MADISON, Wis. -- More than 100 positions would be eliminated and two schools would close under a list of proposed budget cuts outlined by the Madison Metropolitan School District on Friday afternoon.

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District Superintendent Art Rainwater released a plan for the 2007-08 budget, which calls for closing some neighborhood schools to relieve a $10.5 million budget gap.

In the budget, district officials propose closing Sherman Middle School -- sending its students to O'Keefe and Blackhawk middle schools -- and moving alternative high school programs into Sherman's building. Marquette Elementary would also close, and merge its third through fifth-grade classrooms with Lapham's kindergarten through second grade in the Lapham building, WISC-TV reported.

District officials said that said unexpected savings and profits allowed them to already slash about $3 million, but the remaining $8 million in cuts is what might prompt cries from parents and others, WISC-TV reported. They said the closings and consolidations are a $769,000 cut from the budget.

The proposed list eliminates 109 positions, including 87 teachers. Many of the teachers work at the elementary school level. Meanwhile, school class sizes would also increase as seven schools will face at $1.5 million reduction, WISC-TV reported.

Another one of the budget's major cuts is slashing $1.5 million in funding for the Student Achievement Guarantee in Education program at seven schools. The schools that will lose SAGE-like funding are: Lapham Elementary, Marquette Elementary, Chávez Elementary, Shorewood Hills Elementary, Franklin Elementary, Randall Elementary and Crestwood Elementary.

At the 21 schools that keep SAGE funding, classes such as gym, art, music and the REACH program computer supplement will see combined classes. District officials said that equals $800,000 in cuts.

The budget will also eliminate five reading specialists at the middle school level and cut the fifth-grade strings program.

The proposed budget also cuts $113,000 from athletics. Those cuts would reduce four athletic director positions to two. Hockey fees would increase from $400 to $800 per student, but would still be waived for low-income students. Wrestling programs will remain, WISC-TV reported.

The district said that a cut of more than $2 million will allow an increase in staff ratios at high schools and middle schools. The reduction comes from special education funding for children with speech and language impediments, WISC-TV reported

Johnny Winston Jr., president of the school board, said that these reductions were tough choices.

"I believe this is probably, in the 14 years or so of the budget cuts with in the state-imposed revenue limits, I think this is the hardest one to make," he said.

Rainwater and two board members blasted state revenue caps and state lawmakers for the cuts. The board members were split on whether another referendum asking voters for more money should be an option to nullify the cuts, WISC-TV reported.

Some Parents Express Disappointment At Cuts

Many parents expressed sorrow over news about the proposed reduction in funding to maintain smaller class sizes.

SAGE program provides money to keep class sizes low in kindergarten through the third grade, but the cuts will mean seven elementary schools will have to live with bigger class sizes.

The affected schools don't have the highest populations of low-income students, and the move would save more than $1 million for the district, WISC-TV reported.

At Chavez Elementary School, the class size funding has been a topic of discussion among parent groups during the past few weeks.

Parent Annette Fox said that this move would affect her child in kindergarten.

"I'm not happy about it," Fox said. "No, no, not at all. It affects teachers, having a lot more stress, larger classroom sizes. And that's one reason why originally we picked this school district."

Denise Johanowicz, who has a daughter in first grade, feels similarly.

"It would be nice if it didn't have to be cut because I know my daughter has really benefited from it," she said.

With 640 students, Chavez is currently the second-largest elementary school in the district.

However, there will still be some pain for schools that would continue with lower class sizes. They will have bigger class sizes in art, music, computer skill lab and physical education classes, WISC-TV reported.

Stay tuned to WISC-TV and Channel 3000 for continuing coverage.