Lehighton Area School District’s board of directors will try again next week after a vote Monday night for a proposed 2023-24 budget with a 1.5-mill property tax increase failed.

The board will reconvene on May 30 at 7 p.m., one day before its proposed final budget is due to the state.

According to Business Administrator Edward Rarick, the budget on the table Monday called for expenditures of $48.73 million and revenues of $46.76 million, including the tax increase, leaving a deficit of $1.97 million.

“I think this board wants to examine the expenditures and really try to be lean,” Board President Joy Beers said. “Our expenses are 7% higher than last year and that’s a pretty sizable jump.”

In April, Rarick said the budget increase is driven largely by salaries and benefits, which account for $1.48 million, or 54%, of the jump. He also cited escalating costs and increased services to students in placements such as Behavioral Health Associates or the Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit.

Lehighton proposed filling several new or currently unfilled positions including a technology analyst, middle school family consumer science teacher, high school technology teacher, K-12 gifted teacher, school psychologist and a secretary who would split time between the building and grounds and finance departments.

Only directors Brian Shaner and Nathan Foeller voted in favor of the proposed budget with the 1.5-mill tax increase. Without the increase, Lehighton faces around a $2.4 million deficit.

“Even with a tax increase, we’re talking about spending $1.9 million more than we take in,” Shaner said. “That isn’t responsible for anyone, so I think we need to figure out how to make some cuts, while we also try to raise additional funds. I’m not looking to just grab money from the community and spend like drunken sailors, but we have a big gap and we have to figure out how to start closing that.”

A 1.5-mill increase would increase the annual tax bill of a property owner with an average assessed value by about $65.

“I think our community has been hurt enough this year by inflation,” director Barbara Bowes said.

Property taxes have increased in Lehighton four out of the last 11 years for a total change of 5.45 mills. That is the second lowest increase in Carbon County over that time span with only Jim Thorpe, a much larger district, raising taxes less.

By comparison, Palmerton led the way with a 13.77-mill increase during that time followed by Panther Valley’s Schuylkill properties at 11.58 mills, Weatherly at 9.38 mills and Panther Valley’s Carbon properties at 8.87 mills.

Bowes questioned a $178,000 increase in the athletics budget over last year.

Rarick said that includes $52,000 for new band uniforms, which was slotted to that area of the budget, and an increase in salaries and benefits for a secretary who will no longer be splitting time between athletics and building and grounds. Salaries for event workers was previously categorized differently in the budget, leading to an added $20,000 in the 2023-24 proposed budget for athletics.