The Conneaut School Board of Education will meet in public session Tuesday, March 15, in the Linesville High School gymatorium to begin a serious review of the proposed budget to begin July 1.

Some controversy has been fueled in the area when another publication wrote that school district taxpayers could be facing a nearly 6 mill tax increase that would have to have the state approving several exceptions to go along with the Act 1 index the school district is allowed to raise without asking voters for some amount over that index.

Two members of the public addressed the school board at its regular monthly meeting Wednesday evening with Ron Korey from Conneaut Township saying people could not afford more taxes currently. He suggested at one point that the school district should cut back to its spending levels of 2006.

The new Pennsylvania governor Tom Corbett proposed in his recent statewide budget address that schools be funded at 2008-09 levels in addition to a third straight year of no increases in special education funding, having local districts - instead of state - paying the costs of charter schools, that money used to fund full day kindergarten classes be done away with and that the state no longer fund a program that helped parents of high school students who chose to take college credit no longer be reimbursed among a number of cutbacks.

`The governor has also proposed that college and universities be cut by 50% in the funding they receive from the state.

All of this means that local taxpayers will have to shoulder more of the burden whether sending students to local schools or to college.

The Conneaut School Board will receive more detailed information on the state cutback in funds at the Tuesday meeting and then begin to decide how to balance a budget that sees no cutbacks in higher electric rates, higher gas costs for busing, and higher wages and benefits.

School board president Jody Sperry pointed out to Korey that the school board members face the same financial pressures as others and there is no intention of raising taxes 6 mills.

The district has cut 20 teachers over the past 5 years and are probably looking to cut more this upcoming year. With the severe cutback in state funds, programs could be cut. The continuing impact of declining enrollment will also factor in over the years. A final budget is due in June.