SCHUYLKILL HAVEN - Taxes are increasing 0.9 mills in the Schuylkill Haven Area School District for the 2012-13 school year.
The increase will amount to about $32 for the average assessed house of $35,350, bringing the millage to 39.25 from 38.35.
The school board voted unanimously Wednesday to approve the approximately $18 million budget.
Residents were faced with a 0.5 mill increase, or about $17 for the average assessed house, for the 2011-12 school year.
While members of the public were in attendance during the 7 p.m. meeting in the district's Hale Boardroom, nobody spoke during the public comment portion, Superintendent Lorraine M. Felker said.
Of the increase in taxes, Felker said in an email, "This is very difficult, we are within the bottom 15 (percent) in the state in our per pupil expenditures and we are doing everything we can to provide a high-quality education while also being financially prudent."
The district still faced a $957,000 deficit that at one time was $1.9 million.
Funds from the reserve funds were used to fill the gap, leaving about $4 million in reserve, Felker said.
Professional staff took a 5-percent pay cut to contribute to reducing the deficit, she said, resulting in more than $600,000 in savings to the district.
"They volunteered to do this," she said.
In fact, every employee in the district is not receiving an increase in pay for the upcoming school year, including Felker.
Those measures saved about $700,000 total, she said.
Furloughs and programs will not be cut, Felker said.
Transportation changes are coming but Felker said they are not finalized because the state budget isn't done yet. Class sizes might increase, she said, but exact details were not available because schedules were not completed yet.
Positions lost through attrition were: business education, family and consumer science, special education and an elementary classroom position.
Six assistant coaching positions were cut, uniform purchases delayed, the golf program suspended along with the elementary summer program, extra-curricular transportation was reduced and the district decided to use their own paraprofessionals rather than those through another entity. Savings were also found by updating property insurance and a computer lease. Additional details were not provided.