

For South Lane School District, the difference comes to approximately $1 to $1.8 million. The shortfall coincides with several other factors around the district including an estimated larger kindergarten size than in previous years, the end of a physical education grant that funded gym teachers, a 4.5 percent increase in the employer's PERS rate and a delay in adopting the state's textbook mandates. 

The latest decreased budget is the latest in a string of shrinking budgets. The school has cut 41 days combined from previous years resulting in the district's eight-grade students having just two full school calender years in their South Lane experience.

Previous cuts also means current options for budget saving measures are slim. 

South Lane will request up to four additional days cut to attempt to come into line with its new budget but that move will require approval.

According to the proposed budget, the school district does not plan on laying personnel off but several vacancies will be left unfilled and the district warns of larger class sizes and workloads for instructors. 

The full budget can be viewed on the SLSD website.