By Kerry Benefield

In a rare split vote, the Santa Rosa school board Wednesday night voted to increase ninth-grade class sizes, cut deferred maintenance projects and eliminate a highly touted counseling program that targeted students struggling to pass the state exit exam.

The 4-3 vote to approve cutting more than $1.4 million from the 2011-12 budget is only the first step in cuts that could range between $3 million and $8 million for the upcoming school year, depending on whether a push to extend current state tax levels makes the ballot and is supported by voters.

"I believe we have to make these cuts -- as much as I despise looking at them and considering them, it's only because we have to," board member Tad Wakefield said before voting yes. "It could go up to 36 kindergarten kids in one classroom. How comfortable is the public with that? I'm not."

Trustees Ron Kristof, Laura Gonzalez and Donna Jeye voted no. In addition to Wakefield, board president Frank Pugh, and trustees Bill Carle and Larry Haenel voted yes.

"The state turned their back on you, the public," Pugh said. "Remember that. They did it to you. This board didn't do it, the state did it."

The round of cuts made Wednesday will end a supplemental counseling program that focused on high school students who struggle to pass the California High School Exit Exam. Eliminating the program saves the district $675,560 a year by eliminating seven counseling positions.

Supporters of the program said it focuses on the most vulnerable of the district's students -- the ones the district most needs to focus on to improve test scores and exit federal sanctions under the No Child Left Behind law.

"We are very close to escaping Program Improvement," said Casey Carl, who works as both a teacher and counselor in the district. "The cost to the students and families will be immeasurable." The board also took action to increase ninth-grade math and English classes from 24 to 26.5 students to save $442,000 a year by eliminating nearly seven teaching positions.

The board also moved to sweep $164,000 in school improvement funds into the district's general fund and pulled nearly $130,000 in maintenance funds into the general fund.

"Hopefully the general public will start to understand how difficult and complex this situation," Kristof said.

On Feb. 23 the board will consider an even longer list of cuts that include increasing class size at the elementary school level, cutting days from the school year, eliminating librarian positions, cutting office staff and other moves to carve between $1.6 million and $6.6 million from next year's budget.