The Sto-Rox school board last night passed a budget based on cutting 10.5 teaching positions -- but stopped short of actually cutting the 10.5 jobs.

Instead, the board passed a second motion along with the budget, directing Superintendent Fran Serenka to prepare a staffing plan that fits the approved salary numbers.

"This way we can pass a budget to satisfy the state requirements, and spend the next three weeks working on the educational plan," board President Kevin Kochirka said.

Ms. Serenka, however, said that teachers would know about their job status when next year's schedule comes out Tuesday.

Whether any future plan will differ from the one Ms. Serenka presented to the board the previous night is not clear. That proposal called for cutting two middle school language arts teacher positions, a middle school geography teacher, in-school suspension teachers at the high school and middle school, reading and math tutors at the high school, a half-time speech teacher and three special education teachers.

She said the cuts are warranted because of a 15 percent enrollment drop since 2006-07 and described them the previous night as educationally sound.

Board member Ed Maritz, who warned that the cuts could bring legal action against the district, opposed the action. He proposed waiting for the retirements of 14 teachers a year from now, balancing this year's budget by cutting administration and other items.

Solicitor Greg Gleason agreed that the teachers' union could challenge the board's action and argue that it is making furloughs for economic reasons -- something that is forbidden in the state school code. "Anyone can sue for anything," he said.

But he said the state school code does allow furloughs in the case of a "substantial decline" in enrollment, and he believes 15 percent qualifies as substantial.

As for cutting administration, Mr. Maritz at an earlier meeting had proposed cutting three positions from the business office, including that of business manager Chuck Lanna, to save $250,000.

It would take about $800,000 to restore 10.5 teaching jobs.

Several younger teachers were at the meeting but mostly declined to speak afterwards. "We were told we would know May 1 whether we have a job or not," one said. "Here it's going to be July."

"They just want to know so they can know what to do," said Caroline Palermo, a high school math teacher and softball coach. "They're starting families, buying homes; they need to know if they have jobs or not."

Ms. Palermo also criticized the local teachers' union, however, for not attending meetings and not speaking for the teachers.

As for the educational plan, "we can make some adjustments for a year," she said, "as long as when those 14 retire next year they hire some of the furloughed teachers back."

The total spending plan calls for $23.8 million in spending.