CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will move forward with plans to cut more than $62 million from next year’s budget, but district leaders may have to find even more places to cut.

The $62 million in cuts would mean 840 layoffs, including around 600 teachers.

Now that the district may have to cut another $20 million from its budget, an option that appeared to be off the table is back up for consideration: consolidating schools.

“Board members want me to look at it as an option, so we'll look at it. It could happen," said Superintendent Peter Gorman, shortly after the two-and-a-half hour budget workshop session Tuesday night.

While most parents picture CMS as a district with dozens of mobile classrooms outside every school, Eyewitness News learned not every school in the district is overcrowded.

In fact, there are about a dozen schools that are below 75 percent utilization.

Most of those schools are in the West Learning Community.

Westerly Hills Elementary is 47 percent full. Ashley Park Elementary, which sits just two miles away, is 54 percent full.

Combining those two schools would create one fully-utilized school, but CMS Facilities Planning employee Dennis LaCaria said making the change isn’t as easy as it sounds.

“Closing a school doesn't eliminate all costs. There's always a minimum cost to heat and cool the building, and there still needs to be some basic maintenance,” LaCaria said. “Also, most of those teachers would move with the students.”

District leaders haven’t openly talked about which schools would be considered, but they would likely be underutilized schools.

Not all underutilized schools have neighboring schools with the same issue, so not every potential combination would be as easy as Westerly Hills and Ashley Park.

Gorman didn't include the consolidation option in his plan for the first $62 million in cuts, but now that CMS has to potentially cut another $20 million, he said it’s worth consideration.