Measures would fund capital project, electric buses
The Beacon school board on March 18 approved adding two proposals to the May 21 ballot in which voters will also be asked to approve the 2024-25 budget and elect three board members.
The first, a $49.5 million capital proposal, would fund dozens of improvements at Beacon’s six public schools. It would also trigger a property tax increase for district residents; by the district’s estimate, a home assessed at $400,000 would see an annual increase of about $170.
If approved, the work would be completed during the summers of 2026, 2027 and 2028. Superintendent Matt Landahl will hold in-person and virtual community meetings this month to answer questions.
The second proposal asks voters to allow the district to spend $990,000 to purchase two electric school buses and chargers, although it expects to receive at least $400,000 in state or federal grants to offset the cost. Voters approved a proposal in May 2023 to spend up to $466,000 on a single electric bus as long as the district received $250,000 in grants. That did not happen, so the proposal will again be on the ballot.
