BUFFALO TWP — Freeport School District teachers and administrators are giving up $160,000 in wages to help offset cuts in state funding.

The wage concessions amount to roughly $1,100 from each of those employees in the tentative 2011-12 budget of nearly $24.2 million.

Superintendent Chris DeVivo praised the faculty for offering the concessions.

“I think it speaks volumes of our professional staff,” he said.

Mark Wyant, union representative for the teachers, said the faculty wanted to do its part to preserve jobs and programs. He said no one wanted any of the younger teachers to be laid off.

The tentative budget, which was approved by the school board Wednesday night, is an $11,000 decrease from the 2010-11 budget.

Along with the concessions and fee increases, the district will raise property taxes to balance the budget.

Although the district is only raising taxes by 1 mill, a quirky state formula creates different impacts on rates in Buffalo Township from those in Freeport and South Buffalo Township in Armstrong County.

Buffalo property owners face a 2.6-mill tax hike. For Buffalo land owners, the average increase is nearly $52 annually with an average total tax bill being $2,416.