Sac City Unified Faces Dire 2012-13 Budget

California's , but the Sacramento City Unified School District is again facing a grim outlook for the next school year.

At Thursday's board meeting, district officials discussed laying off all middle and high school counselors and librarians, as well as cutting half of all custodians and shuttering adult education–just some of the possible cuts that could be required next year to close a budget gap of more than $28 million.

A decision on the cuts will be made at the board's Jan. 19 meeting, but Superintendent Jonathan Raymond said that won't be the last word on the subject.

"These are ugly cuts," Raymond wrote in a letter to staff. "But I want to caution against panic. This is just the start of our budget process. While we need to submit a balanced budget to (the Sacramento County Office of Education) by March 15, necessitating this awful list, we have until June 30 to finalize our budget."

Board members spent much of the discussion voicing support for a cut in their $800-a-month stipend, as well as encouraging community input in the process.

"What we need to know (is) where would be the cuts that would least impact you?" Trustee Gustavo Arroyo said. "All of these are horrendous cuts–the question is where do we do them?"

Board President Diana Rodriguez compared the budget situation to making parents choose which arm to keep and which to amputate.

Trustee Donald Terry, who represents Rosemont, said the district may still have to close schools to save money, .