Tennis Court Repairs Added to Pleasantville Schools Budget

will vote on a $45,300,331 2012-13 budget on May 15.

The figure unanimously approved by the school board on Tuesday is $55,000 more than the . The newly-added funds will be used to repair the / tennis courts.

The amount falls below the $100,000 minimum needed to create a separate proposition and account for capital projects.

The and are unable to be used for the 30-member boys and 20-member girls teams' official matches, Athletic Director John Bauerlein shared at the meeting.

While other potential facilities projects were outlined at the last meeting, board members and administrators decided the tennis courts safety hazards represented the most pressing issue.

The board discussed the possibility of setting up a capital reserve fund for the other projects, but ultimately decided the decision would have been rushed.

Trustee David McCullagh said he was supportive of the measure, calling the board's action "being proactive."

Trustee Shane McGaffey pushed the board to consider a capital fund, pointing out that finacially, "The stars have sort of aligned this year in a way they might not align again," referring to the proposed budget being beneath the state-imposed tax cap.

"It may be tough to do in the future," McGaffey said. "I'd like to use this as a stepping stone."

He said the board could potentially split costs in half and raise capital using revenue streams.

The board ultimately chose to fund the tennis courts through the proposed budget, which Bauerlein said will make the facility more usable for physical education classes as well.

"There are 50 students using the tennis courts...we are trying to build a program," Conte pointed out. "In addition to that, it is used in other ways."

The adopted budget represents an increase of about $504,014 over last year's adopted figure, a 1.13 percent overall increase.

Board Vice President Thomas Exton said the addition of funds for the tennis courts will carry approximately a 1.71 percent tax levy increase for residents. The maximum allowable increase is approximately 2.4 percent.

This, he said, "is well under the maximum allowable tax levy increase."