The Cooperstown Central School Board of Education presented it's 2005-2006 budget for the second time during last week's regularly scheduled board meeting.

The new proposed total spending plan has been calculated to be $14,392,672, down from the initial budget that was presented at the beginning of the month and a 5.4 percent increase from last year's $13,659,636 budget, said CCS Superintendent Mary Jo McPhail. The initial budget total was $14,427,448 at the beginning of this month.

McPhail said the new budgetary figure will increase the school tax levy by 7.4 percent. The initial proposed school tax levy increase at the beginning of the month was 8 percent.

Budgetary cuts made in last week's second presentation include an adjustment in staffing salaries and a decrease in spending on athletic equipment.

The board also decided to increase the amount it budgeted for fuel next year, McPhail said.

McPhail said high school art teacher Maria Hallahan will be retiring soon, with her position opening next year. McPhail said the board projects the salary for the new art teacher to be lass than that of Hallahan's.

The board had considered purchasing a scoreboard for one of its athletic fields as well as portable dugouts for its baseball and soccer fields. However, McPhail said there was not room in the budget for that equipment at this time.

"Although the equipment is not budgeted for at this time," McPhail said, "the need and the idea [of obtaining the equipment] is there."

The board had also considered more permanent additional seating at Lambert field, McPhail said, but the board felt a project such as that should be a part of a more extensive capital project.

The board is scheduled to adopt the budget at its next regularly scheduled meeting on April 6 at 7:30 p.m.