New York principals awoke on January 31st to startling news: The Department of Education had shaved off 1.75% from every public school’s budget.

“There was an email at dinner time, and the next morning the money was gone,” says Principal Raymond Peterson.

The highly unusual midyear cuts are forcing school administrators across the city to carve away budgetary marbling and cancel afterschool programs, art classes, and, in some cases, the per diem salaries of staff.

BHSEC is no different. Although the school receives around $1.5 million annually from parent institution Bard College, most funding comes from the DOE, and BHSEC will lose about $58,000.

Mr. Peterson has stated that a surplus from this year’s original budget, which was set aside in anticipation of cuts next year, will be depleted now instead. It does not, however, fully cover the losses.

To make ends meet, the administration plans to decrease the book budget and cut back on per diem pay for extracurricular employees and overtime compensation. Mr. Peterson has said that these measures will put BHSEC in the clear for this year, but he is concerned about the future—principals are bracing themselves for further and steeper budget cuts next year, which could be as high as 3.5-5.0%. Furthermore, it is expected that less money will come from Albany.

When the larger cuts arrive, administrators will face tough decisions on how best to economize. “We may have to excess teachers,” says Mr. Peterson.

But if faculty size were to shrink, what would that mean in terms of college program offerings? Two options are to increase class sizes across the board—a highly unpopular idea—or to offer certain college classes as lectures, in which one professor would teach a hall of 50-80 students.

While that proposal surely would make some seminar purists shudder, there could be benefits to lectures. Bruce Matthews, professor of philosophy, points out, “We have to offer enough courses to justify our ‘early college’ label,” and lectures present an opportunity to do that.

Dr. Matthews further contends that a class such as psychology 101, which requires students to work through large amounts of basic reading, would be ideally suited for lecture. “I’ve had amazing classes in lecture format,” he added. Several administrators and teachers agree that lectures are a reality beyond BHSEC, and many students continue on to large universities where honed note taking skills prove valuable.

Michael Lerner, Associate Dean of Studies, asserts that other options could be explored. “We just have to be creative,” he says. “Perhaps courses won’t be offered as frequently.” Dr. Lerner indicated that the administration would not be hiring more adjunct faculty to cut overhead.

As for lectures: “It’s a wait and see thing,” says Dr. Lerner. “The lecture idea has been tossed around before. It’s a common part of higher education.”