Long Beach School District Board of Education trustees voted unanimously last week to adopt a proposed budget of $162.5 million for the 2026-27 school year, a 2.5 percent increase over the current spending plan.
The public vote on the proposed school district and Long Beach Public Library budgets, as well as the election of two school board trustees and one library board trustee, is scheduled for May 19. Voting will take place at Lindell and East Elementary School and the middle school.
The spending plan includes a 2.2 percent increase in the tax levy, the total amount the district needs to collect in taxes to fund its planned spending. The increase is below the state cap, and is down from this year’s 2.4 percent tax levy hike.
“We always try to balance appropriate fund balance with the tax levy at the level that the board wants and is comfortable asking the community for,” Michael DeVito, the district’s assistant superintendent of finance and operations, said. “Next year’s budget was created to maintain strong programs and preserve quality education for all of our students.”
The spending plan will add Academic Intervention Services teachers and physical education programs at the elementary schools. The middle school will also have its own wellness room. The district will add a varsity game-day cheer coach, an assistant coach for the girls’ wrestling team at the high school and a field hockey coach at the middle school.
In the new Bloomberg Lab at Long Beach High School, students will use the Bloomberg terminals that investment bankers, hedge funds and corporations use worldwide. They will also see live movement on the stock market, global currencies and other commodities.
In secondary programs, the district approved funding for participation in a new BOCES co-enrollment program for high school students, including a barbering program. The district will also add rock band, guitar, fishing and water polo clubs.
Next year’s budget includes $1.7 million for facility and capital projects — upgrading the high school pool and bleachers, an additional custodian at the high school and enhanced security staffs at the elementary schools.
Funding for central data processing will increase by $1.53 million, or 40 percent. The funding will cover updates to the high school’s television media lab.
Because of a school bus driver shortage, the district proposed a 29.7 percent decrease in contract transportation, citing a reduction in student need and the use of existing bus drivers.
The library budget totals just over $5 million, a 21.7 percent increase over the current spending plan. Its tax levy increase of 2 percent will exceed the state cap, so in addition to needing the approval of more than 50 percent of voters to pass, it will necessitate an additional $25 in library fees.
The extra funding will expand library materials and programs, upgrade technology and support library and building operations.
Library board President Mary Ellen Guarini said the increase in funding will combat a problem that other Nassau County libraries are facing. Baker and Taylor, a book distributor for over 200 libraries, ceased operations earlier this year. To keep shelves stocked with books, Guarini explained, libraries have had to purchase books through Amazon and other distributors.
“The library is committed to keeping Long Beach taxes low, but we are in a bind because of challenges with book distributors,” Guarini said. “We are proposing a budget that pierces the tax cap for a year but is fiscally responsible for our patrons.”
The budget was approved unanimously in March by the library board of trustees.
Next month’s ballot will also include the election of two Board of Education trustees. Nora Bellsey and Dennis Ryan, both incumbents, have submitted petitions to run again for three-year terms. The deadline to submit petitions is April 29. At the library, Anita LaSpina’s trustee seat is open, but as of press time, she did not intend to run again. The seat is a five-year term.
For more information on the budget, visit lbeach.org/school_board/budget_finance_operations.
