Cherry Twp — The Moniteau School Board on Monday night passed a 2013-14 preliminary budget of $19.6 million. The current budget is $19 million.

It includes a property tax increase of 2.09 mills, a 2.5 percent increase from this year, with use of the fund balance of $485,113.

According to John D’Amore, business manager for the district, the largest portion of the increase, $451,000, is for increases in salary and benefit costs and increases in retirement costs. The remainder of the increase is for such items such as maintenance, tuitions for cyber school and transportation.

D’Amore anticipates total salary costs for 2013-14 still will be less than in the 2009-10 school year.

Three positions have been advertised to be filled as the result of retirements at the end of this school year. A fourth retirement was approved at Monday’s board meeting.

Even if all three of the advertised positions are filled, the retirements will help reduce costs in the 2013-14 budget.

“The preliminary budget contains no increases from the 2012-2013 budget in state source revenues of basic education subsidy, accountability block grant funding and special education funding,” said D’Amore.

“We don’t know what the state is going to do in the long run,” he said. “Will the state of Pennsylvania resume its traditional role of providing support for what has been traditionally their share of funding public education?”

The board’s finance committee will review the preliminary budget again before the final vote at the June 24 board meeting.

Melissa DeMatteis, board president, said, “We’re going to go through all this to see if we can make any more savings.”