NEAR ELDON, IOWA -- KTVO recently visited the Cardinal School District and spoke with Dr. Frank Shekleton, the Superintendent of Schools. He said that the Cardinal District, like all others, has been hit hard by the 10 percent across-the-board cuts earlier in the school year...and that it could happen again.

"I have heard that we may see another across-the-board cut yet this spring, which is quite frightening for school budgets because most of our budgets have been spoken for by that point in time," Dr. Shekleton said.

He added that many districts are now "cutting into the bone" because of tight finances.

"Sometimes programs will need to be eliminated simply because we won't have the dollars there to fund them. We will look at the total program, everything from support staff and transportation to certified staff," Dr. Shekleton said. "And 80 to 85 percent of most school budgets go to salaries and that is where we have to make sure that we have got enough money to cover the salaries as much as possible."

Dr. Shekleton said that one way the district is dealing with budget difficulties is by sharing teaching staff with other districts based on the needs of the various schools.

"We do get very little incentive to share teachers, but more importantly we are using teachers effectively as far as budgetary-wise...it is difficult for the teachers to teach in the morning in one district, and teach in the afternoon in another district. And I appreciate all of the efforts of our teaching staff that does that," Dr. Shekleton said.

The superintendent said that several teachers are shared among Cardinal, Van Buren, and the Pekin School District. He added that with faculty and staff working among more than one district, it has helped out "a great deal" with the budget.

Throughout March, KTVO is speaking with school district officials throughout Southeast Iowa regarding their Fiscal Year Budget.