The Hannibal School Board voted 7 times Thursday night before agreeing on a spending plan, just one day before the deadline.
The board adopted a $26-million dollar budget which includes a wage freeze from all 6 unions, though none have agreed to it yet. And it's still unclear what programs or jobs, if any, will be on the chopping block to help fill at least a $317,000 deficit.
"Nobody wants to cut staff," said Superintendent Michael DiFabio. "We took a tough hit last year, I was thinking that would be the worst year ever and then we got hit with this year so it's tough for everyone and that's why the decision has taken so long."
Some parents say this budget process has been frustrating. "I feel this board should have been looking at this stuff long before today," said Michele Baker.
The district may have to raise the tax levy by 2.5%, which would collect $150,000 in revenue. The board also discussed using money in the fund balance to help offset costs.
The school board president says he fears the cuts will be severe for the 1,600 students in the district. "We really don't have any room for program cuts, and the current situation we're going to be cutting more. And I'm not comfortable with that. Our first job is to educate the students and that's what we're going to try to do," said School Board President Matt Henderson.
The budget was adopted by a vote of 5 to 3. The board will spend the next few weeks going through line by line and balancing it. Taxpayers vote on the spending plan May 17th.
