The effect of the Jefferson County Board of Education’s cutback of more than 200 employees has made its way to the system’s budget, but it also may be taking a toll on the morale of teachers.

The board approved its budget for the 2016 fiscal year in a special meeting Tuesday. The budget’s bottom line reflects an increase of about $1.1 million in the general fund balance at the end of the next fiscal year, compared to annual deficits in the $10 million in previous years that whittled the system’s reserves down.

The new budget means that the system will have financial reserves equal to 1.91 months of operating expenses by the end of the fiscal year. State law requires at least one month in reserve, but JefCoEd has historically tried to stick to a minimum of two months.

Most of those savings were as a result of a financial improvement plan that was put in place months ago by Supt. Craig Pouncey. That plan originally called for a reduction in force that would have meant layoffs of more than 200 staffers, though some other positions would have been created to reduce the net loss. That plan was originally approved by the board, but later rescinded while an ad hoc committee was formed to come up with a better plan.

That committee, headed by Jefferson County Treasurer Mike Miles, presented an alternative that would reduce the workforce mainly through attrition, though some workers — mainly teachers’ aides — were laid off. Other savings came from cutting back some positions from year-round employment to 10 months per year, and from the refinancing of a bond issue that resulted in the interest rate dropping from 5.5 to 1.97 percent.

But the cuts in staff size may have caused a side effect that has manifested itself as the new school year began. Absenteeism among teachers is nearly double the rate so far this year as compared to this point in 2014, according to Human Resources Director Brett Kirkham.

That, combined with staffing by substitute teachers now outsourced to Huntsville-based Appleton Learning — whom Pouncey described as “like a temp agency for teachers” — has resulted in some classes being without substitutes, with other teachers having to cover for the absent teachers as well as care for their regular classes.

Marrianne Hayward, president of the Jefferson County chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, has heard from her members about the issue.

“I think morale is low — that’s what I’m hearing from our people,” Hayward said. “They [teachers] keep being told that they have to do more with less, and I think they’ve had it. They didn’t get a raise — one of very few job categories that didn’t — and they’re upset about it.”

Hayward also said that some substitutes who also drive buses were no longer available for teaching since the Appleton takeover, as they are not allowed to work for both Appleton and JefCoEd.