? A Wichita school district official says leaders will have to consider laying off teachers or other personnel as it faces up to $30 million in cost increases next school year and no additional state funding.

The district’s chief financial officer, Jim Freeman, projects that the cost increases for the 2017 fiscal year, beginning in July, could range from $16 million to $30 million.

The Wichita Eagle reports that revenue is expected to be flat under the state’s new block grant funding system.

“We have a big enough hole to fill that we’re probably going to get into staff cuts,” Freeman said. “We’re getting to the point where any of the cuts now are going to hurt us.”

Freeman said the district avoided layoffs last year by tapping into its contingency reserves and cutting other areas, such as adult education programs and classroom supplies.

School board members will meet March 21 to begin building the budget and consider options for cuts. The board may also consider moving to four-day school weeks by lengthening the school day and shortening the school year.

“The board has to be given the options to look at,” Freeman said. “But there’s not enough dollars, quite frankly, in the non-salary cuts we’re looking at.”

Freeman said that while 2017 expenses look bad, 2018 doesn’t look any better.

“Until the revenues in the state start coming back up and the Legislature is willing to put more money into education, we’re stuck in this kind of a format,” he said.