The first day of school typically brings a mix of hope, joy and anxiety as students return from summer break to new classes and, in many cases, new schools.

This year, perhaps more than others, that applies to the administration and staff as much as the students. School districts across the state were forced to make significant cuts to positions and programs during last spring’s budget process, cuts that came from already lean budgets that were showing the impact of three or four consecutive tight years.

In South Portland, for instance, Superintendent Suzanne Godin said the district has cut 75 positions during the last five years. This year’s $37.9 million budget alone eliminated 25 positions, including teachers.

The situation is similar in Scarborough, where the equivalent of 30 positions was cut to cope with the decrease in state aid caused by the economic downturn.

In Gorham, this year’s budget cut the equivalent of 15.6 full-time positions, including seven educational technicians and 6.6 teachers. In the past few years, the School Department had already eliminated 51 positions including a business manager and the White Rock School principal, who retired and was not replaced.

Through creativity and the combining of resources with the municipal side of city government, the Westbrook School Department avoided any layoffs this year. However, in the preceding years, dozens of positions were cut from the school department.

The Windham-Raymond School District budget cut over 40 positions this year and 19 the previous year. School Administrative District 15, in Gray-New Gloucester, was forced to cut positions this year as well. School Administrative District 6, which includes Standish, and School Administrative District 61, the Lake Region School District, have also faced tough budget cycles over the last few years.

Those school districts, and many others, have in each of the last few years had to find ways to cut staff without taking too much away from the overall education received by students. In many ways, they have succeeded.

But one has to wonder how long it can hold. During the last budget process, which many observers put among the worst in recent memory, state and school officials warned of an even more dire situation coming in the next cycle.

In general, students will be returning to schools with larger class sizes. As the cuts have mounted, teachers and administrators alike have been given additional duties in areas such as curriculum development, adding to their burden and inevitably taking some focus from the day-to-day functions of the classroom.

“We are finding the cuts are impacting our workload capacity,” Godin told The Current earlier this month.

Also, course offerings and activities have been cut back, with the arts often taking a hit. Parents are being asked more and more to contribute toward school supplies for their children.

While school officials maintain that they are doing everything within their power to keep these cuts from impacting education, common sense says you can only do more with less for so long. And that is why this school year warrants a close watch.