The honks on an otherwise quiet Henderson street early Wednesday morning were more evidence of the community’s growing frustration with repeated school budget cuts.

Staff members from nearby Galloway Elementary School stood on the corner of Tamarack Drive and Greenway Road, toting signs with messages such as “Respect educators,” “Kids matter more than politics,” and “Honk to support teachers.” It was their way of raising awareness — however small the reach — about issues they say are unfair to both teachers and students.

“We’re teachers,” said Elizabeth Harris, who teaches fifth-grade math and science. “We’re not in this to hurt kids.”

Earlier this week, the Clark County School Board of Trustees approved a $2.4 billion budget for the upcoming academic year. The budget passage came two weeks after the district announced a $68 million deficit and asked schools to shed $47 million from their individual budgets.

District officials blamed the shortfall on an arbitrator’s decision that would give teachers pay bumps, which they say the cash-strapped entity can’t afford. School officials have asked a District Court judge to vacate the arbitrator’s decision, but while that appeal wends its way through the judicial system, soon-to-be-retiring Superintendent Pat Skorkowsky announced budget cuts in case a judge disagrees.

The situation has caused outrage among educators who argue they’re entitled to pay raises and shouldn’t be penalized by budget cuts as a result.

Harris, for instance, said her base pay hovers near $40,000 and she’s in her seventh year of teaching. She’s looking for a part-time gig at a grocery store to supplement her income.

“I can’t afford to teach here,” said Harris, who gave up a $70,000-a-year gig setting up call centers to pursue her passion for teaching.

To overcome the latest deficit, schools had to shave $132 per elementary student, $153 per middle school student and $184 per high school student from their budgets. For the district’s tiniest school, Lundy Elementary on Mount Charleston, which has 13 students, that meant cutting $1,718 from its budget. The district’s most-populated campus, Coronado High School, had to chop $623,295 because it’s home to 3,375 students.

What that means at many schools: fewer resources and larger class sizes because of position and program eliminations.

Some school employees, however, have taken matters into their own hands and launched fundraising campaigns to offset the budget cuts. Vassiliadis Elementary School raised $55,000 within one week of the deficit announcement, district officials confirmed.

And, on Tuesday, administrators at Goolsby Elementary School sent a letter to parents and guardians for donations to potentially salvage a staff position. The school had to cut $98,900 from its upcoming academic year’s budget, and the letter notes that one teaching position costs roughly $80,000.

“We are hoping to raise $60,000 to add a teacher and/or certified temporary tutor(s) to our 2018-2019 staff,” the principal, Kim Cunningham, and assistant principal, Lindsay Packer, wrote in the letter. “Please consider a tax-deductible monetary donation to help Goolsby cover this budget shortfall. If we can collectively raise this amount this week, we can offset the loss of funds in our 2018-2019 budget.”

Cunningham could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Both schools are located in or near the affluent Summerlin community. Some suburban schools have been the hardest hit by the budget cuts because they don’t receive federal Title 1 money or state categorical funds, all of which flow to schools with large numbers of low-income students or children still learning English.

Trustee Linda Cavazos said it’s painful to see schools in any neighborhood being forced into budget cuts and left wondering how to deliver a strong education.

“I think it’s extremely sad and it’s kind of heartbreaking to me that our teachers and parents are pushed to this point,” she said, referring to the fundraising campaigns.

It’s also not necessarily feasible for every school. Harris said Galloway Elementary School has difficulty even raising funds to send students on overnight field trips because many families are struggling to make ends meet.

“People complain about how much fundraising we already do,” she said. “We can’t just be like, ‘Can you donate $80,000 to us?’”

Cavazos was one of two trustees who voted against the school district’s final budget this week. The other was Trustee Kevin Child. Cavazos said her vote was more symbolic in nature, intended to show her displeasure with receiving what she considers too little information about budget matters before being asked to vote.

She also said the district needs to step up its game when it comes to lobbying the Legislature for more funding. The district faced a $60 million shortfall last year as well, which school officials attributed to a combination of rising employee costs and lower-than-expected state funding.

“We are way behind,” she said. “I don’t feel that we were effective at the last Legislature in asking for the money we needed or trying to get some clarification on the funds that were being given to us.”

Cavazos said she’s hopeful the incoming superintendent, Jesus Jara, can take the steps necessary to repair the district’s financial footing and public perception.

John Vellardita, executive director of the Clark County Education Association, echoed that outlook. He said teacher discontent will grow even stronger if a contract for the 2018-2019 school year isn’t in place by the end of summer.

“There’s not going to be peace in these classrooms,” he said.

The teachers posted outside Galloway on Wednesday didn’t place all the blame on the district, though. Fourth-grade teacher Tracy Barkhuff said it’s also a societal problem rooted in undervaluing education.

“When we stop paying someone $7 million to throw a rubber ball in a hoop, we might start taking education seriously,” she said.

The car horns showing support for the sign-waving teachers might indicate change is in the air. But the scene only lasted a half hour. The teachers couldn’t be late to class.