PORTLAND, Ore. -- The city's school board on Monday approved a $407.7 million budget for the 2009-10 school year, one noticeably smaller than in years past and with about $32 million trimmed in two rounds of negotiations.

KGW-TV

Portland Public Schools Superintendent Carole Smith

Portland Public Schools lopped $14 million out of its budget in March, only to have the state Legislature revise education funding further downward, leading to another $18 million in cuts last month.

The K-12 education cuts came as lawmakers worked to close a $4 billion funding gap for basic services.

Superintendent Carol Smith offered a final budget that aimed to preserve class-to-teacher ratios and calendar school days despite layoffs.

Students may not feel the recession's effects in the classroom but teachers and staff will certainly notice.

The '09-10 budget eliminated cost-of-living pay increases and requires five unpaid days off for all Portland Public Schools employees. It also cut about 47 staff and administrative positions across the district.

Smith said these reductions would save about $23.3 million.

The district would use about $9 million in reserve funds to close the remaining revenue gap.

Teachers and staff, represented by their union, protested the unpaid leave last week at a school board budget session.

Union spokeswoman Rebecca Levison noted that teachers had agreed to unpaid "furlough" days just a few years ago. She also said teachers had made compensation concessions by foregoing cost-of-living wage increases.

Changes were expected to take effect this month.

Funding for Portland schools has slowly but noticeably eroded over the last three years, from a high of nearly $442 million in 2007-08 to the $408 million passed Monday for 2009-10, schools spokesperson Matt Shelby said.