How would you cut CMS budget?

So pretend for a moment that you are CMS superintendent Peter Gorman. You are told to cut $34 million from your budget, or almost 10 percent. What would you do?
As April Bethea reported today, CMS is looking at cutting 1,300 jobs, including more than 400 teaching positions.
Commissioner Bill James suggests eliminating Bright Beginnings, a pre-K program.
One big question still lingers: how much federal stimulus money is coming to CMS, and how much of it could or should be used to save teacher jobs?
One retired CMS teacher, Dan Faris, sends an open letter to President Obama, pleading for help:

Dear President Obama,
I am a retired public school teacher, 30 years in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School system in NC. Since January our local newspaper has been reporting that Governor Perdue has told all of the school systems in the state to cut expenses by 10%. At the same time you have been assuring the country that firefighters, police and teachers will not have to worry about losing their jobs. Many times in the past few months our CMS superintendent, Peter Gorman, has said that a 10% cut in funding WILL result in job losses for teachers. In today's Charlotte Observer, and I quote: "The school district was already planning to cut 534 jobs, but had planned to spare classroom teachers unless the county asked for cuts. Now, about 1,300 school employees-- including more than 400 teachers-- could lose their jobs."
Mr. President, this is unacceptable. It is not what you have been telling the country. What you have been saying is correct-- our children are the future of our country, and, economic recession or not, we will not make them face the future with inadequate education.
Call Governor Perdue, get more stimulus money involved, and do whatever else needs to be done to make sure our children have the teachers they need.
As with most Americans, I am proud you are our president, and I support your agenda. At the same time I know things change, and strategies must change with them. In this instance, however, you must stand firm and fulfill the promise you made.
Yours truly,
Dan F. Faris
Retired Teacher
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

What do you think?
-Posted by Taylor Batten