Lima, I'm Drama Mama husband and over the last couple years you have probably seen some of the sets we have done on $4oo to $700 dollar in construction budgets. First, I would love to be lamenting than I only had 30 Techies, but lost 6 of them to graduation.  I start with about 12 to 14 in the Middle School Productions and it dwindles down at about 6 to 8 when we reach the High School plays.  However, I do feel sorry for you in the restrictions your students have in power tools.  I do all the cutting on the table saws, radial arm and band saw, but that is my choice not our school districts. But even my Middle School students use, with my supervisions; jig saw, skill saws and power drills.  I find that as a whole the "Girls," tend to have a much better touch with a power drills than the boys do.
     We live in a real true middle class, blue collar town of 5,000 in southern Wis. and much of my crew especially in Middle School come from single parent  family homes,  and we have become "hot," with the Learning Disability students.  The learning and life skill items our tech crews walk away with in hard to calculate.  In all the years at many locations and the 8 years I have been involved with this school district we have never had any accidents than a simple band aid could not take care of.  Something none of the Phy. Ed. Sports Programs can say and I wonder if your School Board needs to be confronted.
       Yes, our school also has restrictions, I can't let students up into the lighting cat walk, the upper counter balance fly systems walks or the loft above the scene shop that we store set props, but our Techie walk away with skills that not only can be used on stage but in their future apartments and homes as well. 
        Oh, and Lima don't forget the 50's through the 70's.  It sounds like your trying to match up with professional touring company's of recent Broadway musicals.  What about "Godspell," "Once Apon a Mattress,"  "Bye Bye Birdie," "Guys and Dolls,".....   It would give the cast and crew a much better prospective of the American Thearte and be a better known traffic draw to the parents and grandparents, that are your tax payers and usually your biggest portion of your house.

                                        "Puck"