Oak Bluffs school principal Laury Binney is leading the charge in cuts to Island elementary school budgets, with a proposed nine cuts to positions across six departments.

Principals are preparing to present their budgets to town leaders, in some cases still scrambling to cut operational costs while attempting to minimize the effects of a recession on students.

“Everything is on the table,” said Tisbury School principal Richard Smith, who is still actively working on his budget. “We’ve kept things manageable in the past, but there’s an economic crisis. We have an older community [in Vineyard Haven] and we don’t want to become part of the burden.”

The five elementary school budgets, currently totalling $25.5 million, are in various stages of development. While the up-Island school district budget, which comprises Chilmark and West Tisbury schools and totals $8.6 million, was certified before Christmas, the Tisbury budget will be worked on until at least until the end of the month.

All budgets have yet to go before finance committees, before ultimately appearing on annual town meeting warrants in the spring.

A third draft of the Oak Bluffs School budget totals $6 million, a 1.85 per cent increase over last year. Proposed instructional cuts at the school are in elementary Spanish, cultural programs, special education, a teaching assistant position and summer guidance.

The school will also be making custodial reductions and is cutting funding for library books and an after-school library program, and is eliminating two crossing guard positions.

Vineyard schools superintendent Dr. James H. Weiss said the school committee spoke to Oak Bluffs police who said the most important spot to station a crossing guard is on the corner of the Trade Winds Road directly at the end of the school road.

“This is the one that is the most necessary,” said Mr. Weiss of the decision to cut the other two crossing guard positions, representing an $8,850 savings in the budget.

With principal Diane Gandy due to leave the Chilmark School at the end of this year, the school hopes to save money with a new hire.

“We’re looking for a fill-in or replacement who has reading certification so we can cut a reading position,” she said. It is a 40 per cent position, she explained, which would give the incoming faculty member three days a week to act as principal and two for teaching.

Ms. Gandy said she prepared a budget with an eye firmly on frugality.

“Everyone’s struggling to make ends meet, and we don’t want to burden the taxpayer more than is absolutely necessary,” she said.

All principals underscored the fact that the vast majority of increases across all budgets belongs to salary and associated benefits increases for staff. Since the pay for all teachers and nonexecutive faculty is union-negotiated, the only control budget makers can exert here is in cutting positions.

Edgartown was one of three towns that sent letters before Christmas calling for level funding. School principal John Stevens said he prepared his budget with this in mind but found it impossible.

“I’m not able to do that,” said Mr. Stevens. “I control just under nine per cent of my budget.”

Mr. Stevens has made no staff reduction. In fact he has introduced a special education staff position at the kindergarten level, as required by the state. But he pointed to cuts on teacher supplies and savings made on two retirements by teachers at the top of the pay scale who were replaced by juniors.

The budget, again in its third draft, is at $5.7 million, a 2.75 per cent increase on this year.

“That’s a prudent increase,” Mr. Stevens argued.

As it stands now, the Tisbury school budget features the largest percentage increase of Island schools. While Mr. Smith acknowledges that fact is unlikely to change before meeting with finance committee members in February, he pointed out that the Tisbury budget is consistently the lowest of all schools, with the exception of Chilmark, and he is confident that will remain the case this year.

“When all is said and done I’m very confident we’ll have the lowest number of the down-Island schools. [The percentage increase] will be much closer than it is now,” he said.

He said that he will be making further cuts in the coming weeks, to arrive at an operational budget which is — exclusive of salaries — under that of last year.

In the two previous budgets Mr. Smith has presented (first as assistant principal, then as principal), there has been a combined operational increase of just $500. As he explained, getting to zero even in this area necessarily involves cuts because certain fixed costs, such as fuel, bring up these costs.

“We hit the areas that don’t affect kids as much. Cuts to the enrichment program is the type of item we would look at last,” he said. “It would have a more direct effect on the student and it also doesn’t affect the overall increase as much. Maybe furniture we can cut out completely for this year. Maybe painting — painting isn’t maintenance of the building, it’s maintaining the look, and maybe we make do.”

He said this year is the most difficult budget he has worked on and, he predicted, it is merely the beginning.

“This year’s budget won’t be the hardest,” Mr. Smith said. “It’ll get worse. Perhaps [an economic crisis] is not being talked about as much now as during the election, but it’s worse now than November. It hasn’t scratched the surface.”

The only school yet to scour for budget cuts is the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School, which won’t even have a budget until March.

The school itself has no tax raising ability. Per pupil costs in each town apply to the 135 elementary students at the charter school, depending on their town of residence.

Principal Robert Moore said he will begin the budget process next month, working on the current year budget as well as guidelines sent from the state last month.

“It’s hard to get stressed out when you have no control over what you get,” said Mr. Moore.