CAMDEN -- Over at McGraw Elementary School this year, there was a 27-year-old preschool teacher, Ryan Ratajski, bouncing around with the little ones and putting aside some of his salary for the family he's about to build.

In a first-grade classroom at Catto Elementary School stood Tia McIntosh -- 26 years old and passionately committed to children in the city. She planned to spend her entire career in Camden.

Meanwhile, Norm Dorrell, 41, a self-described "itinerant music teacher," shuffled between Catto and Dudley elementary schools, carrying a music bag with his own African drum, CDs and song sheets.

But that was last school year. This year, these teachers are among 171 school employees who were laid off as the cash-starved district tries to stem an estimated $20 million deficit.

Camden joins other New Jersey school districts that have long complained that years of flat or limited state funds are now resulting in programming or staffing cuts. Such cuts were discussed in districts like Washington Township, Lenape Regional, Black Horse Pike Regional and Winslow.

Barring financial relief from the state or a rash of retirements, 89 of Camden's 1,600 teachers will be laid off. And if the 15,000-student district doesn't get the $304 million that it is requesting in state aid, even more teachers could be unemployed. Because union rules typically protect long-term employees, the younger ones just starting out tend to be the ones cut.

"Everyone that I know who is in this predicament are the teachers that are young and motivated," said McIntosh, whose father is president of the teachers union. "It's the people who love their jobs and are dedicated to their jobs."

At first, hundreds of Camden district employees with two years or less of experience were put on notice that they could be laid off.

"When we got these letters, teachers were like, "This happens every year, nothing will come of it,' " said Chrissy Bianca, 24, who taught first and third grade at Davis School.

"And then someone said, "It's serious this time, you guys might lose your jobs.' It was mind-blowing to me. I wasn't expecting it at all. I'm taking it one day at time."

Bianca and the others were notified by FedEx this month that they were the ones officially out of work. Since then, Bianca has sent out 70 applications to other districts but has yet to get a response. As a last resort, she will return to her previous job at a mortgage company.

"It broke my heart knowing there was a chance I would never see (the students) again," the Cinnaminson resident said. "(Teaching) was the most rewarding thing I ever did. It makes me upset, because what are these poor kids going to do next year?"

Kenneth McIntosh, president of the teachers union, the Camden Education Association, is optimistic that most teachers will be called back because of retirements and resignations. He said others have found new jobs.

But Superintendent Bessie LeFra Young also said the current financial situation could, possibly, force even more teacher cuts.

The culprit, officials say, is years of severe underbudgeting and misappropriation of funds.

Student transportation, for example, has been underbudgeted by hundreds of thousands of dollars. There is a $5 million deficit in food services, and previous administrators failed to budget any money for a range of items for the 2006-2007 school year, according to business administrator James Devereaux.

With an estimated $20 million deficit, more expenses are piling up.

Out-of-district placement costs are up $10 million, partially because Camden County is now charging districts a fee for students who attend the county vocational school. There are 959 students at the county school, which means the city must pay $2.4 million more than last year.

This year's total budget tentatively stands at $343 million, Devereaux told the school board last week. But in order to fund that, the district is asking for $304 million from the state -- $54 million more than it received last year.

Many teachers who received layoff notices usually don't attend school board meetings or read the papers to find out these dirty details.

They said they just want to teach.

"It was a job I loved going to every day," Ratajski said. "I don't think I ever complained about getting up to go to work every day."

Ratajski and his wife own a home in Mount Laurel. They live with their five cats and two puppies, and were talking about having a child soon.

But there's uncertainty. His wife, Shannon, 23, a teacher of autistic children at the Burlington County Special Services school district, could also be laid off by September.

"Right now it's a big waiting game, and it stinks," Ratajski said. "I loved the feeling of working in the city and really making a difference. When I went to Camden, I just knew that was where I belonged."

For Dorrell, the music teacher, this was the third year in a row that his position was eliminated -- first in the Burlington County Special Services district, and then in Egg Harbor.

"They trim the fat, and unfortunately music and art and sometimes physical education are the fat," he said.

But music, he said, is vital. "There are so many different things you can learn about other subjects," he said, noting the math of rhythm and the science of acoustics.

Dorrell used an African drum, called a "djembe," at the center of drum circles in his classes. He ran clapping exercises every day, and all the materials he used were his own.

"I hope that people really understand what's at stake," he said. "The kids are going to suffer. They're missing out. Their solution to this is going to be bigger class size with fewer adults to help control."

The laid-off teachers interviewed said they truly enjoyed working in Camden, and they rejected the negative perception of the city.

"That's where my heart is," Tia McIntosh said. "I like to be in a place where there's an extreme need for people who are fun and energetic, and can relate to the families well."

Tia McIntosh has applied for unemployment benefits to help with rent on her home in Mantua, car payments and student loans.

"You build a lifestyle based on the career you set, and I had set my life around teaching," she said. "Everything was going as planned -- I guess not so much."

She still holds out hope for a callback. "Because I want to be in Camden more than anywhere in the world," she said.

This article appeared in the Courier-Post. Photo by Avi Steinhardt, Courier-Post.