Beacon City School District presents $87.72 million budget, warns $2.4 million in cuts if voters reject

Beacon City School District officials on May 5 held a public budget hearing on a proposed $87,720,000 budget for 2025–26, a 4.61 percent increase over the current year that district staff said will be presented to voters on May 20.

The budget hearing is required before the district’s annual vote. Anne Marie (district staff) told the board the district is using the governor’s proposed state-aid number for planning because a final state budget had not been passed: “The budget that we're putting in front of the voters in 2 weeks from tonight is $87,720,000,” she said. Superintendent Matt (district superintendent) framed the spending plan as reflecting district priorities such as class-size reduction, mental-health supports and expanded extracurriculars: “the budget really reflects what we value here in the district,” he said.

District officials said the tax levy is at the statutory tax-cap calculation and noted that principal-and-interest payments tied to a $49,900,000 capital project voters approved last May will add debt service in future years. Anne Marie said the allowable levy growth uses the lesser of the consumer price index or 2 percent within the state formula and that the capital exclusion for debt service also affects the levy.

Why it matters: district leaders said the budget preserves recent program expansions — including elementary class-size…