DANVILLE — With a week left before school boards are required to approve budgets for the 2009-10 school year, Danville’s directors still can’t agree on one.

The board members rejected a proposed $32 million budget they’ve discussed for several months during Tuesday night’s meeting. Since it was introduced, almost $300,000 has been cut from the spending plan.

Because of the vote, the board will have to hold a special meeting to discuss and approve a budget by the June 30 deadline. The directors will announce the date this week.

Board members were split evenly on the proposal Tuesday, 3-3. Voting in favor of the budget were members Jennifer Henning, Jim Moser and Allan Schappert. Barbara Boyer, Dawn Koons-Gill and Steven Schooley voted against the proposal.

Board members Jamie Hosterman, Megan Raup and Kellie Krum were absent.

The proposed plan represents a 3 percent increase from last year, when the budget totaled $30.5 million, and a .4786-mill increase in both counties, equaling about a $36 raise in taxes for the average resident.

The current millage is 8.9 mills in the Montour County part of the district and 52.5 mills in the Northumberland County portion. Earned income tax would remain at 1.15 percent.

Boyer asked if they could take money from other areas to make up the rest and avoid raising taxes. Schooley said it was possible, but warned that a big step would need to be taken the following year.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty to people on a financial level,” Boyer said. “Thirty-nine dollars probably won’t break them, but they have to work pretty hard at something else.”

Business Manager Richard Snodgrass agreed that Boyer’s suggestion would be difficult to impose. He said stimulus money allocated to the district already was budgeted for specific areas.

The board already cut $20,000 in field trips and $250,000 to $300,000 for expenditures such as equipment.

“We have to have a budget at the end of the month,” Schappert, board president, said after the meeting. “I’ll talk with directors about what is their concern. We’ve been working many weeks on this.”