Superintendent Peter Gorman's $100 million budget-cut plan would eliminate "more than 600" teachers, but almost two-thirds could be spared if the scenario improves by spring, according to a priority list posted Wednesday.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has about 8,565 teachers; losing 600 would be a 7 percent cut. The plan unveiled last week would cut just over 1,500 jobs, including teacher assistants, central-office staff, principals, bus drivers, school maintenance workers and school security staff.

Also Wednesday, Gorman and Chief Academic Officer Ann Clark said the proposal to add 45 minutes to the elementary-school day calls for students to spend that time learning science, social studies and writing.

"This is something our principals and teachers have been wanting for at least seven years," Clark said at a news conference focused on plans for early budget cuts.

The board is to vote Tuesday on changes that include the longer elementary-school day, which is part of a plan to save $4 million on busing. When the plan to cut $100 million from this year's $1 billion-plus budget was unveiled last week, Gorman and several board members hailed the longer day as the only bright spot in a painful plan.

But a previous experiment with longer days at Billingsville Elementary school was scrapped in 2009 when officials concluded that academic benefits didn't justify spending an extra $350,000 a year. In that case, teachers got an extra $500 a month for adding an hour per day.

This time, teachers won't get any extra pay because they won't be asked to work additional hours, Gorman said. Instead, he said, the extra 45 minutes with students will come from preparation and planning time built into the current school day, which has kids in class for 6 hours and 15 minutes.

Gorman scrapped the longer day at Billingsville in 2009, when the budget began shrinking. He said Wednesday the academic results weren't as strong as hoped. This time, he said, the district will provide better support to help teachers plan lessons in subjects that tend to get shortchanged now.

Priority list

The budget priority list, posted in preparation for Tuesday's board meeting, provides some insight and raises some questions about how cuts could play out in coming months.

The list echoes how Gorman has presented previous budgets, with four levels of cuts spelled out. That allows CMS to plan for the worst before knowing how much the state, county and federal governments will provide for the coming year.

For instance, a proposal to cut 255 teachers by adding an average of two students per classroom in grades 4-12 is on the worst-case list, meaning Gorman would pull it off the table if cuts aren't as big as anticipated. So is cutting one "support position" - jobs such as counselors, librarians and facilitators - from each school, for 164 jobs lost.

But this year there's a twist: Gorman is asking the board to vote Tuesday on three big items totaling $22 million. He says schools, families and the community need time to respond to those proposals: Reducing Bright Beginnings prekindergarten, scaling back on teachers to aid students of poverty, and changing school hours to save money on busing.

The change in the student-poverty formula, which would eliminate 134 teachers and save $8 million, is also on the worst-case list. If the board approves that cut on Tuesday, it's unclear whether that decision would be reversed if the outlook improves.

"The staff recommendation is to go in order from the bottom of (the worst-case list) if dollars are available," Gorman said in response to an e-mailed question about restoring jobs after Tuesday's vote.

The priority list hadn't been released when Gorman held his morning news conference.

Bright Beginnings

The Bright Beginnings cut, which would save $10.4 million, is listed in the next level, indicating it could be spared if the cuts come to only about $40 million. Also in that level are plans to cut teacher assistants, school security staff and about 120 teachers from various sources.

The Bright Beginnings cut would eliminate free prekindergarten for about 2,000 disadvantaged 4-year-olds, leave five pre-K centers vacant and eliminate jobs for more than 100 teachers and their assistants. Gorman said he has been able to spare those classes for the last two tight years, but this year there appears to be little choice.

"It was the right thing to do," he said, "and we wish we could continue doing it."

The change in school schedules, which includes not only the longer elementary day but new start and dismissal times for many middle and high schools, is listed as an "efficiency," which apparently means it's a high priority for savings. The projected $4 million comes from reducing buses and drivers; with school hours more spread out, many buses could make three or four morning and afternoon runs.