ALBANY - The Albany School District 2012-2013 budget, approved by the board Sept. 10, shows a slight levy increase of $7,400, or just one-quarter percentage point, compared to last year.

The tax rate for the school district is estimated to be $12.04 per $1,000 of property, just 4 cents higher than in 2012. However, that rate is an estimate based on the same property values as last year, as presented at the district's annual meeting.

At the estimated tax rate, the owner of a $150,000 home would pay $1,806 in school taxes the coming year. The owner of a $200,000 home would pay $2,408.

The levy for 2012-13 is $3.14 million. Of that amount, general operating funds required $2.3 million, up $23,700 from last year. Debt service dropped $16,300 to end at $288,600. The referendum excess account held steady from last year, at $550,000, as did the community service fund at $20,000.

The school district will operate on a $4.9 million budget next year, with revenues down $149,000, or 3 percent, and expenditures down $239,000, or 4.7 percent, compared to last year.

A major portion of revenue losses comes from an expected $131,000 less in state aid. The district is expecting $2.26 million, down 5.5 percent from $2.39 million last year.

Expenditures came down most in the area of vocational curriculum, which took a bigger hit than last year. Vocational lost about $55,000, or about 15.6 percent, dropping from $352,000 to $297,000 for this school year. Last year the vocational curriculum lost about $30,000, or 7.9 percent.

Co-curricular activities funds are down this year by $16,000, or 8.2 percent, to $181,000. Co-curricular took a $19,000 hit last year, or nearly 9 percent.

Purchased instructional services were cut by $22,000, or 4.8 percent, to $425,000, after a sharp increase of $114,000 last year.

Insurance and judgments expenses came back to about $46,000, closer to 2012-11 budget of $42,000, after a sharp spike to $85,000 last year. Business administration was cut by $18,800, or 0.3 percent, to $615,000.