RALEIGH - After weeks of discussions and debate, the Wake County school board gave final approval Tuesday to a $319.2 million budget to run schools next year.

School board members spent weeks making cuts to programs and services to make up for a $39 million shortfall in requested revenue. The school board had sought $355.5 million from county commissioners, a far larger increase in the county's annual allocation to schools than commissioners were willing to give.

Citing stringent economic times and requests from other county agencies, commissioners allotted $319.2 million -- still an $18.5 million increase for the district over the $300.7 million for this fiscal year.

The majority of the shortfall was made up at a June meeting, when school board members decided not to start more than 20 new programs and cut money schools received for instructional supplies.

School leaders warned Tuesday that the cuts will likely result in larger class sizes and fewer teachers for classrooms.

To generate additional money, the school board tacked another $25-a-year increase onto student parking fees. Students will pay $170 to park instead of $120.