Beacon City School District previews 5.15% tax-cap levy as part of multi‑year capital and program plan

Beacon City School District officials on March 10 presented a draft budget trajectory that yields a maximum allowable tax levy increase of 5.15% under the state's tax‑cap calculation, driven mainly by the local share of the district's recent capital project and an unusually large tax‑base growth factor.

The board heard the levy calculation from staff during a workshop presentation. Ann Marie (staff member) said state aid this year is higher than last year but cautioned there is uncertainty at the federal level: "The federal money only makes up about 2% of our budget," she told the board, and those federal funds support items such as Title I and reading teachers. The district's presentation showed a maximum levy increase of about $2,400,000 (5.15%) under current assumptions; staff described that as a tax‑cap calculation, not the same as a year‑to‑year budget‑to‑budget increase.

Why it matters

District staff and board members framed the higher levy calculation as the product of several factors that matter to taxpayers and to operations: a capital project approved by voters in May 2024 (staff said the district had increased the local borrowing for that project by roughly $550,000); a large tax‑base growth factor that spreads the levy across more…