The Community Consolidated School District 15 board took the next step in potential cuts to bridge a budget gap, while administration officials said they are trying to see if the teachers are willing to accept compensation concessions to prevent layoffs.

Superintendent Scott Thompson presented a revised plan for potential cuts to the public and the board Feb. 8. The new plan had little differences than the one unveiled earlier that week, which kept most cuts in place, but restored the band and orchestra program.

“This doesn’t solve our problem, it’s the first step on our way to a solution,” he said.

However, the plans still call for reductions in teaching positions and program assistants, as well as increased class sizes. Thompson said many positions would be eliminated through the 21 teachers who are scheduled to retire, but as many as 18 current faculty members may need to be dismissed.

There is a budget gap of $9.6 million, which would deplete the district’s reserves in five years. The new plan calls for about $6 million in cuts, with the rest coming from the district reserves with the ultimate goal of closing the gap completely in coming years. The goal is to keep reserves at 30 percent of annual operating costs.

“We would prefer not to be in this position, but we know we have to take some of these steps in order to keep the district in a strong financial position and carry out the tradition of excellence District 15 is known for,” Thompson said.

The administration is negotiating with the teacher union, with a goal to have some kind of resolution by June, Thompson said.

Some parents and community members, who attended the meeting and spoke publicly, supported an across-the-board pay cut to avoid staff reductions. Based on the numerous speakers and the reaction they received from the audience, the crowd was largely in favor of the reductions.

“While the community has been forced to tighten their belts, the district has been increasing spending,” said Jennifer Zold, of the local group Citizens for Accountability in D15. “In order to solve this problem, you must look at our largest expense — salaries and benefits. The rate of rising salary of the average District 15 teacher has far outpaced that of the public struggling to support it.”

Resident Len Green also supported the goal of the proposed cuts.

District 15 “is not exempt from the natural law of economics,” he said. “By that I mean, you have to manage within your means. If expenses exceed income, you have to stop doing what you are doing to rectify things.”

The board, meanwhile, did not dispute any of Thompson’s recommendations.

“I think we do need to do this as a short-term solution,” said board member Scott Herr. “I don’t think we can make assumptions about the outcomes of the negotiations I think we do need to take these steps in spite of the impact, the huge impacts to the students and the teachers.”

Board member Manjula Sriram said dipping into the reserves is acceptable for the first year of a multi-year cost-reduction plan.

“You can go into your savings once, but you can’t keep going back to the savings every time, or you won’t have any savings to use,” she said. “So using the fund balance is okay if we have a long-term plan to fix the structural problem.”

A vote can happen as early as March. The district will likely need to notify teachers they would not be brought back at the time of the vote to comply with a state law requiring 60 days notice before the end of the school year. However, Thompson said if a deal can be reached to save some, if not all, of the positions, those notices would be rescinded.

Lisa Nuss, president of the District 15 teacher’s union, said she was skeptical about the projected deficit and the public way it has been discussed, calling it a “negotiating tactic.”

“It is meant to scare the public and have public opinion that is negative toward the teachers,” she said. “The finger has been very clearly pointed at salaries and benefits.”

She added that the cuts hurt the ultimate goal of educating students.

“The teachers and District 15 want to continue to provide the quality education we are used to providing,” Nuss said. “Some of the cuts make it increasingly difficult to provide that service.”