Some of the area's poorer ones - such as Delaware County's Upper Darby and William Penn - have already made substantial cuts in recent years and were not counting on sizable local revenue increases, so they were not hit as hard by the downturn. Less-wealthy districts are also slated to get more federal stimulus money this year in an effort to stave off cuts.

At the other end of the spectrum, some prosperous districts have been able to weather the recession without making significant academic changes.

The cuts by the West Chester Area School District, for example, included only items such as reducing legal fees, ending staff travel to "nice but not needed" meetings, and deferring some textbook orders, said spokesman Rob Partridge.

Students and staff were also enlisted in an energy-savings effort that cut one high school's electric bill about 22 percent.

Even with the cuts, the district's tax increase was the third-highest in the region, partly due to school-construction debt. The school board also ratified a two-year teachers contract this spring, with 4.3 percent wage increases.

In many other places, however, the cuts have been deep. Faced with a $4 million revenue shortfall, the Neshaminy district is cutting at least 65 jobs, close to half of them teachers.

"There will be minimal dollars to do things other than what is legally required," district business administrator Joseph Paradise told the school board earlier this year. Music, art, the academic-enrichment program, physical education, prekindergarten and kindergarten, and languages will all experience some cuts.

In Pennsbury, about 40 jobs will be lost. Late buses for students staying after school for sports and other activities were eliminated, as were district-funded field trips. A sophomore community-service program was suspended, as was a program that allowed some students to work part time while attending school. Some textbook purchases were deferred.

Even with the concessions from teachers, the Quakertown district ended up with a budget that eliminated 41 positions next year, 13 of them teachers.

World-language and physical-education offerings were cut; recommended computer upgrades won't take place. Even the smallest trims were made: The school band won't be allowed to travel to away football games, at a savings of $3,880 in a budget of more than $81 million, and bottled-water coolers will be removed where tap water is available, saving an additional $1,500.

The budget left some parents disturbed by the erosion of financial support for extracurricular activities. "What worries me is where we stop," said Milford Township resident Karen Quinn, the mother of two students in the district. "I never expected that they would make choices to damage programs like music, which we are pretty well-known for. Music has been hit enough; sports have been cut enough. Extracurriculars keep kids happy, connected, and with positive role models - that's what were taken away. It's becoming all about the grade and the test."

In Delaware County's Marple Newtown School District, though spending increased only a small amount from last year, the district had a revenue shortfall of about $1 million, and there were some unexpected building repairs. That added up to the need for cuts.

Those included dropping the district's elementary-school foreign-language program; no more district payments to the College Board for students taking advanced-placement tests, which were $86 per test this year; no more district contribution to the Ice Hockey Club; and eliminating the faculty advisers to the high school and middle school newspapers, which might not be able to stay in operation as a result.

Also, middle and high school students will be charged an activity fee proposed at $75 for sports and nonacademic extracurricular activities. No student would have to pay more than once, and the tentative family limit is $150.

The budget drew fire from some parents at a board meeting last week. "I think there are a lot of people who would gladly pay more taxes in order to have better schools," Broomall resident Michelle Montgomery, the mother of two district students, told the board. "The long-term value of our homes and our neighborhood and community is not dependent on low taxes. It's dependent on good schools."

David McGinley, school board president, was unapologetic. "We have an obligation to the entire community," he said in an interview. "Go talk to some of the citizens who are ready to lose their homes, and you'll see the dilemma we're in. . . . People don't realize how well they have it - it could be a lot worse next year."

Contact staff writer Dan Hardy

at 610-627-2649 or at dhardy@phillynews.com.

Inquirer staff writer Max Stendahl contributed to this article.