South Williamsport Area School Board passed its final 2012-13 budget at Monday night's meeting.
The almost $16 million budget will not include a tax increase, which Superintendent Dr. Mark Stamm said was one of his goals.
Last year's budget featured a 1-mill tax increase, bringing real estate taxes up to 13.3 mills.
When the school board passed its preliminary budget May 22, the $15.93 million revenue was surpassed by $16.05 million in expenditures.
An accountability grant of $80,000 made up the largest part of the deficit, Business Manager Denny Artley said.
Spending was brought down by energy savings of about $35,000 because the cost of natural gas has decreased.
If natural gas prices were to increase again, the board would address the cost in future meetings, Stamm said.
The retirement of two teachers - one elementary school teacher and one high school special education teacher - also helped balance the budget.
In other matters, the school board voted to move forward on an energy savings project with Trane that has guaranteed savings.
The base project is proposed at about $1.5 million. Additional projects of $259,465 and $171,419 result in a project cost of $1.9 million.
Some of the base saving projects include updating the building automation systems, lighting upgrades and controls, replacing a dishwasher at Central Elementary School that was installed in the 1980s and updating boiler controls at Rommelt Elementary School so that in 30 degree weather a 130-degree temperature can be maintained, said Lynn Kromer, director of building and grounds.
Some of the additional projects that Kromer found, which would not necessarily save a lot of energy or operational savings, are a boiler room retrofit at South Williamsport Area High School and an administration and nurses split system at Central Elementary School.
Other projects, such as a stage rigging replacement at the high school and window replacement at Central Elementary School, are long-term projects that would not result in energy and operational savings.
The total projected savings per year would be $126,862.
At the July 9 meeting, Trane will present the school board with a contract. By then, Artley said he hopes to have more information about the financing of the project.
The Aug. 30 school board meeting has been moved to July 30.
The next meeting, July 9, is not affected.
