Coweta County

school board officials are expected to approve a tentative $112 million

general fund budget Saturday morning.

But before

school officials approve the budget, Superintendent of Education Richard

Brooks said the board will have to make some tough decisions.

When the school

system's special purpose sales tax vote was defeated in March, the system

immediately froze any building and expansion plans.

The system

had planned to add classrooms at White Oak Elementary and Poplar Road

Elementary schools, but the money is not there without the help of a SPLOST,

Brooks said.

If board members

want to add the classrooms, they'll have to raise the budget, which could

lead to a property tax increase, he added.

The other issue

confronting the board is reducing the pupil-teacher ratio. Currently,

in kindergarten, first and second grades, the ratio is 20-1. Officials

wanted to lower the ratio, but that would require hiring extra teachers.

"I'm presenting

them a balanced budget that does not call for a millage rate hike. They'll

have to decide if they want to hire more teachers and build additional

classrooms," Brooks said.

The final budget

must be approved by June 30.