At the Whitehall-Coplay School Board meeting June 10, the board approved the 2019-20 final budget.

Board members Wayne Grim, William Fonzone Sr., Patty Gaugler, William Leiner, Joseph Shields and George Williams voted in favor of the budget. Owen Eberhart Jr. and Tina Koren were opposed. George Makhoul was not present for the vote.

The 2019-20 total budget of $74,634,331 is an increase of 6.03 percent from the previous year. The new budget balances revenues with projected expenditures, requiring an increase of 0.8571 mill for a total real estate tax of 18.0679 mills. This translates to an increase of approximately $148.31, or 4.98 percent, to the average residential property.

An amount of $2,023,895 of the fund balance is being used to balance the budget.

The state tax gaming rebate will be $172.15 to approved Homestead and Farmstead properties.

The new budget includes the addition of five-and-a-half new teaching positions and one new paraprofessional position due to the implementation of the full-day kindergarten program.

Budget increases also include a $200,000 net increase in retirement contributions and an $800,000 increase for special education expenses.

Also contributing to the increase is a $450,000 increase in charter school tuition.

Charter school tuition was a topic of discussion at the April 8 school board meeting, when board members approved the Statewide Cyber Charter School Funding Reform resolution, which urged elected officials to correct tuition for regular and special education to cyber charter schools so it would be based on actual costs of educating their students, relieving the financial burden on districts and taxpayers.

The board will hold committee meetings on operations/transportation, finance/personnel and education/student activities 4 p.m. June 24 and Aug. 26. There are no committee meetings planned for July.

The next school board meetings will be held 7 p.m. July 8 and Aug. 12.