Opp City Schools will lose three teachers in light of tough economic times, superintendent Michael Smithart said.

Smithart said not filling these vacant positions allows the system to take Title I funds, with which they were being paid, into the 2012 budget year when no federal stimulus money will be available.

“I don’t foresee significant economic turnaround,” he said. “This puts us on the road to preparing for that. We have a half a million-dollar hole to fill.”

With those changes, there will be 38.5 teachers at the elementary school; 23.5 at the middle school and 24.5 at the high school. In addition, there will be a principal at each school; a reading coach at the elementary school; three counselors; three librarians and assistant principals at the middle and high schools.

“We’re as close as possible,” he said. “We still need to hire a P.E.teacher, English teacher and an assistant principal at the high school.”

At Tuesday’s meeting, the board accepted a resignation from Greg Ennis, a P.E. teacher and coach at Opp Elementary.

It also hired William Ossenfort as a science teacher at OHS; Andrew Carter and Sterlin Driver as science teachers at Opp Middle School.

The board also amended the current budget to include a $14,460 career tech extended contract grant; increased the budget for legal fees having to do with an ongoing special education matter; reduced the child nutrition program indirect cost; budgeted for summer school at Opp High School; corrected the transportation budget to include a midday route that transports middle school band students and athletes to the high school during sixth period; budgeted for the QSCB revenue and expenses and other line item adjustments.

Chief Financial Officer Linda Banks said with the changes the projected ending fund balance for Sept. 30 would be around $3.35 million.