MARSHALL — Marshall Public School district officials have revealed what specific roles and programs face being eliminated if the upcoming voter-led $2 million, 10-year operating referendum does not pass.

“(I) just wanted to be very transparent with our community and our stakeholders as to what that (will) look like. $2 million, that’s very significant,” Superintendent Jeremy Williams said. “That’s going to impact programs and people, and we want to be clear with that.”

The district is pursuing the referendum after facing a significant budget shortfall of nearly $1.8 million for the 2025-26 school year, after coming off a $1.1 million deficit last school year. The district used reserve funds to cover last year’s deficit, and will do the same this year, but have noted it’s not a permanent solution as reserves are used for emergencies.

Williams and Director of Finance Sarah Kirchner presented the cuts that will be made upon a failed referendum at Tuesday’s school board meeting.

Staff and programs that face potential eliminations were informed last week privately.

“We will end up facing significant cuts if we are not able to obtain the additional funding that’s needed,” Kirchner said. “This is going to impact our classrooms. It really means that if the referendum isn’t to pass, we’re going to see cuts to teachers, bigger class sizes and fewer opportunities for our students.”

There will be an $81,000 reduction target for district activities.

Programs on the list to be eliminated are junior high softball, junior high speech, junior high track and the gymnastics program. There will also be an increase to activity fees, and to senior-citizen passes when attending events.

“The increase (will be) in activity fees to everyone that’s participating in activity at our schools. We currently offer free passes to senior citizens, (and) they would become a paid pass,” Williams said. “Then looking at our programs that have the lowest number of enrollment or registrations … It would be the elimination of those programs.”

Two positions that the district currently have open and would not fill are the Principal of Special Programs and Technology Integration Support.

One administrative assistant position would be cut as well.

“Admin assistants, they help run our buildings. That’s a very important role at every site,” Williams said. “They manage the day-to-day office tasks to make sure our buildings run smoothly, so our teachers can focus on teaching.”

One behavioral coach and two parent-student connector positions will face reductions.

“(The behavioral coach) supports our students with special needs in classrooms. They work across the entire district,” Williams said. “It’s a very important position to maintain (with) keeping students in our classrooms and not sending them to other alternative programming.”

“(Parent-student connectors) do translating for us and connect our non-English speaking families with our schools, and our staff,” Williams added. “We would have to look at other ways to connect those families. This would not be elimination of that program, this would be reduced staffing in that program.”

There will be six Career and Technical Education (CTE) staff positions that will be cut.

“These are reducing some of those preparatory classes that happen all the way down to elementary schools,” Williams detailed. “We have (technology) classes in elementary levels that would no longer happen. Some of the pathways classes at the middle school and some of those support positions within our CTE programming, but it’s six positions across the district that would be eliminated.”

Williams also noted this is not to be mistaken for the Career and Technical Institute, as the center will remain open. No district sites will be closed with the reductions.

There will be one custodial position, three elementary classroom aides, and five academic support positions cut. Academic support roles assist with intervention programs to further help struggling learners.

There are also teacher positions that will be cut. Three core elementary positions will be eliminated, along with three core middle school roles and two at the high school.

Elementary core positions are grade-level teachers, while core positions at the middle and high school will be cuts to main-subject teachers like math, reading or science. The cuts essentially mean bigger class sizes, by regrouping students with fewer available teachers.

“We (will) look at grade levels that have the lowest number of enrollment (when deciding cuts at the elementary levels) … The same thing as well at the middle school, looking at lowest enrollment,” Williams said. “You’ll notice that there’s two instead of three (cuts at the high school level), because the CTE (cuts) are going to impact the high school in a bigger way.”

Other district areas that will see reductions is another $10,000 cut from software and supplies, re-negotiated contracts, the elimination of BARR (Building Assets, Reducing Risks) support at the high school and the elimination of one transportation route around the elementary schools.

BARR programming is implemented across the Marshall schools, and is an intervention program used to evaluate student attendance, address behavioral and academic needs, and build relationships. The program will still continue, but face support cuts.

The transportation route to be eliminated will surround a one-mile radius around the two elementary schools.

“Right now, all of our elementary students are able to ride the bus to school regardless of how close to school they live,” Williams said. “This would eliminate one route. We would go back to that one-mile radius of the two elementary schools of Park Side and Southview. Anyone within one mile would not qualify for bussing.”

The listed position and program cuts will equal $1,919,925 in total reductions.

The school board directed the district to cut $350,000 from operations in April to help offset this school year’s deficit, which they did between reducing software purchasing, high school programming of $5,500, and the elimination of two media aide staffing positions while also reorganizing the custodial and nursing staff.

Marshall residents can find more information regarding tax impact and other resources at the district’s referendum website, https://www.tomorrowsti gers.org/.

Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 4, at the middle school from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. There is also an early-voting period beginning Sept. 19, where residents can cast their ballots at the district office during business hours, or can request an absentee ballot to mail in.

“These (cuts) aren’t things any one of us wants to see cut,” Williams said. “These are all things that are very important to our programming and to our schools, but it’s also real that if we don’t have more revenue, we have to reduce expenses.”