MADISON, Wis. -- While one round of debates about proposed cost-cutting at Madison schools ended last week, a new round is beginning Monday night.

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The Madison Metropolitan School District's School Board will hold a discussion during its Monday night meeting about the proposed budget cuts, including some school closings, which were made public last week.

One of the most controversial budget-slashing maneuvers would be to close one of three East Side middle schools.

Backers of Sherman Middle School have already started to lobby the school board to spare the school, but district officials said that closing it would save a chunk of money.

The proposal calls for merging Sherman with O'Keefe and Blackhawk middle schools and housing all of the district's alternative programs under one roof at Sherman.

However, not every program would lose out with the cuts and closings and some might benefit.

Currently, one of two rented sites hosts what's called Affiliated Alternatives for the district and is located in an industrial part of downtown Madison inside a former battery factory, WISC-TV reported.

MMSD Affiliated Alternatives Principal Anne Fischer said that they must face the challenges of teaching and helping some of the district's most challenged students. Some of them even have children of their own, WISC-TV reported.

Fischer said that one classroom that's small might serve as many as 40 School-Age Parent Program students.

"You may have strollers, car seats, whatever ... to hold the baby while students are working," Fischer said. "So, that adds to a crowded situation."

It seems that everything at the site, located in the 100 block of South Brearly Street, is one big tight squeeze that's split into two stories. There isn't a real lunchroom, but only space with pre-packaged food. All the classrooms are small and packed with materials, as are the guidance and other offices. The tiny teachers' lounge doubles as an Information Technology server room and private student space, WISC-TV reported.

Fischer said that the quarters are so tight that many rooms have to serve double duty.

"As well as staff coming here to eat, the babies come here to be breastfed sometimes and we want to find a quiet place with a door that can close and lock," she said.

However, some breathing room might be on the way courtesy of the budget cuts. District officials estimate that well over half of the $770,000 in savings produced by closing and merging two middles schools would come from shutting down Sherman so as to house all its alternative programs.

Those savings might be little solace though to the staff and 450 students at Sherman. One 12-year teacher there said that she just feels "awful" that they may lose all they've built at the school, WISC-TV reported.

Barb Brodhagen, the learning coordinator at Sherman, said that the news of the proposal is a shock.

"We've had visitors from around the world come to our schools to see what (were) doing here and then to then to find out they're going to close it, was … really hard to take .. .very heart breaking," Brodhagen said.

Sherman officials have already sent parents letters about the possible closing. Staff there will hold an informational meeting on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. to talk about the idea with parents and board members and invite O'Keefe and Blackhawk parents, WISC-TV reported.

Sherman recently lost its principal, who left the district, and some staff members said that this proposal feels like a "double whammy."

Cuts Might Give Some Elementary Schools Bigger Class Sizes

Another large proposed budget cut would give seven elementary schools bigger class sizes.

Five of them are on the West Side, but district officials said that the extra space isn't enough to cancel plans to build a new school in that part of the city. The proposal to slash $1.5 million in so-called "SAGE" funding creates more classroom space.

Superintendent Art Rainwater said that the growing far West Side still needs its own school near Linden Park.

"There's substantial, substantial growth for the far West Side so Linden Park is needed," he said. "We really have to have it. The sooner we can get it on line the better."

Last November, voters approved $17.5 million to build the school, which is scheduled to open fall of 2008.