LEBANON — The city’s School Board has opted to put a $57.2 million school budget before voters for the the 2026-27 academic year.
The board voted 6 to 2, with one member absent, to recommend the budget, which cuts $1.43 million from the spending plan proposed by district administration last month.
The budget total the board recommended would represent about a 4.5% increase over this year’s spending plan, which could add about 65 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation to property tax bills.
That would add about $290 to the annual tax bill for a property assessed at $450,000.
Administrators have been tasked with putting together a new school budget to determine exactly what is going to be cut from the original plan to reduce spending to the threshold set by the board.
Last month, after seeing an initial $58.6 million budget proposal, the School Board directed administrators to present alternate slimmer budgets for their consideration.
After reviewing the options that outlined exactly what would need to be eliminated to meet those financial goals, they struck a compromise between a budget option that was closer to 5% higher than this year’s allocations and steeper cuts.
Board Vice Chairman John D’Entremont suggested that a 4.5% budget increase was a good number because the board may be able to use reserve funds to cover some of the items that would otherwise be cut.
Board members Jessica Saturley-Hall and Joseph Castelot voted against the budget recommendation.
Saturley-Hall said she felt the cuts were too extreme and advocated for a 4.7% budget increase instead.
Castelot agreed, arguing that the larger budget could cover some of the projects board members were most concerned about such as an $85,000 library renovation project at the Mount Lebanon School.
Board members also expressed concerns about delaying certain technology and building maintenance costs that could lead to higher expenses down the line.
There will be a public hearing on the proposed budget at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 14, followed by a deliberative session by the board at 9 a.m. Jan. 31. Both meetings will be at Lebanon Middle School.
Lebanon voters will have the final say on the proposed budget during March elections.