POULSBO — The North Kitsap School District began a new school year this week, still smarting from a painful budgeting process.

The school district’s annual budget, which was finalized Aug. 19, included a handful of staff reductions. The changes trimmed the district’s classified staff numbers from 285.4 full-time equivalent positions in 2009-10 to 269 this year, and certificated staff from 421.1 to 410.9.

North Kitsap Education Association president Chris Fraser said it’s too early to tell if the staff reduction will have an effect on teaching, but may result in larger class sizes in some schools.

“If we’re down, very likely it will result in higher class sizes, and higher class sizes do have an impact on student learning,” Fraser said. “It’s more difficult to facilitate student learning when you have more kids in your class. There’s only so much of you to go around.”

Fraser added that district administrators are working with teachers to adjust and maintain reasonable class sizes.

Also included in the final budget cuts were the loss of a drug and alcohol interventionist and a Native American Education secretary. The interventionist position served Kingston High and Kingston Middle School. A contract for a new, similar position will be drawn up as a replacement, Kingston High Principal Christy Cole said.

“There will definitely be an effect, but we do plan to continue to deliver services to our students,” Cole said.

The district also chose not to renew a contract with Poulsbo Police and the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office to station school resource officers at secondary schools. While officers will respond to calls at schools just as they would anywhere else, Cole said the schools will miss the rapport students and officers build by having an officer present at the school.

“They’re very responsive,” Cole said of the sheriff’s office. “But obviously it’s different than having someone onsite. That ongoing daily relationship is one of the things we’ll miss the most.”

The district began the 2009-10 school year without resource officers, but added them mid-year, last December. District spokeswoman Robyn Chastain said a similar agreement is possible this year, but has not yet been considered.

“As far as adding the SRO positions back mid-year, there are no current plans to do so,” Chastain said in an email. “Student safety remains a high priority for the board and as the year progresses and the budget unfolds, they could always make adjustments.”