During a March Board of Education budget workshop, the Budget Advisory Committee recommended restoring areas of the budget previously targeted for removal and the cutting of other line items.

The citizen's Budget Advisory Committee - following two months of meetings -  recommended to the board take several budgetary actions, including:

• Restoration of an elementary teaching position - and the $55,000 necessary for the position - proposed for removal from the budget as a result of diminishing enrollment in the elementary schools.
  "We know that this is a never-ending debate ... but we want to make it very clear from our group that we strongly feel that smaller class sizes are imperative at this time in the lower grades," BAC member Sandra Marston said.

• Including $50,000 in the 2008-09 budget for the development of a strategic plan for the district. The plan, Marston said, would keep the district moving towards the same goals even during periods of change in the administration.

• Inclusion of $25,000 in the budget for studies on what to do with the dilapidated tennis courts at the high school and for further action on the family and career sciences (FACS) classrooms.
  Board Vice President Cindi Elliott noted that funds in this year's budget are being used to address space and equipment issues in the high school FACS classroom. Other board members noted the poor conditions of the tennis courts and their potential to injure players.

• Continuation of the examination of operations and maintenance overtime and whether it may be beneficial to hire an additional person to reduce overtime costs.

• Reducing the budget lines for national gas and electricity by a combined $101,000 as result of the success of the ongoing energy conservation initiative in the district.

The board also recommended increasing the budget by $8,000 to cover  the fees for students who want to take advanced placement exams. The district had historically paid those fees, but three years ago passed the cost onto students as a result of tough budgetary times.