ADAMS TWP — The Mars Area School Board will vote on adopting the district’s 2022-23 budget at next week’s meeting and consider a policy to limit district administrators from serving as coaches.

The proposed policy will be posted online for review for 30 days after the board meeting next Tuesday.

“The proposed policy is that if you’re an administrator in the Mars (Area) School District you don’t hold a coaching position,” Superintendent Mark Gross said Tuesday evening. “Simply because of the demands of those various administrative roles. That would be a new policy.”

The policy would be up for formal approval after the 30-day review period, and the board will vote on it at a meeting in July.

The $56 million 2022-23 budget, which will be approved at the meeting next week, was tentatively approved last month. The budget breaks even, with $1.04 million from the district fund balance used to fill a potential deficit. Expenditures and revenues each add up to $56.7 million, an increase of $1.61 million from last year.

District business manager Debbie Brandstetter emphasized that there is no real estate tax increase in the budget. The text of the budget is available on the district’s website.

Board member Megan Lenz spoke about the budget, adding that she would not be present to vote on the final budget next week.

“We continually ignore that running this district costs money,” Lenz said, citing inflation, security, building growth and improvements and increasing staff as potential concerns. “By not having discussions regarding small, incremental tax increases, we’re setting ourselves up for future struggles.”

Lenz encouraged the board to “plan and prepare for the future.”

“We’re outgrowing our buildings, and they keep building houses,” she said. “Local taxes stay local, and they help our kids and our community.”