On paper, the budget is balanced at Les Cheneaux Community Schools, but without knowing how much money they will get from the state, they could find themselves in a hole as soon as the new school year begins.

The school's business manager says they do not have a savings fund and if they get less than what they budgeted for, that could mean more cuts once school starts.

They've already had to layoff ten support staff and one teacher. People in communities surrounding the district say they do not want to see any more cuts.

Since December a group set out to raise $100,000 to help prevent cuts.

They have not reached their goal yet, but have generated more than $50,000.

All the money is going to the school to support everything from academics to sports, to everything in between.

The group has coordinated more than 30 fundraisers in the past nine months.

Their last big fundraising effort is to raffle off a 2009 Dodge Ram SLT Sport 4x4 Crew Cab with chrome accent package. Tickets cost $25.
They are on sale at various businesses in the Cedarville area, or you can send a check to:

Fund the Future
ATTN: Bri Freel
P.O. Box 292
Cedarville, MI 49719

The drawing will be held on 9/5/2009.
**If 1,500 tickets are not sold, then a 50/50 drawing will be held, instead.

Click on the link below for more details on the 'Fund the Future' Campaign.

9&10's Christina Vecchioni and photojournalist Aaron Smith have more on what the community is doing.