EAGLE, Colorado — The school board is trying to bridge a $6.5 million budget gap and is considering staff cuts and tax increases.

Gov. John Hickenlooper's budget cut funding by more than $500 per pupil, leaving local school officials scratching for every dime.

“Take the known expenses and the governor's projected budget, and the school district is $6.5 million upside down,” Phil Onofrio, the school district's chief financial officer, told the school board Wednesday afternoon.

That's about 12 percent, Onofrio said.

A citizens budget committee recommended asking voters for a tax increase, but school board members insisted that any tax increase go hand-in-hand with spending cuts. That will likely mean more jobs cuts and maybe some unpaid time off.

The district cut 50 jobs before this school year.

“Eighty percent of the budget is personnel,” said Dr. Sandra Smyser, school superintendent.

The board went into a private session Wednesday afternoon to negotiate with employees.

Staffers could be asked to take a 5 percent cut, mostly through forcing one unpaid day off per month. Doing that for 10 days during the school year saves the district $1.5 million.

Local schools better off than many

Eagle County's schools are better positioned than many around the state. The local school district had $12.8 million in reserves at the end of last year.

The school board has until August to decide whether to ask voters to approve a tax increase, a requirement under Colorado's TABOR Amendment.

Before then, the school board has to answer some difficult questions, said member Brian Nolan.

“Are we willing to spend some reserves? If so, how much? Are we willing to unload some real estate not being used? Are we willing to close schools for two or three years when those schools are not running at capacity?” Nolan said.

Schools might not be at the bottom. State funding could fall almost another $850 per student, to $5,785, the lowest the law allows, Onofrio told the board.

This is not the last time the proposed tax increases and job cuts will come up, said Connie Kincaid-Strahan. They'll have this discussion in every single board meeting, Strahan said.

“Anyone who has seen the news in the last couple days knows Eagle County is not the only one going through this,” Nolan said.

Hickenlooper is scheduled to meet today with the Colorado state Legislature's joint budget committee.

Among the ideas floating around Colorado's other school districts are:

• Eliminating senior year.

• Cutting back on transportation.

• Raising athletic fees.

• Every sports cuts a coach.

• Cutting a sport or two.

• Reducing to a four-day school week.

• Shorten the school year to the state minimum.

• Reduce starting salaries.

• Reduce benefits.

Staff Writer Randy Wyrick can be reached at 970-748-2935 or rwyrick@vaildaily.com.