TURNER — With the amount of state money for education still unknown, Turner-Greene-Leeds Superintendent Henry Aliberti is recommending a school budget with a 2.04 percent increase.

Aliberti cautioned Wednesday that the budget could change when the state numbers become available.

So far, the proposed budget for the year that begins July 1 is $23.5 million, up from the current $23.1 million.

The $471,692 increase would have been higher before the district looked for efficiencies, Aliberti said. “How could we do things a little different?”

It found $582,000 in savings in a couple of ways, including creating a new life skills program to bring special education students back into the district, saving $143,000.

Money budgeted for oil and other energy costs was cut slightly due to warmer winters and steps taken to use less energy, Aliberti said. The budget was also cut in tuition reimbursement because more money was budgeted to pay teachers for taking higher education courses than was needed.

The district has brought in an outside consultant to compare the number of administrators, but no results were yet available, Aliberti said.

Any staffing changes will not be recommended until the district knows how much state aid it will get. Earlier this year, Gov. Paul LePage’s administration announced there would be some cuts and level funding in state education money. Funding amounts have not yet been released by the Education Department.

A school board budget meeting will be held at 6 p.m. March 7 at Leeds Central School. A taxpayer referendum on the school budget will be held in May.

For more information go to: http://www.rsu52.us/.