Natomas School District Running Out Of Money

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) -- Natomas Unified School District officials voted Wednesday to ask employees to take a 14 percent pay cut to prevent the district from running out of money next year.

Officials have been forced to confront difficult choices to cut $10 million from the district's budget by next year, or face a state takeover when the funds are projected to run dry in February 2012.

The district board will ask employees to take the 14 percent cut over the next two school years.

Natomas Unified has already laid off 300 employees, and another 56 will receive pink slips Friday. Schools have also already increased class sizes, cut sports and other extracurricular activities.

More sports programs, especially for charter schools, could also be on the chopping block and special education programs could face higher costs as part of the new budget balancing measures.