With plans to extend high school hours and increase services for special education students, some Woodland Hills school board members had already accepted the notion of a tax increase prior to this week's vote.

Others, however, felt the district could have done more to lower the bottom line instead of passing costs to taxpayers.

The school directors voted 6-3 to approve the $88,867,230 budget for the 2009-10 school year at a special meeting Monday night. The budget, which includes $2,595,072 in stimulus funding, raises the real estate levy by 1 mill to 25.65 mills and maintains earned income and deed transfer taxes at one-half of one percent.

Board president Marilyn Messina, vice president Fred Kuhn and board members Regis Driscoll, Randy Lott, Robert Clanagan and Cynthia Lowery voted in favor of the budget while board members Robert Tomasic, Colleen Filliak and Dr. William Driscoll opposed the measure.

Although the initial budget proposal was reduced by more than $1 million and the tax hike was less than a proposed 1.33 millage increase that the board rejected June 16, some board members said the cuts weren't good enough. The district cut $1,258,707 -- $156,319 through staff reductions, $350,000 from the transportation budget, $252,387 from administrative personnel positions removed from the budgetary reserve account and $500,000 dollars from projected charter school enrollments.

Ms. Filliak, who told administrators to find potential budget cuts during the last meeting, pointed out that one administrator discovered salaries for two employees were counted in the budget even though they were paid through grant funding.

"This budget still has padding in it. We owe it to the taxpayers to go through the numbers and make sure we're not double counting anybody else," she said.

But superintendent Dr. Walter Calinger said many of the increases, particularly funds used to increase special education staff, will pay for themselves in the future. "We spend $700,000 on services farmed out to Auberle and Holy Family, so you can expect $500,000 back in the district," he said.

Mr. Lott said: "We spent $4.4 million on other purchased services, charters and private schools. That's the number, if we're going to control the budget in the future, we need to control."

Dr. Driscoll, who left his seat with the rest of the board and listened to public comments from the hallway after the vote was cast, said the district can bring in residents without overspending for new programs by creating a zero-tolerance atmosphere for classroom disruptions.

"The greatest harm in our schools isn't caused by violence, but by disruption of learning caused by the breakdown of order," he said. "You don't have to have an academy to establish order in the schools."

But Mr. Tomasic said any tax increase during difficult economic times could be the straw that breaks the backs of his constituents.

"It's nothing to [the board] to pay an extra $100 or $200, but it's the widows and the elderly who will have a hard time paying."