ADAMS TWP — Mars School Board tentatively approved a 2018-19 budget totaling $48.36 million at its meeting Tuesday night, as well as a 2.4 percent tax increase aimed at filling a deficit.

The district faces a deficit of about $1.5 million, and Superintendent Wes Shipley said the increase would generate an additional $610,000 in revenue.

One mill is equal to $256,566, and the current rate for the district is 99 mills.

The district hasn’t increased property taxes in 10 years, with natural tax growth generating sufficient funding. However, as costs and the demands of services have increased, the district has been forced to make tough decisions, he said.

“This year’s budget ... is a crossroads between program growth and the dire need to address our facilities at the middle school,” Shipley said.

Those needs are being addressed via a planned construction project on the 50-year-old building. At a meeting in February board members agreed a plan involving the construction of a three-story tower in the parking area adjacent to the existing main entrance would work best.

Once that phase of work is completed, students would move in, allowing for the southern portion of the existing building to be demolished. The rest of the building would be renovated, including upgrades to the exterior, academic spaces and HVAC system.

A new main entrance would be built facing Route 228, resulting in traffic patterns being redrawn. The plan would also expand and relocate parking, and eliminate parking near the district’s athletic fields.

The second proposal also contains an option for a 1,700-seat gymnasium to be added following the completion of the main project, with an overall cost estimate of $22 million.

Board members indicated that number was high and would be adjusted based on need.

In addition to the middle school project, Shipley said the budget includes improvements to the district’s guidance program, with two full-time positions being created. It also includes an expansion of a special education life-skills program for kindergarten through fourth grade, and a multitiered system of support to identify students with special needs.

The district will also implement the Rachel’s Challenge anti-bullying campaign at the start of the school year, and will hire a literacy intervention specialist at the elementary school, Shipley said.

Shipley said that with those additions come “difficult decisions” for cuts. Those include not replacing two retirees, and eliminating one staff member from the middle school music program. The ninth-grade football program will also be eliminated, with those students joining the junior varsity team.

“With this budget we are able to meet the demands of the growing district,” Shipley said. “We will meet these demands now and in the future.”

The tentative budget was approved, with board members John Kennedy and William Pettigrew voting no. Dayle Ferguson, board president, said the board will not give final approval until its June 12 meeting, with the budget posted and available for review until that date.

She said all questions on the budget will be addressed via a running question-and-answer portion of the district’s website.