DaytonDailyNews.com

DAYTON — Dayton Public Schools, which started last year with $23 million in cash and a $190 million core budget, finished in June with just $827,000 in the bank, a thin margin of error that is not projected to change much.

On Tuesday, district Treasurer Stan Lucas presented a five-year financial forecast to the school board's finance committee that showed a continuing squeeze on the district's bottom line.

"For 2008 to 2112, we have a very closely aligned budget for revenues and expenditures," Lucas said.

The core budget for this school year — for operating the district's academic programs — reflects $23 million in cuts, coming in at $167 million. The district's total budget is down $31.7 million from the prior year after the May levy defeat.

Going forward, the forecast projects a balanced budget through 2112, but the district carries over as little as $1.2 million of the budget — 0.75 percent — in cash.

The projected budgets assume programs cut for this year will not return. That means a continuation of longer school days, larger class sizes and fewer extracurriculars, Lucas said.

It also means one-time adds back into this year's budget — such as high school bus service, adjunct arts faculty and middle school sports — will disappear for the next four years. Those cuts were restored this year after outside funds were raised to pay for them.

Only a levy can reverse all the cuts, Lucas said.

State law requires that the board pass the five-year forecast by month's end. It will meet Tuesday to vote on it, board President Yvonne Isaacs said.

Related: Scott Elliot blogs about schools and education