Roanoke County school officials unveiled a round of possible budget cuts totalling $3.1 million Thursday evening, part of their effort to cut $10 million in spending next year. The county's cuts came just hours after their counterparts in the city laid out their plans to find $15 million in savings next year, an indication that school districts across Virginia are struggling to cope with the tightening economy.

The most significant cut proposed by county school officials Thursday would scale back the take-home laptop program for high school students, which would save more than $1 million. Instead of getting new laptops next year, ninth-graders would get hand-me-down computers from graduating seniors. The move could be a first step toward discontinuing the laptop program entirely, school board members said.

"Under the current economic situation, this is probably one of those items we can no longer afford to do," school board member Jerry Canada said.

Last month, the school board identified $5.2 million in cuts that would bring down the number of teachers, increase class size and cut back on summer school programs. Part of those savings will come from an expanded early-retirement offer that attracted about 100 employees, roughly 20 more than officials were expecting. The school board could also reap $1.6 million in new revenue from county coffers thanks to a decades-old handshake agreement between the school board and the board of supervisors.

County administrators are considering eliminating 14 custodial positions through attrition, combining positions in the district's central administration, reducing the amount of money available for staff development and tuition assistance, and eliminating district-funded field trips, although schools could hold fundraisers to pay for the trips.

"Unfortunately a lot of tough decisions await us," school board Chairman Drew Barrineau said.

The school system also proposed to combine classes at Bent Mountain Elementary, one of the smallest schools in the state with 61 students. Half the principal's time would be devoted to teaching. For decades, residents of Bent Mountain have rallied to save their school through economic downturns, and this year was no different.

"The community would like the building to stay open, and we would like the building to stay open, if possible," Superintendent Lorraine Lange said.

But Lange added that the school could find itself on the chopping block again if the financial situation takes another turn for the worse.

Barrineau said he did not anticipate the economic outlook to brighten anytime soon.