AIKEN --- Raises for some Aiken County school district employees might be in jeopardy for the coming school year as the district faces a possible $5.5 million deficit.

District Comptroller Tray Traxler said budget planning was still too far out to know where there would be cuts. But salaries and benefits comprise 91 percent of the 2007-08 General Fund budget, according to a presentation to the county school board last week.

"A lot of that is required teacher salary increases," Mr. Traxler said. "We're looking at all options."

Between 75 percent and 80 percent of salaries and benefits are for teachers.

Earlier this year, the state Legislature approved 3.85 percent raises for all instructional positions -- but that mandate doesn't include administrative and other noninstructional personnel. Under previous administrations, all district employees received raises.

The school board saw the crunch coming last year after the state changed the tax code on owner-occupied homes. The board can increase mill rates to 3.96 percent, but that would only generate about $2.4 million. The increase would mostly affect business owners.

Some in the community think this is a good time for board members to re-evaluate raises anyway. Aiken County Taxpayers Association member Vicki Simons suggested to the board Tuesday that raises be based on merit and evaluations.

"If you've got that huge of an increase coming from salaries alone, you need to cut back, but only in terms of administrator and classified employees," Mrs. Simons said. "Some of these people are in huge salaries and others are not -- so how do you do that? You do it on a basis of a pay range, but evaluation and make it on a competitive basis."

Though the board hasn't had time to discuss where cuts might be made, each department has been instructed to look at what's essential, board Chairwoman Christine Sanders said.

"I think we're really going to have to look at some cuts somewhere," Dr. Sanders said. "That's just a big disparity between the proposed budget and actuality in what we can expect (in revenues)."

Items on teachers' wish lists, including more custodial supplies and lower pupil-teacher ratios, might also suffer.