The new budget calls for $6.95 million dollars in cuts ... not as much as district officials say they were bracing for.

But they say it's still far from a good situation.

Under the 2006–2007 budget, 45 teaching positions will be cut.

So will a handful of administrative positions that include an assistant principal.

The 4th and 5th grade strings program will be phased out and disappear completely by 2009.

There will also be a number of fee increases, from a higher rate for lunch, to a new, system–wide activity fee that all high schoolers will have to pay.

School board vice president Johnny Winston says this trend of cutting is necessary, but definitely not what district officials wanted to do.

"Somehow, someway, in this document, is going to affect a student in this disctrict," said Winston. "It's going to affect a teacher, it's going to affect the staff, it's going to affect the community in some way."

Winston called on the community to start asking for more money from state and federal leaders when it comes to funding education, so they don't have to keep making these cuts in the future.

This budget is not set in stone.

It still has to go through the school board and a series of public hearings.

One at La Follette high school on Tuesday May 2 at 6:30 and another at Memorial on May 9, also at 6:30.