SCHOOL BOARD APPROVES $123.5 MILLION BUDGET IN SPLIT VOTE

The Board of Education on Monday approved a $123.5 million budget for the 2015-2016 school year, with a split, 5-4, vote over adding $110,000 more than planned to the spending plan.

The budget details, found HERE, included a planned cut in elementary school foreign language classes, as well as a 2.41% tax increase.

Those approving the budget were Jeffrey Bennett, Elizabeth Baker, Stephanie Lawson-Muhammad, Beth Daugherty and Maureen Jones, while Wayne Eastman, Donna Smith, Johanna Wright and Madhu Pai voted against it.

Residents spoke out against the elementary school cutbacks, while the board was split on the spending hike that had been planned to be $330,000 above the 2% state cap, but will now be $440,000.

The board will have a final vote on April 27.