It was a busy night for the Mauston School Board at its meeting on Monday night. There was a lot of discussion regarding finances. The board went over the CESA 5 contract, which is an annual contract that requires constant review of the programs in it. Doctor Christine Weymouth said that the cost of the contract will be smaller from last year because there will be alterations made to this year’s contract. The board will vote on the CESA contract in April. There was also a look at the 2014-2015 budget. Right now, the budget is showing a nearly $300,000 deficit. Doctor Weymouth said this is just a preliminary review of the budget and there might be some reductions in full time positions at all schools. With the reductions, some retirements, and the CESA contract reconfiguration, Doctor Weymouth said they should be able to balance the budget reasonably well. The board will review the budget considerations before its next meeting in April. Also at the school board meeting, the board took action on several items relating to a policy update, Girls Ice Hockey Co-op WIAA Participation, the 2014 Summer School Program, and Support Staff Wages for 2013-2014. The board voted unanimously on revising Board Policy – Responsible Use of Technology and Internet Safety for Staff, which set forth guidelines for staff to the computer network or electronic networked information resources. They also approved the girls ice hockey co-op W-I-A-A, which will have no cost to the school, and they approved the 2014 Summer School Program. With the Support Staff wage increase, the board also agreed to a 28 cent an hour increase. According Business Manager and Transportation Director Julie Lankey-Smallwood, this increase was already budgeted for this year and it was the CPI for this year. The next school board meeting is April 21stat 7:00pm.