OLATHE, Kan. -- While schools all across Kansas are being forced to cut back due to a lack of state funding, educators in Olathe are faced with making some serious cutbacks in the coming months.

District officials are giving parents the facts in a series of meetings so they will know exactly how their children's education will be affected.

Danielle Wagner teaches fourth-graders at Sunnyside Elementary School near 159th Street and Mur-Len Road. She said she's heard the talk of budget problems and wishes the state would quit cutting funding for education.

"I don't want anything to really happen that will affect the quality of education we give kids," she said. "But that's out of our control."

So, too, is her future as a teacher in Olathe, as administrators fear they might have to lay off teachers and staff to help balance the budget.

"When we look at those kinds of millions, it has to impact the staff and staffing impacts programming and services and class sizes," said Superintendent Pat All.

All said the state has already cut $13.8 million from her budget and is threatening to take away another $9 million. That's about 5 percent of her total budget.

Budget cuts last year forced the district to get rid of 160 staff members through attrition and early retirement. The district is facing having fewer teachers in the classroom, less technical support and fewer custodians to keep schools clean.

"It takes a lot of work to build excellence and quality over decades and that's what Johnson County and Olathe are known for," All said. "It's not going to take that many years to take it back."

The Olathe district is growing in student population. Officials are expecting 450 more students next year and they are opening up a new middle school this summer to help hand the extra students. But they won't be hiring teachers for that school, Instead, school leaders plan to move teachers from other schools into the new building creating larger classroom populations.

"How are we going to serve more young people every year with more needs and higher standards with less resources?" All said.

There is no easy solution. Interested persons can attend an information meeting on Monday night at 7 at Olathe Northwest or on Feb. 25 at Mid-America Nazarene.

District officials encourage people to write their state representatives to urge them to increase school funding.