There will not be a tax increase for residents in Lexington School District Two, according to preliminary projections.

At a work session last Thursday, a draft budget of $75.8 million for 2016-17 was presented to District 2 Board members by Kelly Richardson, District 2’s chief financial officer.

The budget includes a small state-mandated salary increase and a two-percent step increase for personnel. Lexington County is also requiring school districts to pay more for School Resource Officers.

To help balance the budget, there will be a reduction in the number of teachers in the district, but those positions will be eliminated via retirement and departures.

There will be an increase in the number of English-Speakers-of-Other-Languages (ESOL) teachers in the district. The district has had an increase of 55 percent in ESOL students in a year. The budget projects District enrollment to stay at about 8,600 students.

The Board meets again in May.