The reality of deep mid-year cuts -- especially to a 20-J school --- has hit home in East Lansing.

"Our foundation loss as it stands today is $606 per student," Superintendent Dave Chapin said.

That's the problem, Monday Chapin presented to parents, teachers and school board members what he sees as the solution to an immediate $2 million shortfall. And, it wasn't pretty.

"[The plan] includes layoffs of teachers mid-year, it includes a reduction to administrative services, reductions to the athletic budget, reductions to buses and transportation, perhaps not having transportation for grades 7-12," Chapin said.

K-6 students could lose bus transportation too, custodial staff could lose jobs, course offerings and athletics could be cut, and teachers could move classrooms or get laid off.

"We got an email from the Superintendent this afternoon," Pat Murray, the president of the East Lansing Teachers Association, said. "In his recommendation, it appears that anywhere between 3 and 10 teachers could be laid off."

Parents we talked to were definitely concerned.

"There's going to be a wholesale attrition across a number of areas that are all going to contribute to diminished quality in the schools," Parent of two, Conrad Hittner said.

Chapin said these are simply possibilities, now discussion begins with the community and board members.

"We are going to take a month to discuss and discern and sort through these various possibilities," he said.

The School Board must make a final decision on these "possibilities" on December 14th.

Chapin is still holding out hope the Senate might come through with funding that might make these decisions a little bit easier.

Once the short-term goals are met, the Board and the Superintendent will begin to discuss long-term goals of possibly shrinking the the number of schools in the district.

A complete list and explanation of the short-term and long-term goals for the district will be available on the district's web site by November 10th.