It would have been cruel Tuesday to force the Lawrence school district’s budget committee to make snap judgments about $5.8 million in proposed spending cuts.

Committee members were presented with 125 options that include deleting junior high school cheerleading, eliminating special-education jobs, dropping sixth-grade band and orchestra, dumping art, music and gym class for kindergarten students, and trimming many high school sports and after-school programs.

The 20 teachers, staff, administrators and board members on the committee were given until Friday to segregate all the alternatives into high-, middle- and low-priority groups. District staff will merge their individual preferences into a single list.

“If anybody had their druthers, very little of this would be on anybody’s high list,” said Trish Bransky, principal at Southwest Junior High School.

Committee members will convene at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at district headquarters, 110 McDonald Drive, to put final touches on their prioritized recommendations. It will go to the school board March 10.

The board requested $4.5 million in possible spending reductions that could be applied in the 2003-2004 school year. The district’s declining enrollment, loss of state funding and rising operating costs made it necessary to consider spending cuts.