The state Department of Education, which is considering budget cuts that could be as high as $69 million, would have to cut nearly $23 million directly from classrooms under that worst-case scenario, education officials said.

The state Board of Education on Thursday passed a $46.5 million budget reduction plan that falls short of the $69 million that Gov. Linda Lingle had requested a month ago.

If the department had to take a $69 million cut, education officials warn that the money would come out of the school funding mechanism known as the "weighted student formula," which pays for teacher, staff, custodial and other school-level positions and programs.

The result would be a crushing blow to the public school system, they say.

"We're down to bare bones," said Donna Ikeda, chairwoman of the state Board of Education.

"If cuts go deeper, it would absolutely affect the classroom," Ikeda said.

However, Gov. Linda Lingle said she was not convinced that the DOE had cut as much as it could from state and district offices.

"I don't see that they're hurting the classroom, yet. I'm certain there's more money there," Lingle said.

She also warned that more cuts may be over the horizon.

"This is our reality. I have to follow what the Council on Revenues is predicting. If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem," Lingle said.

Lingle had requested that all state agencies come up with 10 percent, 15 percent and 20 percent budget cut scenarios for their 2009-11 discretionary budget because the state's slowing economy has eroded tax revenue.

Education officials stopped just short of the 15 percent mark, suggesting that cuts deeper than that would ultimately affect school-level positions and programs. Officials were attempting to keep most of the cuts within state and district offices.

Friday was the deadline for the DOE to submit its budget reduction plans to the state Department of Budget and Finance. Because the plan was short of both the 15 percent and 20 percent budget reduction levels, education officials say the balance would need to be made up by decreasing the per-pupil allocation to schools.