Officials at Palatine-based Community Consolidated School District 15 are recommending the School Board spare the band and orchestra programs from pending multimillion dollar cuts.

District administration recently announced a series of possible cuts to deal with a $9.6 million budget deficit, including staff reductions, larger class sizes and the elimination of some programs.

However, feedback from parents and teachers has led the administration to pull some possible reductions and cuts off the table, most notably band and orchestra.

“We took the whole month seeking feedback from all of our stakeholders on the proposals that were floated out there,” said Superintendent Scott Thompson. “The overwhelming response was that band and orchestra should be the last things that should be cut.”

The administration held a public forum and private meetings with teachers and union officials in January to talk about the budget reductions, with the purpose of seeing what the community at large was willing to accept. Along with teacher compensation and staff reductions, band and orchestra was a frequent topic at a Jan. 23 forum.

Other cuts pulled from the list include reductions in extracurricular stipends for teachers, activity buses that ship students to after-school programs and a proposal to reduce administrative costs by having an assistant principal split time at two schools instead of working full-time at one. Thompson said those were also pulled because of feedback.

The cuts were introduced to deal with long-term fiscal issues at the district. If every cut on the list was eventually passed by the board, Thompson said it would have essentially eliminated the $9.6 million deficit.

Because some suggestions are being pulled, Thompson said he is recommending the district dip into reserves to the tune of about $3.6 million. The district has about $55 million in those reserves. School districts judge the health of reserves against the annual operating cost, with District 15 having about 40 percent in reserves compared to annual expenses. Thompson said, if the plan is passed as-is, the reserves would drop to about 30 percent.

The state Board of Education recommends school districts have at least 25 percent in reserves. Thompson said they want to keep it a littler higher, with the long-term goal being a stable, balanced budget.

“The goal is to keep it at 30 percent,” he said.

The board is tentatively scheduled to vote on the cuts March 14. Thompson’s recommendations need to be approved by the School Board, and the list can change before the final vote.

The board was scheduled to met to further discuss the issue Wednesday evening. Check TribLocal.com for updates.