BUTLER TWP — The Butler Area School District board got a glimpse of a preliminary budget at a Monday meeting, which could include a deficit of around $781,000.

Superintendent Brian White said the district may have to raise taxes to accommodate this initial plan for the budget, which on Monday did not factor in some potential revenues and charges, like retirements and new hires or definitive numbers from the state budget.

The budget presented Monday included the maximum tax increase allotted to the school district by Act 1 of the state Department of Education, which is a 5.2% increase. The numbers listed in the preliminary budget, White said, accounted for the rise in utility and supply costs versus the dropping revenues attained by property tax assessments.