SAINT CLAIR - The Saint Clair Area school board approved their 2014-15 budget of $10,002,054 on Wednesday with a tax increase.
Real estate taxes are now set at 32.35 mills, while the tax for 2013-14 was 30.475 mills.
One mill is equivalent to $3.2350 of tax on every $1,000 of taxable value. Therefore, an owner of real estate with an assessed value of $100,000 will pay $3,235 a year in real estate taxes.
"We started this year with approximately a $1 million dollar deficit, and we expected to finish with about $300,00 deficit for this year," Michael Holobetz, president of the Saint Clair Area school board, said.
Holobetz said the board does not want to end the year in a deficit, but that $300,000 is approximately what the state owes them in reimbursement, which will completely balance the budget.
The school board also approved to furlough 12 professional staff, effective Aug. 31, in order to also balance the budget at Wednesday's meeting. The furloughs will save the school board $1.276 million in their 2014-15 budget.
Holobetz said other cost cutting measures that the board has taken include not hiring a full-time superintendent when Kendy Hinkle resigned, not filling two teaching positions when they resigned, implementing cost cutting ideas presented by the staff, freezing all discretionary spending and restructuring their debt to reduce their debt service payment for this year and next year.
"Due to those cutting measures, we expect to meet that $300,000 deficit for this year," Holobetz said.
"A lot of time and hard work has gone into this process by many of the members of the board. Ultimately, it is our fiscal responsibility to pass a balanced budget," Holobetz said.