ST PETER — Those who attended the St. Peter School District’s public budget forum heard a mantra becoming all too familiar in school board rooms:

It’s going to get worse.

With dozens gathered in the Governor’s Room of the St. Peter Community Center on Thursday, board chair Mark Karlsrud said the board has now directed district officials to identify another $300,000 in possible reductions for the 2009-10 school year.

The district is already proposing an $800,000 reduction that includes more than a dozen staff losses and a 50 percent reduction to the gifted and talented program. The extra $300,000 budget cut, Karlsrud said, will be dependent on budget outcomes at the state Capitol. And in the meantime, he said, the district is planning on at least another $400,000 reduction next spring — possibly even if district residents pass an operating referendum in the fall.

At the current rate of reductions, he said, the district’s fund balance will be at zero in three years.

“I don’t see anyone at the state talking about the structural funding problems schools have,” said Karlsrud, addressing those in attendance. “This is not going to get better.”

Those realities offered little comfort to those who are concerned about the current round of budget cuts and their impacts on students.

District parent Gayle Miller spoke about the proposed reduction of one third-grade and one fifth-grade teacher. Miller said that teachers are already facing behavioral and academic issues in the classroom and that larger class sizes would only exacerbate those problems. Later in the hearing, she proposed the district review possible cuts to athletic programs before reducing academic programs.

To that, Karlsrud responded that open enrollment is both a “boon and a bane” to school districts. Cutting athletics, he said while iterating the concern many school officials share about such a move, could result in wave of students leaving the district through open enrollment to one that carries their sport.

“We are at a crunch time,” Miller said. “And we need to think of the kids.”

Several also spoke about the district’s plan to reduce the gifted and talented program to one that operates within the classroom and after school and one that utilizes a “teacher on special assignment” rather than a full-time coordinator. The district’s gifted coordinator, Linda Roth, currently schedules classes and activities outside the traditional classroom.

Roth said that a reduced program would put additional strain on classroom teachers and not be as gratifying for participating students. Roth also said she would volunteer to run the program without a budget if the board would keep it intact.

Several parents speaking in favor of the gifted and talented program also proposed user fees to generate funding. Rebecca Fremo said her child would be “dreadfully lost” without gifted services.

“I would be more than willing to pay extra fees to keep the funding alive,” Fremo said. “I’d really like to see the board explore every possible option.”

St. Peter High School senior Kevin Davis also spoke to the board about generating budget savings by reducing energy expenditures. He suggested a fertilization plan for district grounds that could reduce water consumption as well as plans to turn off appliances when teachers leave and turning the thermostat down by three degrees. He gave the board a copy of his energy plan and said it could reduce energy expenditures by up to 15 percent.

“I don’t think anyone would have a problem with wearing warmer clothing,” Davis said. “There are some simple solutions people are overlooking.”

The board will discuss any revisions to the district budget adjustment proposal during its April 2 meeting. Final budget decisions will be made at the April 16 meeting.