Beacon City School District proposes $87.72 million budget, says levy will be at state cap; May 20 vote scheduled

Beacon City School District Superintendent Matt Landau said the district will put an $87,720,000 budget on the ballot for a May 20 vote that represents a 4.61% budget-to-budget increase and leaves the district’s tax levy at the state cap.

The proposed spending plan, Landau said during a recorded webinar presentation, funds classroom staffing and student supports and includes continued work on a voter-approved capital project. “This budget that we’ve been developing represents our values as a district,” Landau said, adding that the plan emphasizes academic excellence, communication and outreach, a culture of care, and facilities and fiscal sustainability.

The budget funds initiatives Landau and Deputy Superintendent and Business Official Ann Marie Cortorone described as new or expanded for 2025–26: summer transition and AP/college-prep workshops for high-school-bound students, a site-based mental-health clinic at Roundabout Middle School in partnership with Aster, a secondary-level program called Bright to help students return from hospital settings and those with school reluctance, a half-time speech teacher to support students with IEPs, additional elementary intervention teachers, and professional development focused on the science of reading.

The presentation also summarized multi-year capital work voters approved in 2024. Cortorone said the roughly $49.9 million capital project will be implemented primarily in 2026–2028 and highlights include additional secure school entrances (after prior work at Glenna), cooling…