Community Consolidated School District 15 in Palatine is looking at staff reductions, larger class sizes and the elimination of programs like band and orchestra to deal with a $9.6 million deficit.

Superintendent Scott Thompson met with more than 50 residents Monday night to lay out a list of possible cuts to help the district lower the budget deficit. While the district has enough in reserves to operate in the deficit for the near-future, Thompson sad they need to bring expenses closer to revenue to avoid depleting the reserves.

“Right now, the board has asked us to come back with $9.6 million in cuts for next year,” Thompson said. “That’s the current goal. The long term goal is to correct the structural deficit.”

The list of cuts revealed Monday would bring the district very close to eliminating the deficit, but many of the suggestions may be tough to swallow for the community. Many in the audience said they moved to Palatine specifically because the schools had good programs and a solid reputation.

The School Board would have to approve any cuts.

The list contained some small ticket items, like making the quarterly newsletter electronic-only at an annual savings of $5,000 — a paltry number for any school district — but it was  the larger items that brought pointed discussion from the crowd.

For example, Thomson said they could make class sizes larger, which would bring the average class size for the middle school grades to 28. This would potentially eliminate 49 teaching positions, although 21 of those could come through scheduled retirements.

Other concepts included the elimination of some programs, like elementary school band; cuts to stipends given to faculty members who are involved in extra-curricular activities; and reductions to program assistants.

The proposals received a divided response from the crowd, with some arguing they would only damage the district and take away from the schools’ goals of providing a strong and balanced education.

“All of those things we are thinking about cutting are things that help our kids,” said Jim Zeman, of Palatine.

Some argued the teachers should be taking pay freezes or lower raises or picking up more of their healthcare costs, especially because personnel costs represent 85 percent of all expenditures.

Fred Zajler, of Palatine, worried there might be a growing resentment toward teachers getting steady raises while those in the private sector are not, and as property taxes continue to put pressure on homeowners.

“They’ve got to give a little with the contract,” he said. “It’s a give and take.”

Thompson said any of those ideas will not be able to be negotiated in time for March, which is when the board is expected to address the cuts. He did say, however, the contract is up in the summer and there are plans to discuss many of those issues with the union.

Robin Serafino, a Palatine resident and Spanish teacher at Lake Forest School District 67, countered that cutting programs or teachers to save property tax dollars is counterproductive, because the quality of the schools — or lack thereof — has a significant impact on property values and the strength of the community.

“That’s when towns die,” she said.