Gateway School District's upcoming budget meeting could decide how the district deals with a projected deficit in its 2008-09 preliminary budget.

Next year's budget is projected at $62.7 million total, up 2.73 percent from 2007-08, with a projected deficit of about $800,000.

There still are variables that will figure in the budget process, said board member Joe Wightkin, finance committee chairman.

The meeting, which is at 7 p.m. next Monday in the Large Group Instruction room at Gateway High School, will focus on the district's personnel budget.

Staffing accounts for about 85 percent of the district's total budget.

The bulk of those costs are salaries and benefits, which is always the case, Wightkin said.

Despite the fact that the preliminary general budget is about $800,000 in the red, Wightkin said, there is cause for optimistism because about 98.4 percent of the budget has been worked on.

The challenge will be where to make up the deficit, he said.

The board has options of raising taxes, cutting expenses and examining the capital reserve fund.

The upcoming renovation of Moss Side Middle School, which is projected to cost about $2.2 million, won't have an effect on the district's general budget, according to Wightkin.

Money for the renovation will come from the district's capital fund, which is separate from the general fund, he said.

"The main thing is to get through the year-to-year thing," said Wightkin.

For 2007-08, the school board took $350,000 from the district's fund balance to offset a projected deficit.

Dipping into the fund balance again to offest the projected deficit for 2008-09 is an option, Wightkin said, but he cautioned that further discussion would be needed on such a move.

"That is a bit of a slippery slope there."