As Baltimore leaders railed against the city's public school system for its failure to keep spending under control, schools chief Carmen V. Russo said she will try to spread cuts throughout the district so that no single area suffers the brunt of austerity measures.

"This is fixable," Russo said, referring to a multimillion-dollar deficit the school system is facing. "It's just going to mean some tightening of the belt and some sacrifices all over."

The district ended the first quarter in September with a $6 million deficit, adding to a $19 million deficit carried over from last year. To help stanch the flow of red ink, school officials announced the layoff of 396 temporary employees this week and said other drastic cuts would be necessary in coming weeks.

Russo said yesterday that pay cuts, furloughs and more layoffs were possible but that other solutions would be considered first.

Teachers union officials, who represent the largest number of school employees, could not be reached for comment yesterday

A leader of the local that bargains on behalf of the school system's custodians, bus drivers, grounds crews and food services employees said union members would not accept a pay cut or a forced leave.

"Right now, furloughs are out of the question," said Glen S. Middleton, of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

Elected officials said too many people have already been affected.

"I just have real grave concerns with laying off teachers aides, custodians and library aides," City Council President Sheila Dixon said of this week's layoffs. "This is going to be a real disservice to the kids."

Dixon said she wants Russo, Chief Operating Officer Mark Smolarz and school board members to appear at a hearing to more fully explain how the system's finances have gotten so out of whack that layoffs were necessary two weeks before Christmas.

"This continuing fiscal irresponsibility at the expense of the classroom staff and our youth can no longer be tolerated," Dixon said in a statement.

Yesterday, Russo outlined some potential areas where costs could be contained, including:

Scaling back the system's summer school program, which was attended by 40,000 children this year.

Performing only minimal high school renovations.

Cutting the number of teacher training days in half.

Increasing class sizes slightly next school year.

Russo said any further job cuts would start with the system's outside consultants and contractors.

Indicative of the school system's financial circumstances, neither Russo nor Smolarz could say how much money needs to trimmed.

On Tuesday night, Smolarz told the school board that at least $30 million needed to be saved.

Yesterday, he backed off that figure saying he was pressured by board members to come up with a figure off the top of his head. "It's a big number," Smolarz said, "but is it 30 [million] or is it 15 [million]?"

Meanwhile, political and civic leaders were firm in saying that the school system needs to get its financial house in order.

"The school board doesn't seem like it has a clue," said Baltimore Comptroller Joan M. Pratt. "How can they expend funds and not have the money for it? Do they have any internal controls?"

'Totally not acceptable'

Del. Howard P. Rawlings said the school system's financial situation is "totally not acceptable."

"I think it is a case where our children are working hard and doing better and our adults are continuing the old practices of mismanagement," he said yesterday. "It raises some questions about the school board and the CEO to tolerate a deficit of this magnitude."

The plight of the nearly 400 temporary employees who were laid off this week without notice has been an emotional focal point of the school system's money woes. Russo said yesterday that a school board policy that prohibited keeping temporary workers on the payroll for more than 90 days had not been enforced. And the school system recognized that it could not ask unions for concessions before eliminating some of the temporary employees.

"Two of the unions were very loud about the temporaries" during a private meeting Tuesday, Russo said.

City leaders weren't the only ones frustrated about losing the temporary workers.

Drenary Foster, the mother of two children at Garrett Heights Elementary School, is furious that a teachers aide in her son's kindergarten class is being laid off. She said the teacher will have 37 to 39 children in the classroom and no aide.

"We are down to parent volunteers," she said. "I am so angry."

Some things off limits

Russo said some things would not be on the chopping block.

No classroom would go without a teacher, she said, and the high school reform effort the system launched this year would not be stymied.

Russo also defended the need for highly paid academic coaches - some of whom earn $70,000 or more - in the schools.

"Academic instruction is the focus," Russo said. "And you would expect to spend more money there."

But some leaders criticized school officials for adding new positions or programs - however important - without first being sure there was money to pay for them.

Former City Council member Carl Stokes said, "Upper management of the school system has not been as honest as they should be. ... They were dishonest in saying, 'We can do this without the price tag.'"

Stokes, chairman of the Maryland Education Coalition, added that recent layoffs also show that the school system has been underfunded by both the city and state for many years.

Funding looks tougher

But Christopher Maher, education director of Advocates for Children and Youth, said the system's recent problems may make it even harder to get state funding.

Maher and many city advocates spent hours in Annapolis last year lobbying for more money for city schools, arguing that the city had turned the corner in its efforts to improve education.

"What reason is Baltimore giving Annapolis to send them more money?" Maher said. "We are trying to work to get more funding for the school system. This is not going to help. This is something that enemies of public education say, 'Look, the school system can't handle its money.'"

In the face of all the criticism, Russo defended the tough choices she's made and will have to make in the future.

"I just do everything I can to stay focused on the kids," she said, "and that's all I can do."

Sun staff writer Tom Pelton contributed to this article.