The Board of Education on Monday signed off on a proposed $45.8 million spending plan and now its fate is up to the voters.

The board approved a budget that would increase the tax rate by a projected 3.35 percent to about $20.40 per $1,000 assessed valuation. The tax bill for a home assessed at about $160,000 would increase by $106 to $3,264.

During the last few weeks, the board has been paring down Superintendent Susan Swartz’s original budget proposal of $46.1 million.

The budget adds the equivalent of nearly seven full-time positions. Nearly six of those positions are to create an in-house program for children with autism at the elementary schools. Swartz had argued that the district could actually save money by not having to send students with special needs to BOCES. It also increases funding for social worker services at Glendaal Elementary School.

In addition, the board adds one full-time physical education instructor at the elementary level to increase physical education instruction time and another teacher for the gifted and talented program. Other initiatives are to replace computer hardware; add software and study a network upgrade; provide funding for hockey and athletic expansion at the middle school and high school; and increase in head bus driver hours.

Board Chairwoman Margaret Smith said that while she supported the budget, she had concerns about whether the district was doing the right thing by creating the autism program.

The public will now have a chance to weigh in on the budget at the board’s meeting on May 7 at 7 p.m. at the middle school. Voting will take place on May 20.

The board still plans a fall referendum on a capital project for building maintenance and athletic fields improvements. Board members said they planned to have informational sessions in the future to present various options to the public.

In other business, the board voted to replace the boiler at the district’s office. The boiler failed last month and the district has been renting a temporary one. Business Manager Andrew Giaquinto estimated that the project would cost about $25,000.