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<p>LEHMAN TWP. &#8212; Lake-Lehman school board members passed the final preliminary reading of a 2017-2018 school budget Monday, which includes a tentative 3.1 percent tax increase.</p><p>Karen Masters cast the sole vote against the proposed spending plan, which includes $31.5 million in expenses and $29.7 million in revenue. It carries a millage rate of roughly 10.6 for district residents living in Luzerne County, and 53.63 mills for those in Wyoming County. A homeowner with a property assessed at roughly $150,000 would pay $48.60 more in Luzerne, said district business manager Tom Melone.</p><p>A mill is a $1 tax on every $1,000 in assessed property value.</p><p>The tax increase does not surpass the state index, or threshold, Melone said.</p><p>&#8220;This board collectively made the decision that if there is a property tax increase, that would not be known until our June meeting. This board has collectively said that that would not exceed 3.1 percent, that we were going to live within the index,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Melone also wanted the public to know that state money has yet to be included in the budget, as there is still a lack of direction from the state on funding levels.</p><p>In other business:</p><p>&#8226; Board members voted to approve contracts and salaries for head coaches and extra-curricular advisers for 2017-18. Salaries ranged from $7,883 to volunteer status.</p><p>&#8226; Superintendent James E. McGovern unveiled a new school-wide initiative to begin in the fall: the Lake-Lehman Mission Academy. The program was created to &#8220;focus on the &#8216;soft skills&#8217; that state-mandated standards don&#8217;t address,&#8221; such as volunteerism and character development.</p><p>The program will have two groups: one for grades 7 through 12 and the other for grade 6 through kindergarten. McGovern created the Mission Academy to counter the effects of social media.</p><p>&#8220;Along the way, things have changed with social media where we have a desire for attention,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And how we get that attention is really irrelevant to the fact as long as you&#8217;re getting attention, and we&#8217;re really concerned about this.&#8221;</p><p>&#8226; Members approved a bid by Metz Culinary Management to be the district&#8217;s food-service manager for next school year.</p><p>&#8226; Mary Jo Casaldi was reappointed as school board secretary for a four-year term at a stipend of $5,000.</p><p>&#8226; The district will advertise for a full-time custodian to work eight hours per day, 260 days per year.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Marcella Kester</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div>

Lake-Lehman’s proposed budget includes 3.1 percent tax hike