ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Hundreds of Encinal High School students marched about two miles from the school to the Alameda Unified School District offices Wednesday morning to protest budget cuts that would slash funding for sports and other programs at the city's two high schools.

Encinal High School Principal Tony Kuns said some students attended a school board meeting Tuesday night in which the board discussed ways to cut about $4 million in spending. One of the reasons why students poured out of classes and into city streets was the board's vote to cut a large portion of athletic program funding at Encinal and Alameda high schools, Kuns said.

"They felt strongly they needed to make a statement to the school board," he said.

The students from Encinal High School left the school this morning after planning a walkout following Tuesday's meeting and spreading the word through text messages, Kuns said.

When administrators saw the group gathered outside the school and realized they would not be able to stop the students, they worked to make sure the students represented themselves well and did not get into trouble on the way to the district offices, according to Kuns.

"Would I prefer they stay in school? Yes. But I understand the rationale behind it," Kuns said. "We have some kids that were very passionate and very well spoken, and they care deeply about what could happen."

The students arrived at the district building, shared with Alameda High School, where a group of Alameda High students were gathered, Kuns said.

The students congregated in the auditorium and spoke about the budget cuts. The superintendent also spoke, according to Kuns.

"We decided to just make sure the kids were orderly and safe and represented themselves well," Kuns said. "I think the kids really conducted themselves well. I left there feeling energized by the kids."

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed state budget would cut public school funding by about $4 billion, which "translates to a loss of $4-$5 million in basic per student funding as well as cuts to specific programs such as Special Education and Class Size Reduction subsidies," according to the Alameda Unified School District Web site.

At Tuesday night's meeting, the school board discussed ways to address the budget, including changes to Advanced Placement classes and cuts to athletic programming. AP classes would not be cut completely, Kuns said, but options such as combining under-enrolled classes might be considered.

Sabrina Lockhart, spokeswoman for Schwarzenegger's office, said the budget cuts are difficult but necessary with the state's looming deficit.

"This is a difficult budget," she said. "Unfortunately, it is the result of the state needing budget reforms."

Lockhart said that the only way to ensure that public schools are not hit with budget cuts of this size again is to implement budget reform.

Dave Long, California Secretary of Education, issued a statement regarding overall cuts to education funding.

"While the governor's previous budgets have resulted in record funding for California's schools, fully funding education next year would take billions from other critical programs, also faced with 10 percent across-the-board cuts. These include health care for the elderly and disabled and our state's parks and prisons," Long said in a prepared statement.

Additional information about the governor's proposed budget and its effect on the Alameda Unified School District can be found online at the official AUSD Web site.