LEWISBURG — For taxpayers in the Lewisburg Area School District, it’s that time of year again.
LASD has increased the amount collected from local properties every year for at least the last seven and next year will be no different.
The school board reviewed a tentative budget Thursday evening that calls for a .97-mill real estate tax increase.
The .97-mill increase would increase tax bills $9.70 for every $10,000 of assessed value. Homeowners with a home assessed at $100,000 will see their bills increase by $97. 
The proposed budget totals $25,714,860. District business manager Ronald Kabonick said the spending plan includes three additional full-time kindergarten teachers, a fourth-grade teacher, one full-time and one part-time library clerical aid and a technology technician. The budget would also include a $10 a day increase for substitute teachers and a $500,000 technology budget.
The budget will come before the board in June for approval.
In other financial business, the board approved sending the SUN Area Career and Technology Center renovation project to the voters. The resolution will ask if voters support going $2.8 million in debt to pay for $14 million worth of upgrades at the vocational school in New Berlin.
The question will only be given to the voters if all five SUN Tech participating school districts approve placing the referendum on the fall ballot.
The renovation plan was reworked from a proposed plan of roughly $24 million down to the current proposal of $14 million, after all the districts did not approve the first resolution.

Andrew Zechman: 570-742-9671
andrew@standard-journal.com