PROVO -- Federal dollars brought some much-needed relief to the Provo School District, but administrators say it's nowhere near enough to make up for the multimillion-dollar cuts on the state level.

Business administrator Kerry Smith said the state cut $7.2 million from the district's 2009-2010 budget, while stimulus money from the federal government will be about $5.9 million. However, more than half of the federal money is geared toward specific programs, not general operations, so the operating budget for the school district actually took a $4.5 million hit.

That has left district administrators with some difficult decisions.

"The deeper you go, the more sacred cows you're getting into," Smith said.

They're trying to keep cuts away from the classroom as much as possible, and the school year still is 180 days long. Classroom size is going up half a student per class. They have tried to avoid layoffs, but positions have been cut; those have been handled by moving people into different positions and not rehiring after employees quit or retired.

One of the biggest personnel cuts are the literacy coordinators the district had in each school. These professionals mentored other teachers on literacy techniques and provided support to increase literacy in the schools. Many of those people have taken on classroom teaching positions, Smith said.

No one is getting a raise, and many contracts have been shortened by two non-school days, including administrators. This doesn't affect their job duties, however.

"I still have to do the same thing, just with two days less pay," he said.

Other areas with shrinking budgets include the nursing program, professional development, custodial services and athletic bus travel, according to a document the school district distributed during its budget talks. Smith said they tried to get input from the public on how to handle the budget questions, and these were the best options.

Without the money from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the cuts would be even deeper, and that's what administrators worry could be coming as early as next year.

"The Legislature refers to it as this looming cliff and cautions us that this ARRA money is one-time money," Smith said.

Greg Hudnall, who is the director of student services for the district, said some of the cuts aren't as bad as they sound. While they have cut one nursing position, that won't make nurses less accessible to students. In the past, nurses have spent much of their time going through students' files to ensure they are up to date on shots and getting them that way if they're not. This year, they'll hire hourly workers to do that, freeing the nurses up to be nurses.

"What we're going to lose is the work that we had nurses doing in files and immunization that we really didn't need them doing," he said.

He worries, though, about the impact of reducing the number of social workers, family liaisons and tutors within the district. That means families who need support or help from the district or children who aren't getting enough support from their families may suffer; he's hoping that neighbors, community and church members and other entities will step in and fill the gap left by the school district's receding budget.

"We've made some huge cuts trying to come within the budget," Hudnall said. "There's no doubt it's going to impact families this year."

His concern is the classroom, which he also has heard from teachers. Without social workers to help children with behavioral issues, who may not get the therapy, medication or help they need at home, the teachers will then be left alone to deal with these children. That takes time away from the other children in the classroom, which will affect the level of education.

He joined Smith and almost every elected official or administrator who deals with budgets nationwide in hoping that the economy picks up before the next budget cycle, or the cuts will go even deeper.

"We've been told that there may be bigger cuts," Hudnall said. "If the economy doesn't turn around, then we're going to have to come back and maybe deal with bigger cuts."

• Heidi Toth can be reached at (801) 344-2556 or htoth@heraldextra.com.

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