Tamaqua Area School Board on Tuesday began discussing the district budget for the coming year.

Business manager Connie Ligenza presented a proposed $40.1 million spending plan, which includes $2.8 million in the fund balance. Expenses total $37,337,194, while revenues come in at $37,350,675, leaving a $13,481 surplus.

The proposal also built in a 2.41 mill tax increase, which would put the property tax rate at 44.18 mills.

Board Vice President Nicholas Boyle, who led the meeting in board President Larry Wittig’s absence, suggested lining up the budget without a tax increase considering the fund balance as they move forward.

The board without a formal vote concurred. The district saw a 4.8% tax increase last year, which brought the millage rate to 41.77.

This was the board’s first look at the proposed budget. No action will be taken until a preliminary budget is adopted in May, and then a final budget in June.

The district’s largest expenses are salaries and benefits, which represent 38% and 31% of the budget respectively.

The budget includes the addition of 2.5 new positions, which are needed to bolster and manage the special education program, Superintendent Ray Kinder said.

The district expects to see additional revenue for special education from the state this year, based on the governor’s budget proposal which increased funding in that area.

The district is also looking at more than $500,000 in expenses to maintain its buildings, including items like new classroom doors and partitions in the high school and Tamaqua elementary gyms.

The cost to replace the classroom doors is $20,000, and the change is needed for the safety of students and staff. These are interior, classroom doors that do not have windows in them, Kinder said.

The larger ticket items are the floor to ceiling partitions in the school gyms, he said.

“They no longer have parts to fix them,” Kinder said. “They basically said when they break again, wherever the wall is when they break is where they will stay.”

The partitions aren’t a danger, he said, but it would create problems with use of the facilities if the walls become immobile.

Ken Dunkelberger, chief operations officer, said the movable walls have been fixed three times in the past eight years, and parts are extremely difficult to get, as the mechanics are circa 1968 and 1979.

Other expenses include $11,500 for hinges on the auditorium doors, as the doors no longer close on their own – a function needed for safety. District staff has worked on them, but the parts needed are proprietary, Kinder said.

Other items include backboard arresters for the high school and Tamaqua elementary at a cost of $22,470, and fire alarm system upgrades at cost of $35,000.