By Jennifer Mrozowski
Enquirer staff writer

After months of controversy surrounding Cincinnati school district finances, the school board on Monday approved a $469.4 million budget for 2004-05.

The board approved it with little fanfare in a 6-0 vote. Board member Rick Williams was not at the meeting.

Despite declining enrollment, the budget is $11 million more than the district spent last year. The budget approval also comes about four weeks after the district acknowledged overspending its 2003-04 budget by $22 million.

Treasurer Michael Geoghegan has said the cost overruns resulted, in part, because of rising uncontrollable costs. He cited payments the district must make to charter schools and to outside agencies that educate Cincinnati children, such as Hillcrest Training School run by Hamilton County Juvenile Court.

Since the overruns became public, Superintendent Alton Frailey announced a hiring freeze and said he will outline a plan by November to address the financial problems.

Board member Sally Warner on Monday raised concerns about the hiring of about 100 more teachers, which she and other board members then approved as part of the superintendent's recommendations.

Frailey said the district must hire some staff to meet class-size requirements, which are part of the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers union contract, and the district will fill critical positions that are vacated.

Frailey also re-emphasized his plans to seek community input to curb the district's rising costs and spending.

Last month, Frailey and Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken formed an independent commission to analyze the district's finances..

"The staff and I are very committed to having the resources to support the school system," Frailey said.

In other business, Frailey asked the board to let him carry over 178 hours of annual leave, or the equivalent of about 25 seven-hour days, to next year. Frailey said he was unable to use the days this year "due to a very full work schedule."

Frailey has 27 vacation days a year. His contract says unused vacation cannot be accumulated past a year without board consent.

Frailey, who remembered taking three vacation days last year and was briefly hospitalized with a blood clot in his leg, said the days are mostly an insurance policy in case he falls sick or is hurt.

He said he has no immediate plans to use the days.

The board approved Frailey's request 4-2, with board members Warner and Harriet Russell voting against it.

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E-mail jmrozowski@enquirer.com