The Herricks school district adopted a $110.3 million budget for the 2016-17 school year on Thursday night, which now includes full restoration of the state’s Gap Elimination Adjustment, with the new expenses expected to be offset by additional state aid of $629,342.

The board decided to use the additional state funds toward an $820,000 package of capital improvements, including repairs at all three elementary school playgrounds, library improvements at the Searingtown School, LED lighting for three auditoriums and indoor bleachers at the Herricks Middle School, officials said.

Some $260,000 in savings from retirements will help cover the rest of the cost, school officials said, and the district could buy a new school bus if enough funding remains. The capital package leaves the district with about $70,000 left to be allocated, the officials said.

“The good news is that the state is giving us back what they owed us,” Superintendent Fino Celano said. “Funding is now available at the state level to return money to the schools.”

Herricks, along with most other New York school districts, got a funding boost when the state Legislature approved a budget fully reimbursing schools for funds the state withheld in 2010 and 2011 to close its own budget gap.

The district could have used the extra state funds to flatten the proposed 0.12-percent tax levy increase, but the school board ultimately decided to keep it at that level and leave a comfortable contingency in the budget.

“We want to spread the money throughout all the buildings by completing multiple smaller-scale repairs and improvements,” school board Trustee Brian Hassan said.

Both Herricks High School and Herricks Middle School will receive new “Maker Spaces” at their libraries at an expected cost of just more than $42,000.

“Maker Spaces” are work stations where students can do engineering-based projects and 3D printing, the board said. Students can create digital music, movies, and prosthetic prototypes using Maker Spaces.

Bleacher installation will likely be completed in time for volleyball and basketball season at Herricks High School, Director of Facilities Jim Brown said. The project is budgeted for $319,000 and includes the cost of installation.

The budget also includes $84,046,636 to cover expenses such as teachers, textbooks, curriculum, or approximately 77 percent of the total budget. Some $11,677,021 will be put toward administrative expenses.

The three-part budget comprised of program, capital and administrative expenses for the district includes an additional $1,137,848, a 1.1-percent increase over last year’s $109,378,840 budget.

State aid covers approximately 10.5 percent of the district’s revenue.

Potential future improvements and additions for high-ticket items such as districtwide plexiglass replacement, outdoor football bleachers at Herricks High School, and parking lot repavement are expected to cost $1.761 million, $974,000, and $1,497,000 respectively and will be wait-listed.

The 0.16-percent tax levy increase is below the maximum allowable tax levy increase of 0.36 percent under the state tax cap law.

More than 50 percent of voters must approve the budget for it to go into effect.

“Last year we lost by one vote, so we need everyone,” Assistant Superintendent for Business Helen Costigan said. “It’s a great budget, we think it’ll pass, but we do get those no-votes.”

The official budget hearing will be held on May 5, followed by the school budget vote on May 17 from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.