SLIPPERY ROCK TWP — The Slippery Rock School District is facing a 5-mill gap in its projected $29.3 million budget.

Paul Cessar, business manager, said the state’s Act 1 limit would only allow the district to increase property taxes by 2.5 mills. A mill generates $1 in tax for every $1,000 of a property’s assessed value.

In February, the board passed a preliminary budget so it could seek exceptions to allow it to increase taxes over the Act 1 limit. Cessar said the district was granted exceptions that would allow it to increase taxes by an additional 4.1 mills if necessary.

The current millage is 89.15 mills.

Cessar said Gov. Tom Corbett’s budget this year created a “Ready to Learn” block grant, and the district could get $303,000 from the grant, but he said there is not a lot of information as to what is required to get that money.

The district last year passed an early budget for this fiscal year as well. The budget started off with an $850,000 deficit, requiring a 6.5 mill increase to close while the Act 1 tax increase limit was 2.3 mills.

After passing an early budget, the district was granted some exceptions by the state.

However, the school board chose not to use the exceptions and balanced the budget through other means. The board in June passed a $28.4 million budget with no tax increases.

The board has to pass its final budget before June 30. It is scheduled to pass it on June 23.

The board also:

n Heard from Mike Scheer, chairman of the superintendent search committee, who said the committee reviewed applications March 25 and 31. He did not say how many people applied for the position.

The committee on April 7 reviewed the results of a public survey discussing what people want in a new superintendent. He said a condensed version of the survey results will be available online soon.

Current superintendent Kathy Nogay will retire at the end of the school year.

n Passed a motion eliminating the position of director of curriculum and instruction and recreating the position of assistant superintendent.

The assistant superintendent’s position was eliminated in 2011 when Joan Allen retired. The director of curriculum and instruction position was created around the same time, but board President Polly Shaw said the district could not find a candidate for the job.

Shaw said the assistant superintendent’s position will put the district in a better position and allow Nogay’s replacement to participate in the hiring process for an assistant superintendent.

“That’s a win-win there,” Shaw said.