PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Amidst ongoing mediations between teachers and the Salem-Keizer school district, upcoming layoffs and budget cuts were announced at a board meeting Tuesday night.

At the board meeting, Superintendant Andrea Castañeda announced that they have been looking at their budget line by line and finding reductions that can be made to get closer to closing the gap between the district’s revenue and spending for the 2023-2024 school year.

The budget cuts will be the largest reduction of “district-level services” in over a decade, but the focus remains on preserving the student experience at schools, according to Castañeda.

When addressing what would be reduced in the district, Castañeda said that every line of the budget was examined and they asked the question, “Is this expense more important than a person who is serving students in the building?”

Castañeda also said that it’s impossible to know completely accurately what the budget gap looks like due to the bargaining currently going on between the teachers and the district.

The first round of reductions will be shared at the next meeting on Dec. 12.