The Shenango Area School District is holding the line on taxes again.

Meanwhile, health insurance and worker’s compensation rates are rising, but the district has seen a decrease in its overall insurance costs.

The school board on Monday adopted a $15,183,192 budget that keeps property taxes at 11.1 mills. The vote on the 2008-09 budget was 8-0 with member J. Gary Senko absent.

The spending plan is $314,717 higher than the 2007-08 budget.

Superintendent Dan Bell explained that the district was able to refrain from raising taxes because it received a 2 percent increase in its state subsidy.

The budget in the past several years has had various capital improvement projects included in it, but this year there are no projects, he said.

The district has not raised taxes in six years.

Other taxes levied by the district include a 0.5 percent wage tax, a $15 per capita tax, a $20 local services tax and a 2 percent realty transfer tax.

The board approved new health insurance rates under Highmark/Blue Cross Blue Shield, which represent a 9 1/2 percent increase in costs to the district.

The board also approved a policy with Ohio Casualty, which carries an annual premium of $41,696. Coverage includes property, general liability, crime, auto, boiler and machinery, school leaders errors and omissions and an umbrella liability.

That policy represents a 14 percent decrease from last year’s premium, which was $48,010, according to Bell.

The district is paying a slight increase in worker’s compensation insurance. The board approved a policy with Burns & Burns Associates Inc. at an annual premium of $42,021. That is an increase from $41,620 for the 2007-08 school year.