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Editor's note: This article has been corrected to reflect the number of days that a vote sought to cut the extended year school calendars by.

GREENSBORO — The school board continues to work without a net as it waits for legislators to pass a state budget.

And that tightrope walk grew more daunting this week as the board attempted to zero in on cuts.

“We’ve got to go ahead and make some tentative decisions here, and if finances change that’s great,” said board member Jeff Belton. “We’re at the point where even a few dollars here and there are important as you try to find funds to pay for teachers.”

The board met briefly Thursday to review Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green’s options for the budget. Over the past several months as first the governor, then the Senate, and finally the House approved their budget proposals, Green and his staff have presented numerous possible budget cuts.

The board approved more than $12.6 million in cuts in May when it submitted its budget request to the county commissioners. Those cuts eliminate teachers, programs and resources.

As the state House began its budget talks, officials estimated the school system could wind up with $40 million less in state funding in 2009-10 than it did this year. That’s when Green and his staff developed even deeper cuts for the board to consider, including eliminating nearly 200 more teaching positions.

The House approved its budget proposal last month and school officials now estimate a $34 million budget shortfall.

With that lower number in mind, Green asked the board what cuts it wants to make.

“These are all things I’d really rather not do,” Green said. “But if we’ve got to get to $34 million, this is how I propose doing them (the cuts), but please understand the repercussions of all of them.”

Despite taking several votes, the school board made little progress deciding on cuts.

“What we had today was what Mr. Green wanted to consider versus what the board wanted to discuss, therefore nothing got done,” said board member Garth Hebert after the meeting.

“We were expecting more meat and we got a lot of pudding. I’d like to see more options, more choices.”

One option that stumped the board was a proposal to move Brooks and Johnson Street global schools from 200-day calendars to the traditional 180-day calendar. Board members debated whether improvements at the schools were attributable to the additional days.

In the end, a motion to remove the option from the list of proposed cuts failed in a 5-5 vote. A vote to cut the school calendars by 5 days also failed.

The board also debated but failed to decide several proposed transportation cuts. Green recommends cutting some bus drivers and consolidating some bus stops, but not adding more routes for any single bus to travel.

The board expressed concerns about how far children might have to walk and how long they might need to wait for the bus.

Nor could the board decide whether to cut the International Baccalaureate program at Smith High School. There are only two students enrolled, and cutting it would save the system $73,500.

Green recommends keeping the program.

If the state budget is better than expected, Green said, money will be returned to items that directly affect schools and students first.

Several board members said the board should consider meeting again before its July 23 meeting so decisions can be made.

Contact J. Brian Ewing at 373-7351 or brian.ewing@news-record.com