Who's going to step up and save Bright Beginnings in the next two weeks?

That's the $10 million question in the wake of Tuesday's school board vote to delay cutting public prekindergarten seats for more than 2,000 4-year-olds.

Members acknowledged Wednesday they have more hopes than plans. None of the rescue options - private donations, public money or alternative cuts to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools - is on track to materialize by the Feb. 8 vote.

On Monday, a coalition of local philanthropists who have vowed to help westside schools will unveil its plan. But board members, activists and others familiar with private giving say they don't expect that group to write a $10 million check to pay teachers and keep pre-K centers open.

"Most foundations say they're not going to pick up what government should do," said Susan Patterson, Charlotte program director for the Knight Foundation and a participant in the CMS Investment Study Group, which is making the Monday announcement.

Brett Loftis of the Council for Children's Rights, which is leading a coalition to save Bright Beginnings, says his crew hoped for a delay of months but is pleased with even two extra weeks. He said organizers will use that time to scour the CMS budget for alternatives and lobby Mecklenburg County commissioners to find money for education.

"The public is really asking for this service to be saved," Loftis said.

Public money

Superintendent Peter Gorman's plan to cut $100 million from CMS' $1 billion-plus budget is based on early projections of how much money will dry up in 2011-12.

The N.C. legislature convened Wednesday, and county commissioners are in the midst of a three-day retreat to start talking about their budget. Neither group will have firm projections by Feb. 8.

CMS has spent up to $11 million a year in county money for Bright Beginnings. This year, Gorman used federal stimulus money to cover more of the cost, cutting the county share to about $2.6 million of a $21 million budget.

He acknowledged it was a stopgap solution, with stimulus money disappearing in 2011. Now, with huge cuts looming for K-12 classes, he says he's reluctantly pulling out most of the remaining county money, rather than spending almost $8 million more to cover the federal gap and keep pre-K intact.

Some board members and Bright Beginnings advocates say they hope research, lobbying and the emotional testimonials that bombarded the school board Tuesday will persuade commissioners to find more money for pre-K.

Commissioners Chair Jennifer Roberts, a Democrat, said she would like the county to increase money to CMS by $15 million, but that's the amount the district needs to keep up with rising costs for K-12.

Commissioners George Dunlap and Vilma Leake, both Democrats and former school board members, said they want Bright Beginnings preserved. One option, they said, could be a special county "grant" to CMS, similar to what commissioners did for high school reform a few years ago.

But Republicans are skeptical. Commissioner Karen Bentley said based on what she's heard, she doesn't think the data on Bright Beginnings' results justify extra spending. If CMS officials decide to scale back, "I don't believe it's up to us to save it," she said.

Private donors

Late Tuesday night, school board Chair Eric Davis cast the delay as a chance for the community to craft a solution for Bright Beginnings. "How much do we value our children who are the least prepared and the youngest?"

Gorman said Wednesday he would welcome private money to cover all or part of the gap. But he joined several others in saying donors seldom pick up the tab for ongoing government services.

As board member Trent Merchant put it, "propping up an operating expense, that's not a very sexy spend. Most philanthropic efforts are directed to picking winners, not plugging holes in the dike."

Leslie McCray of the Foundation for the Carolinas, spokeswoman for the CMS Investment Study Group, has said the group has considered prekindergarten among other education issues. She declined to comment on how much money the group plans to donate or how it will be spent.

Loftis and Janet Singerman of Child Care Resources say they're recruiting early-childhood experts to help CMS keep disadvantaged kids in Bright Beginnings.

But Singerman said private child care centers and other government pre-K programs are struggling in the bleak economy, too, limiting what they can do for kids not served by CMS.

Other CMS cuts

Tuesday night, some board members urged Gorman to explore outsourcing and property sales to improve the budget picture. But no one made specific proposals to offset the $10 million coming from Bright Beginnings, and no one interviewed Wednesday had a plan.

Gorman, too, said he's continuing to look. But he warned the board Tuesday night that he didn't have anything up his sleeve to save pre-K. Cuts of that size, he has frequently said, almost always mean getting rid of people.

On Wednesday, members had a range of ideas about what would come next.

"I think the rescue has to come from the nonprofit and (child care) provider sector," said Tim Morgan.

Joyce Waddell pinned her hope on the county: "I think we're going to get more money. I think the public has really heard how necessary it is."

Rhonda Lennon said the board merely delayed the inevitable.

"In lieu of some magic money trees dropping million-dollar bills, it's not going to change," she said.