The Catasauqua Area School Board, by a vote of 6-3, approved a proposed 2013-14 final budget May 23.

Voting in opposition were board members Dawn Berrigan, Christine Naegel and Sally Reiss.

The proposed $25,852,142 budget will mean a 0.3158-mill increase for Catasauqua and Hanover Township residents and a 1.11-mill decrease for North Catasauqua residents.

The budget reflects a decrease in the Lehigh Valley International Airport parking tax, an increase of 8 percent in health care costs and an increase in retirement and charter school costs.

Berrigan said she could not vote for the budget when residents are impacted by various cost increases.

"We live in tough economic times, and the continued contract and benefit increases coming from a community that is doing with less didn't seem right," she told The Press after the meeting.

Naegel echoed Berrigan's concerns.

"We are, as a district, in a place where we have to decide between significantly raising our taxes just to keep the bare minimum for our students, or changing how the salary, benefits and retirement packages work," she said, also after the meeting.

Sheckler Elementary School teacher Jami Gallo spoke during the meeting.

She said in the past five years she has only received an $800 increase in salary, overall. She also said over the past three years she has seen a loss in salary.

"I'm not complaining about it," she said. "But we're [teachers] not making 2.5 percent every year. We're contributing as much as we possibly can. We're all about the kids."

Catasauqua Area School District Superintendent Robert Spengler shared with board members unknown variables including the final state budget, insurance rates and special education and charter school numbers.

Spengler specifically noted roughly $800,000 from the district budget this year will go to fund charter school students in the district.

"Imagine the enhancements we could do with our curriculum with an additional $800,000," school board member Don Panto said.

"This is clearly taking your local dollars somewhere else," Spengler said.

According to Spengler, the district has seen a 39-percent jump in charter school tuition payments from last school year.

Spengler also said the district should look to stabilize revenues, build a fund balance and plan for contingencies in the future.

Also during the meeting, board members discussed the possibility of eliminating transportation for students to and from school in the future in order to cut costs.

District Solicitor David Knerr told board members the district must provide transportation if there are no safe walkways for students to use. He specifically pointed out Howertown Road, which does not have a sidewalk. Even if the district eliminated transportation for its own students, under law, it must provide transportation for charter school students, he said.

Hahn said eliminating transportation might be an alternative to consider in order to reintroduce past courses and add newer academic programs into the curriculum.

"I think it's something to consider," commented board member Duane Deitrich.

The board will vote on the final budget June 24 at 6:30 p.m. in the district administration office board room.