ROARING SPRING — The Spring Cove School Board unanimously approved the 2025-26 proposed final budget with no tax increase, contingent upon the state and federal governments’ funding.

The budget reflects $30,321,959 in revenue and $35,321,451 in expenditures, including the already-approved $2.7 million for a new roof at the Central High School, which will come from the district’s capital projects fund.

Not including the cost of the new roof, the district will face a deficit of about $2,366,594. By adding about $600,000 from its budgetary reserve, the deficit will be brought down to about $1,766,594.

Business manager Steven Foor has not specified how the remaining $1.8 million deficit will be covered.

Prior to the budget’s approval, board member Gretchen Bettwy asked about the lack of a tax increase recommendation. Foor said the millage rate reflected in the budget was the same as the 2024-25 millage rate of 11.6556 mills.

“We are still waiting on the state and federal governments to give more clarification on where that budget’s going to head before we make a recommendation,” Foor said.

Superintendent Betsy Baker said they were told they would “get federal figures in probably about two weeks, so we should know at that point.”

“We’re not hearing much at the state level,” Baker said.

Bettwy said her concern was that the board is “supposed to post (the budget) for 30 days” for public review.

“So, if, for some reason, when we find these other numbers out, then we do ask for a tax increase, how does that give the stakeholders in the public time to voice their opinion and give feedback,” Bettwy asked.

Baker said they could discuss that during the board’s committee meeting in June.

“We don’t make massive changes, but we’ve done that before,” Baker said in regards to requesting a tax increase. “We just indicate that you have the committee meeting beforehand and then vote the next week, so you can be very clear about that.”

In other business, the board also approved a revised capital projects list for the 2025-26 school year in a 7-2 vote. Bettwy, John Biddle, Chuck Gojmerac, Amy Acker-Knisely, Andrae Moses, Linda Smith and Troy Wright voted in favor, while Misti Fisher and Kevin Smith voted against.

The original list of about $222,000 worth of projects was denied funding in a 7-2 vote during an April meeting. A revised list of about $163,000 worth of projects was approved to be voted on during the board’s meeting last week.

The revised list includes Martinsburg upgrades of replacing classroom lighting with LED for $45,000, rekeying locks to district Schlage System for $30,000 and installing playground fencing for $60,000. Spring Cove Elementary would also see playground fencing installed for its first and second grades for $23,000, while the Spring Cove Middle School soccer shed would be replaced and relocated for $5,000.

In explaining her “no” vote, Fisher said the fencing line items needed to be “separated out” for a different vote. She said Spring Cove Elementary “100% falls under safety concerns” because it houses kindergarten through second grade and is on a main road.

“They’re very, very young kids,” Fisher said.

Martinsburg Elementary “is in the middle of nowhere and has been there” for more than 30 years, she said.

“So if it was such a safety concern, why, all of a sudden, do we need fencing there?” Fisher said. “And they’re third through fifth graders so, to me, if you have kids eloping at that age, that’s a placement issue, not a safety issue.”

Baker said “one of the safety concerns now” would be individuals driving vehicles through playgrounds.