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 it's 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.

Giangreco's decision to postpone the vote was not without reluctance, he said. He said he, board members, district and state officials and community members put great effort into the project and want to see it go forward. He also noted that it will be current and future students who will be affected by not having state-of-the-art technology in the classroom and turf to enhance education.

The board did not set a timeline to revisit and schedule a vote on the project. Pabis and members of the committee said this was a good time to scrutinize the project once again, take a look at priorities and perhaps reshape it, if necessary.

The district also has plans for the $150,000 it received in donations to cover the local share of synthetic turf. Pabis said that money would be cashed and deposited into a separate account. The money will be used for funding a capital project if and when it comes up for a vote, he said, and will be refunded if either the district decided against a project or taxpayers defeat a proposal.

While prices for materials may fluctuate between now and when a project proposal is put before voters, the percentage of state aid, as it currently stands, will not.

The state Legislature had before them earlier this year a bill that would lessen the amount of aid given to districts for capital projects voted after July 1.

Pabis heard the bill was never voted on and was pulled off the floor just prior to the budget vote in April. The district will continue to receive 87 percent aid on the dollar for the upcoming academic year. According to Pabis, the state Education Department will give advanced notice if any change was forecast.

Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 239 or alyssa.sunkin@lee.net