Heidenreich said the district has cut more than 70 instructional positions since 2008, which has increased class sizes and reduced opportunities for students. Some of the positions cut, he added, were in departments with electives, including business, art and technology. That led to a reduction in electives and students not having a full schedule of classes throughout the day.

The average class size has risen from 25 to 28 students since 2008, Heidenreich said. “I would like to see class size go down toward 25 and have more elective opportunities for students,” he said.

Since Gov. Andrew Cuomo enacted the tax-cap law, which limits the amount of revenue school districts can raise through taxes, the district has adopted, and the community has approved, tax levy increases of 2.55 percent in 2012 and 3.04 percent in 2013, both within the allowable limit.

Last year, the district cut $2.65 million from its budget. The reason the district isn’t facing similar cuts this year, Heidenreich said in January, is because a bond referendum that was passed by the community 15 years ago, for which there were $3 million in annual payments, is now coming off the books. That money can be repurposed for programs.

The board decided to present Option 3 — with its 1.49 percent tax levy increase — to the public in the coming weeks and gauge the community’s feelings.

Trustee Joe DiSibio, like his fellow board members, was in favor of exceeding the cap to restore items that were lost in years past. “I think this is a slam dunk,” he said.

Heidenreich noted the district’s unique position because when districts have proposed piercing the cap in recent years, it was in lieu of making substantial cuts. “We’re not going to lose anything if we don’t pierce the cap,” he said, “but we’ve already lost. Everyone wants to do everything that we can for our students and at the same time be sensitive to the needs of our taxpayers.”

According to administrators, piercing the cap this year would be better for future budgets because it sets a higher base.