When city school board member Randall Taylor last night accused his colleagues and Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Mark Roosevelt of reckless spending, the others let him have it.

"Oh my God, Randall, shut up!" board member Theresa Colaizzi said.

The outburst came after Chief Financial Officer Chris Berdnik outlined steps district officials had taken to cut nearly $8 million from the 2009 budget.

Mr. Taylor said the district would be in a better position if it hadn't "wasted" as much as "tens of millions of dollars" on new curricula and renovations on buildings for new and reconfigured schools.

"I do not appreciate you slamming board members and staff for hard work," board President Bill Isler said.

Board member Sherry Hazuda said Mr. Taylor was "wasting our time."

Business and Finance Committee Chairman Floyd "Skip" McCrea, who presided at last night's meeting, repeatedly admonished Mr. Taylor for speaking out of turn and for confusing interpretation with fact.

"It's your opinion. It's not the truth," Mr. McCrea said of the allegations of misspending. "You bring me some documentation, then you can say it's the truth."

The fireworks were a prelude to the annual budget approval process and a reflection of the philosophical differences around Mr. Roosevelt's academic improvement initiatives. It was one of the sharpest exchanges among board members and Mr. Roosevelt since his arrival three years ago.

Mark Brentley Sr., the other board member who often clashes with Mr. Roosevelt, did not attend the meeting.

The district will release a preliminary 2009 budget Nov. 19, but Mr. Berdnik offered a few details. Despite the nearly $8 million in cuts from various departments, he projected 2009 expenditures of $527.4 million and revenues of $513 million, requiring the district to take $14.4 million from reserves.

The district has been trying in recent years to retool its financial structure so annual raids on reserves aren't necessary. Mr. Berdnik and some board members said the struggle has been hampered by increasingly larger payments to charter schools and the Legislature's diversion of some district tax revenue to help the city's financial crisis.

But Mr. Taylor said the district would have more money if it hadn't agreed to spend about $8 million for new middle-grade and high school curricula. He criticized plans to spend about $2.6 million next year to renovate the Reizenstein building for the temporary home of the new International Baccalaureate school and plans to spend about $14 million over five years to turn the Frick building into a home for the new sci-tech school.

"Do I think the board has been fiscally irresponsible? Absolutely," Mr. Taylor said, describing his colleagues as "blinded by Rooseveltism" and unable to see flaws in the superintendent's initiatives.

Mr. Roosevelt said he actually has reined in spending since joining the district.

"We do not spend more now than when I got here," he said.

When Mr. Roosevelt attempted to question Mr. Taylor, the latter declined, citing protocol.

"I don't work for you," Mr. Taylor said. "You work for me."