The Citizen.

AUBURN -- Lesson learned for the Auburn Enlarged City School District Board of Education.

One week after the district's proposed 2008-09 operating school budget was defeated by voters, board members Tuesday discussed what to do with the upcoming capital project, cited by some as a cause for the budget's demise.

Board members saw first-hand the outcome of promoting an instructional school budget and a proposed capital project, and are not making the same mistake twice.

In an unanimous vote, the board decided to postpone the upcoming capital project, which includes various upgrades to all district schools as well as the installation of artificial turf at Holland Stadium, to a date to be determined. By postponing the project, board members believe they can spend time focusing solely on the original proposed school budget of $66,490,371 with a 3.28 percent tax levy increase, which they previously asserted maintains a quality education while being fiscally responsible.

That budget was defeated May 20 by three votes.

The capital project vote was slated for June 26; the state-wide budget re-vote is June 17.

"We cannot talk about another capital project until we get beyond the instructional budget," said board member and Long Range Planning Committee Chair Michael Stearns in a committee meeting convened just prior to the regular meeting. "That is first and foremost."

Board members and district Superintendent Joseph D. "J.D." Pabis are all in agreement that residual confusion on what people were voting for -- mainly that the capital project and turf was embedded in the operating budget -- played a role in the budget's downfall last week.

"I think its a show of goodwill to shelve the capital project for a while and focus on the educational budget for now and go from there," board member Sam Giangreco said during the committee meeting.

For more, read Wednesday's Citizen