The Hood River County School District budget committee is sending a budget to the district board for the 2019-20 school year that includes an additional 18.4 full-time equivalent employees, lowers class sizes, adds electives, and expands preschool and increase counseling, mental health and behavioral support in schools, while reducing next year’s tax rate on the district’s local option levy by four percent and maintaining a 13 percent reserve.  District Superintendent Dan Goldman says a number of factors are allowing the district to make the moves, including existence of the local option and operational changes over the last few years, adding he believes it is a sustainable budget through the end of the current biennium.  Goldman says they used the Governor’s state K-12 budget proposal to develop their plans.  The district board will hold a budget hearing on June 12.