While legislators and the Governor debate about cuts and revenue, teachers and administrators have to move forward with plans for a new school year. And at local high schools, budget uncertainty will mean fewer choices for students.

Cary High Math teacher Alan Trogdon says the cost of proposed cuts in state funding for education mean starting a new school year with more students and one less math teacher.

"There are students who won't be able to take the math classes they want to next year," he said. "That's just one of the hard realities of having to do more with less positions and less sections of math."

N.C. House leaders already have proposed increasing class sizes in grades four through 12. That means fewer teachers and teacher assistants. Wake County told its principals back in March to budget for a five percent reduction.

Jennifer Lanane, executive director of the Wake chapter of the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE), said jobs have already been lost.

"We have 600 people who don't have jobs for next year in that 95% cut, so it's not like everything is hunky dorey and wonderful," she said. "There are people who don't have jobs right now."

And most of the estimated 1,500 employees who are on contracts that expire June 30 are still not sure of their future.

"When we do start bringing them back, it will be on a different contract, it will be a temporary contract," said Chief Business Officer David Neter. "Which gives us the ability, based upon the final state budget, to let them go with 30 days notice."

Wake administrators say unless the state is able to keep its cuts at five percent, system-wide layoffs may still be a possibility. Meanwhile, 50 year-round schools will start a new year on July 7 with uncertain funding and uneasy teachers.