A month ago, Hermitage School Director Matthew J. DeJulia said there was little fat in a 2003-04 budget plan that proposed a 5-mill property tax hike.

On Tuesday, however, the board managed to trim that hike to 4.5 mills while adopting its tentative budget, according to Superintendent Karen A. Ionta. The vote was unanimous.

"We're going to continue to look at adjustments and attrition and try to keep educational programs," Mrs. Ionta said. "We want to preserve them, we're just going about some things with a different approach."