The largest school district in the region might soon be getting out of the high school education business.

Erie schools Superintendent Jay Badams is asking the Erie School Board to consider closing all four of the district's high schools and to transport students to nearby districts as early as 2017-18.

The School Board is weighing a menu of potential cuts as it grapples with a $4.3 million budget gap for 2016-17, including eliminating sports, extracurricular activities, art and music programs, district libraries, and the district's police department.

The board will discuss those and other potential cuts at a nonvoting meeting Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at the district administration building, 148 W. 21st St.

Any of the proposed cuts would widen an existing divide between Erie and neighboring school districts in terms of what Erie is able to provide to its 12,000 students, Badams said.

Badams said he posed the option of closing Strong Vincent High School, East High School, Central Career and Technical School, and Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy because "I can't imagine sending our children to high schools where they don't have sports and extracurricular activities, where we don't have money for books."

It's a matter of equity, he said.

"We simply can't offer them close to the same experience their peers in other districts have locally."

Closing the four high schools would save the district $3 million, district Chief Financial Officer Brian Polito said. But that wouldn't happen until at least 2017-18, the earliest the district would be able to close the schools either all at once or in phases, and would not affect the 2016-17 budget.

Badams and Polito have made repeated trips to Harrisburg to plead their case for more funding now, meeting with Gov. Tom Wolf, Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera and others. There's no indication that additional state money is forthcoming, Badams said.

Under the law, if Erie closes its high schools, it would pay tuition for Erie public school students to attend schools in the "nearest or most-convenient" districts. Erie would provide transportation to districts within 10 miles.

If the district does move forward on closing the schools, it would develop a task force on the issue, likely spearheaded by the Northwest Tri-County Intermediate Unit, and work with area superintendents to make any transitions as smooth as possible.

Board President Bob Casillo said he never imagined he and his colleagues would be discussing the possibility of closing all high schools. He blames inequitable funding flowing out of Harrisburg.

"As much as I absolutely despise the possibility (of closing schools), we have to keep all options open to keep our schools open," Casillo said. "I'm absolutely frustrated by what's been going on."

District administrators have already identified just more than $6 million in cuts for 2016-17, including eliminating 10 central office positions (a savings of nearly $1.4 million), eliminating five elementary positions ($300,000), and cutting 22 instructional coaching positions ($1.3 million). The district also expects to save $1.2 million through retirements, and $1.3 million through cuts to grant-funded professional development and curricular purchases.

Additional cuts under consideration to close the remaining $4.3 million gap include eliminating art and music (savings of $2.1 million), sports and extracurricular activities ($1.5 million), full-day kindergarten ($1.1 million), the district's armed police department ($939,300), closing one high school ($900,000), closing all libraries ($660,300), eliminating five assistant principal positions ($400,000) and six elementary guidance counselor positions ($360,000), and cutting technology purchases ($165,000).

The district could also consider a 3.7 percent tax increase to raise more than $1.4 million, and a pay cut to non-bargaining employees to save another $165,000, according to figures provided by the district.

Polito characterized the situation in a word: "dire."

ERICA ERWIN can be reached at 870-1846 or by email. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/ETNerwin.