(Radio Iowa) – Facing a budget deficit of more than 12-million dollars, Cedar Rapids school leaders are considering drastic cost-saving measures after voters rejected a proposed bond issue. Options include lowering the number of consulting contracts, reducing professional travel, and cutting staff. Chad Schumacher, the district’s director of operations, says the biggest savings would come from consolidating schools and separating fifth and sixth grades from the others.

“This model — the 5, 6, 7, 8 model, the intermediate model — allows us to reduce the largest amount of buildings with the least amount of ask for financial help from our community, if that makes sense,” Schumacher says. “We would not need to go out to bond to be able to do this model.” Other grades would be broken up differently. Kindergarten through fourth grade students would be in their own schools, followed by fifth and sixth, then seventh and eighth.

Stephanie Van Hemert is the principal at Grant Elementary School.  Van Hemert says, “It is a new and different thing, but also this could take something that is hard and give us an opportunity to try some new things that we can be excited about.”

The board did not take any action on the recommendations but will consider them soon after it receives more community feedback. If adopted, the proposals could save over 10 million dollars. The district’s 117-million-dollar bond failed last November.