The Fayette County Board of Education Monday night tentatively approved the biggest budget in its history.

The $192 million budget could feature a small tax hike, but school spokesperson Melinda Berry-Dreisbach said that will not be known until the school board sets the millage rate at the end of July.

“We’re working with the county right now to get the tax digest,” she said.

Earlier this month, the board got an overall view of this year’s budget.

The proposed budget is a $12 million increase over the current year’s budget, and Comptroller Lee Davis noted the system is experiencing rising costs for insurance in all categories and communications costs through AT&T (formerly BellSouth) are also increasing. Also, the system is facing having to fund an increase of more than $500,000 in technology largely to replace old computers.

Schools and departments were asked to cut their individual budgets by 5 percent this year to accommodate the continued “austerity” cuts in state funding, Davis said. This year the state funding cuts will be close to $2.4 million, he said, but so far Fayette hasn’t had to cut any of its art, music and physical education offerings because of the cuts, unlike other school systems, Davis said.

He suggested there was a way to slightly increase the main millage rate yet roll back the bond millage rate to offset the property tax increase for taxpayers.

The board likely won’t set the millage rate until July 31, and its possible there could be some adjustments to the proposed budget between now and then.

In other news, the board got a report on the ongoing battle to keep only Fayette students in Fayette schools.

Through May, the system conducted 1,060 residency checks. So far, 59 students have withdrawn from the school system and 19 cases are still pending.

-Staff writer John Munford contributed to the article.

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