Salem school officials have started to sketch in details about how the school system can fill a $2 million shortfall in its budget.

Layoffs, pay cuts, a hiring freeze, furloughs and paid time off are all on the list of considerations, officials said at a Salem School Board meeting Tuesday night.

But without a firm number on how much the state will trim from its aid to public schools, leaders urged patience in their decision-making.

"Do we know everything tonight? No," said Michael Crew, director of business services for the school system. "Is the federal stimulus going to save us? Probably not."

The board will finalize its spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year in March.

In Salem, the $2 million cut amounts to about 4 percent of the overall budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

Covering the loss, a task facing public schools across the state, was the focus of recent staff meetings at the six Salem schools.

Teachers, who are among the highest paid in the region, said they preferred a pay cut to combat the budget shortage. Layoffs were their last preference.

Tuesday night, Superintendent Alan Seibert pointed to some measures already under way to make up for lost revenue.

For one, teachers were asked to cut spending on next year's instructional supplies by 25 percent. It was a chore, Seibert said, and one that saved only $100,000 -- underlining the magnitude of the work to be done.

"Public education in Virginia is in the same boat, and it's rough seas," he said.