The DeKalb school board revealed a tentative balanced budget for fiscal year 2005 at its meeting Monday at Brooks Elementary School.

MeriAnn Besonen, assistant superintendent of business and finance, presented a budget that balanced at $6,177,441.

The district decided to leave $200,000 untouched and labeled as contingency money.

“There are things we can potentially do with $200,000, but there is a risk while trying to manage $200,000 successfully in the small time frame we have,” Turner Construction representative John Doherty said.

Turner Construction has been in charge of construction at district schools.

Board members disagreed on what to do with the money. Some said saving the money would be wise, while others were in favor of spending it on construction while the work was in progress.

Besonen reviewed the budget and said total revenue and expenditure were balanced to within $600. Considering the more than $6 million budget the board is working with, “balancing the budget is something to be proud of,” she said.

One of the biggest cuts made to balance the budget was the 25 percent reduction of expenditures for supplies and equipment.

Also at the meeting, Randy Carls of RBR Properties gave a presentation touting housing development in Cortland.

After his presentation, School Board President Tom Teresinski opened the floor to comment, and the audience responded.

Cortland residents argued that the district does not have the resources to teach students that more housing in the rapidly expanding town would bring.

Board member and secretary Holly Wallace sided with the outspoken Cortland residents and said the community as a whole would suffer from further expansion at this time.

School Board Vice President Suzanne Lambrecht said that if a new referendum could be sold to voters, the outlook for future growth would be brighter.

At the meeting, the board also welcomed the new assistant principal of Clinton Rosette Middle School, Mike Moan.

The board also discussed the approval of Gordon Flesch Company for copiers and various improvements at Wright Elementary School.

The next school board meeting is scheduled for Aug. 23.