Letting go of a handful of teachers is just the tip of the iceberg for district officials as they scrutinize the budget for the upcoming school year. It's not good news for students and teachers of School District Two. Tuesday night's school levy fell a little more than 500 votes short of passing. Officials are now forced to cut more than $2.6 million dollars.

"We're looking at everything we possibly can right now, but there will be some serious cuts. We have no choice but to cut at this point," said Superintendent Jack Copps.

Superintendent Copps says one cost cutting measure is re-structuring the whole system. That means elementary schools would handle kindergarten through 6th grade, changing middle schools to junior highs including 7th through 9th grade, and high schools narrowing to 10th through 12th grades, but the cuts won't end there.

"We're also looking at cutting all of our middle school programs. That would serve close to $400,000 that would be a significant step," said Copps. Copps says those cuts include after school clubs and athletic programs.

Officials say they're also looking at eliminating 14 teaching positions. "That's a tough cut for us, but we have to go back and think about this. We have to get to $2.6 million dollars in cuts. That's where we have to get," said Copps. Officials say teacher cuts would be based on seniority meaning the 14 newest teachers could lose their jobs.

Copps says he's also looking at cutting custodial positions, administrators, and other programs within the school district.