Consequences for the levy failure

To quote from the Journal article Monday:

"If the levy does not pass, the district will have to make $7 million in budget cuts. Those cuts include 104.5 staff positions, extracurricular activities, advanced and foreign language classes at the middle school, and the district's gifted program. The district will also cut spending on supplies and materials by $85 per student.

Middletown City Schools would also limit student attendance hours and transportation to the state's minimum requirement.

That means that all Middletown City Schools would let out at 1:30 p.m., according to district officials."

This seems like a lot of sudden change to me, and I'm not sure I understand how this much bad could happen in a single year of changes. Gradual loss of funding over time forcing a district to cut these things out to make ends meet, sure, but all of this happening at once seems entirely... overwhelming.

I'm very interested to see how much of this will actually happen and how much of it was just fire and brimstone.