PORT ANGELES — The latest Port Angeles School District budget plan for the 2005-2006 school year would rid the district of its two elementary school counselor positions.

That move — designed to save the district $134,000 — and three other new proposed cuts were viewed by the School Board at a meeting Monday night.

A final budget isn’t expected to be approved until the next board meeting at 6 p.m. on Aug. 22.

“It’s hard,” said Jim Jones, the district’s business manager, of the reductions looked over by the School Board on Monday.

“But everything left [to cut] is hard.”

Because of reduced funding from the federal government, coupled with not enough dollars coming in from the state to cover increased salary benefits and other school-related costs, district officials were faced last week with having to trim about $240,000 from the proposed budget of $37.7 million.

Other measures

Other measures in the latest budget plan include:

* Cutting in half a proposed communications and grants specialist position, not yet filled, to save $21,000

* Reassigning the district’s outreach staff member to a teaching position to save $48,000

* Reducing funding that would have been used to pay for 40 percent of a teachers coordinating position to save $26,800