Durham schools are working to tighten spending, and district leaders say that will likely mean cuts.

The county has asked the District to trim just over $3 million. District leaders say the move will delay urgent renovations to some schools, and they fear it's just the beginning.

The budget reduction affects the district's lottery fund and capital outlay fund.

The lottery fund, which is made up of money from the state lottery, will be reduced by $2.7 million because of the change, according to Hank Hurd, the district's chief operating officer.

Hurd says the money usually goes to major roof replacement projects.

He says projects at Burton Elementary School, Fayetteville Street Elementary, Poole Elementary and Northern High School will be delayed because of the reduction.

"None of these on the list that I just mentioned will be done this fiscal year," Hurd said.

The cutbacks also include a $400,000 reduction of expenditures for the district's capital outlay fund.

Hurd says that money would normally pay for renovations to bleachers and lockers in school gyms, and ceiling and tile replacement.

Money for the capital outlay fund also pays for security cameras in school buses.

Right now, about two-thirds of all buses have security cameras. The system will have to delay installing its yearly average of 50 because of the cutbacks.

Hurd says the district is aiming to resume the projects during the next fiscal year.

On the other hand, Hurd said reports are grim for the 2009-10 fiscal year.

"We're hearing numbers like 4 percent to 7 percent of our state public school fund will be cut," he said.

He said school officials fear teacher cuts if those financial predictions are true.

"If [the state cuts] $8 million dollars, and 95 percent of the state funds go in the form of somebody's salary," Hurd said.

"You do the math; it doesn't leave us a lot of options," he said.

Hurd said his office was working on a memo to all staff freezing non-essential travel on Tuesday evening.

"We have made a concerted effort to not affect our classrooms as much as possible," he said.

Right now, school officials say there will be no direct impact on teachers and educational supplies for this fiscal year.