On Wednesday night the Oneonta City School District held its regularly scheduled Board of Education meeting at Riverside Elementary School.

Over 200 hundred people were in attendance to hear the first proposals on how the school district can close the $1.5 million budget gap.

One of the proposals recommended is to create a middle school for grades 6-8.

Oneonta City School District Interim Superintendent David Rowley discusses the idea.

"The proposal to create a 6-8 middle school instead of a 7-8 middle school is just one of many proposals we are going to be looking at to help save some money and reduce the deficit," Rowley said. "At the same time, we think it is a positive program for kids academically and that it will be a good thing and is one of the things we think we can do that will both save money and still be a very good thing for kids."

Creating the new middle school could help save the school district at least $135,000.

Other proposals would be to eliminate one physical education teacher position and to end the German language program at the high school.

There will be more cost saving proposals recommended in upcoming Board of Education meetings to help close the $1.5 million dollar budget gap. The school budget will be voted on in May.

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