Budget discussions are underway for the 2017-18 school year in Palmerton Area School District.

School board members got their first look Tuesday night at department-specific numbers, though most of them could change before the final adoption in June.Ryan Kish, Palmerton business manager broke down budgets for each of the district’s schools and the facilities, curriculum, technology and athletic departments.The S.S. Palmer/Parkside Education Center preliminary budget is down $7,075 from 2016-17, according to Kish.Highlights include automated external defibrillator replacement, which will happen in all the schools, and supplies associated with transitioning from a half-day kindergarten program to an all-day program for students.Palmerton and Panther Valley remain the only districts in Carbon County with a half-day kindergarten program.“We’re very early in the process regarding all-day kindergarten,” said Superintendent Scot Engler.“We will have a future workshop just on that topic, but we wanted to put it in the budget in case we go in that direction.”Engler said the district would likely save money on transportation by eliminating mid-day runs, but extra personnel, possibly three teachers, would need to be added.Class sizes wouldn’t change, S.S. Palmer and Parkside Principal Mary Brumbach said, but there would be more classes.Towamensing Elementary’s budget proposal is increased $3,665 from this year and also includes costs for an all-day kindergarten program.The junior high school budget is up $3,588 and features licenses for a new online math program. If possible, however, the program will be paid for out of grant money.A big chunk of the high school’s $10,113 increase comes from new musical instruments for the marching band.The music department is asking for a new sousaphone and two saxophones.“The existing sousaphone is very old and weighs 50 pounds,” Principal Paula Husar said.“New ones weigh about 20 pounds. It is essentially a marching tuba.”The two saxophones Palmerton currently has were made in the 1920s and refurbished around 20 years ago.Board member Sue Debski asked if the district could look into refurbished instruments due to the high cost of the equipment, but her colleagues favored buying new.“I think they deserve new,” said Josann Harry.The facilities budget increased $52,705, including a $67,000 jump in electrical costs due to the addition of air conditioning in several of the buildings.“We tried to make cuts to offset that,” said Joe Faenza, director of facilities.“We put in for some vacuums and a snowblower, but those are things we won’t buy unless we need them.”A decrease in textbook costs have dropped the curriculum budget by $33,650, while the technology budget is up $22,398 thanks to some new computers and equipment for all-day kindergarten.The planned addition of girls’ volleyball as a fall sport next year is budgeted for $15,000.The athletic budget as a whole is up $27,350. Increased transportation costs for the marching band and new uniforms are also part of the budget.Budget discussions will continue going forward as several areas such as the special education department projections are yet to be unveiled.