After a tense few weeks of budget discussion, the DeKalb County Board of Education adopted the 2011-12 consolidated budget for schools Thursday evening.The board unanimously voted to authorize the plan as approved by the county commission on Monday night, and also voted to authorize funding from the state basic education reserve account (BEP) for three new assistant principal positions. All members were present except for First district member John David Foutch.The budget, which will include a five-cent tax increase to go toward school funding, includes a 1.6 percent local increase to match the state's 1.6 percent contribution toward pay raises for teachers, and a 3.2 percent increase in pay for non-certified personnel.The consolidated budget required some tough decisions be made, as the adopted plan is much tighter than the original plan that the board presented to the budget committee.Previously proposed positions not funded under the 2011-12 plan include the addition of another math teacher at DeKalb County High School, an assistant band teacher, and assistant soccer coaches.Director of Schools Mark Willoughby told the assembly that the positions would also have to be funded from the school system's BEP account, and that dipping so deeply into the reserve account could deplete it entirely."When we approve this consolidated budget we will be doing basically the same thing that we have done in the past,” Willoughby said. “Last year we used $640,000 of our BEP reserve funds.