Although the Bow School Board’s proposed 2008 budget is slightly higher than last year’s, board members are still working to lower the figures to ease taxpayer burden.

As of now, the number sits at $24.6 million – an increase of 5.13 percent over last year’s budget of $23.5 million – but, according to school business administrator Duane Ford, board members are hoping to lower the increase before officially handing the budget over to the Budget Committee on Jan. 2.

Ford also said the 5 percent increase is a necessary step to continue running the schools. “A big part of our budget is salary and benefits,” he said. “If you look at just those two items, that is 76 percent of the budget. So when you look at increases, that’s where they’re mostly tied up.”

In addition to that 76 percent of the current proposal, 9 percent of the budget comes from purchased services, 6 percent in supplies, 6 percent in equipment and another 8 percent in miscellaneous needs.

This year’s proposed budget increase is in line with previous changes Ford has seen.

“It’s been higher in a few of the years I’ve been here. I’ve also seen lower than that, but it’s usually been around that or higher,” he said. “We’ll be lower than we’ve been in the last couple of years.”

After handing in the official figures to the Budget Committee on Jan. 2, the School Board then meets with them Jan. 10 to discuss the budget and set the figure before the School District budget meeting, which takes place at some point after Feb. 10.