As Spartan Village Elementary School faces possible extinction, intern Katie Kerekes ponders whether she'll be among the last to experience the school's diverse culture.

"It's stressful because it's weighing on everyone's minds," said Kerekes, a 2002 education graduate, who works with a full-day kindergarten class. "But it's also inspiring to see everyone coming together to get through this situation."

To offset a $4.2-million shortfall in the East Lansing School District's budget, officials are proposing a measure that would eliminate the school and the unique kindergarten program. In addition to closing doors, the district will implement hiring freezes and consider a series of layoffs.

As districts statewide reduce spending, Kerekes will contend with one of the most difficult job markets for new teachers in decades. On March 6, the state will announce plans to correct an imbalance of $385 million in the school aid fund.

Making tough choices in the months ahead, Kerekes said, "I know I won't be sending a résumé to East Lansing schools next year."

With many candidates trying to squeeze into a crowded market, finding a job might be stressful - and many teachers are just hoping to keep their current positions.

"There is going to be a lot of chaos created by this," district nurse Mary Lou Smith said. "I don't know who is going to be there to pick up the pieces."

To fix the projected shortfall, the administration has proposed a 25-point plan which will eliminate about 150 positions in the district. If the plan is approved by the Board of Education, layoffs will include 33 teachers, three principals, three secretaries and all school nurses, teacher consultants, custodial and transportation staff.

In the fall, the district is expected to lose 175 students, and because schools are funded per pupil by the state, the declined enrollment will cost the district nearly $1.5 million in addition to possible state cuts. The district's enrollment has already lost about 500 students during the past 10 years.

With budget cuts looming and a decision from the Board of Education on the spending proposal forthcoming, district staff is forced to wait for answers.

To decide where the district could make changes, principals from all schools met with administrators, said Melody Glick, the district's director of educational services.

"We're trying to keep cuts away from the classroom as much as possible," she said. "We're trying not to decimate programs."

But discussion of budget problems and the possible effects on teachers and support staff has caused an uproar. The Michigan Education Association, which is the district's teachers union, has filed two lawsuits for discussing teacher's contracts publicly without first discussing the matter with the union.

Teachers and staff have been kept out of budgeting decisions, said association Spokesman Mike McEachern. "They should at least have a say," he said.

McEachern said teachers in other nearby districts have been included in similar discussions, but East Lansing Superintendent Tom Giblin and other East Lansing school officials have not. In an effort to gain inclusion in the process, the union has filed Freedom of Information Act requests for budget information.

"The superintendent has been working in a vacuum without regard to the impact of teachers and programs," he said.

Board President Barbara McMillan said there was a budget information committee formed and it has given staff and faculty an opportunity to be represented. She also said principals are reporting back to staff on progress of budget discussions.

"It's very important to have input and to keep everyone informed," she said. "And every effort has been put forth."

In response to the union's claims, Giblin said the school board added extra meetings to discuss budget concerns. During those discussions, parents, staff and community members pleaded with the board to save their programs and schools.

"I'm afraid where we are going with this," Spartan Village Elementary parent Mark Luebker said. "Are we going to be sitting at these meeting every year? We only have so many teachers."

Luebker said he questions the decisions and is angered by the lack of options presented.

"Maybe it's my school this year and yours the year after and yours the year after that," he said. "But we only have so many schools. And by the end, there will be none left."

Also at risk are programs such as the alternative high school program, full-day kindergarten and the young five's preschool class.

But as officials explore options, parents and staff members have crunched numbers to discover how to save each program and find ways to create a neutral budget.

To defend the alternative high school program, teacher Tom Engelhart spoke to board members Monday, begging to keep the program running.

"My 48 children have been characterized as lazy, unmotivated, trouble making, drug-induced delinquents," he said to a group of school staff members picketing at the meeting and parents gathered together. "My kids hear the whispers and the muttering and it hurts them and it hurts their teachers. And it hurts me."

After a standing ovation, he added the students deserve the same opportunities as other students in the district.

"Do you understand how a disaffected, angry teenager harms the learning environment for all the students in the class?" he said. "Closing the alternative program will simply degrade the learning environment for all our students in the mainstream setting."