ARVIN, Calif. -- More than a hundred community members chimed in on the Arvin Union School District's proposal Tuesday night to trim the budget.

Facing a revenue reduction of over $1.5 million in the current school year and a reduction of over $2.5 million next year, school board members presented the latest budget projections, slightly clearer now that a state budget has been approved.

"The state isn't going to fix this, the federal government isn't going to fix this, I can't fix this personally." district superintendent Jerelle Kavanagh said. "We collectively have to take care of Arvin."

Classified staff came to the meeting in full force. Wearing buttons saying "We'll take our fair share, not our full share," and "Classified cuts hurt students," the staffers, which included custodial staff, bus drivers, and instructional aides, did not agree with the budget proposal.

"26 percent of the district's budget cuts are going to be absorbed by classified employees," Donny Williams, a union representative from the California School Employees Association, said. "We don't feel that that's fair."

Employees in attendance criticized the proposal since it does not include any cuts to the school district's staff. Kavanagh defended that part of the proposal, saying the district should have more staffing due to the size of the district, but is already operating near minimum levels.

The proposal also calls for the layoff of 3 kindergarten teachers and 3 third-grade teachers, although retirements could lower that number. Last week's proposal called for 14 teacher layoffs, but the reduced number offered no solace to embattled teachers.

As it is we're number 1 in the state with the very lowest test scores," Elizabeth Alvarez, a first-grade teacher at Bear Mountain elementary school, said. "Imagine having a bigger class size? It's not going to get better."

The school district meets again next Tuesday evening, when they are expected to approve the budget cuts.