Thursday, October 1, 2026
Long Beach Public School District voters approved a $162.5 million budget for the 2026-27 school year on May 19, while two incumbent Board of Education trustees were re-elected in an uncontested race.
The budget passed by a vote of 715 to 231, according to unofficial results released by the district. The spending plan represents a 2.5 percent increase over the current year’s budget.
Trustees Nora Bellsey and Dennis Ryan were both re-elected to new three-year terms. Bellsey received 676 votes, while Ryan received 640 votes.
The approved budget caries a 2.2 percent tax levy increase, which remains within the district’s allowable limit under the state’s tax cap formula.
Next year’s budget includes $1.7 million for facility and capital projects, including upgrades to the high school pool and bleachers. It also adds a custodian at the high school and enhanced security staffs at the elementary schools.
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.
Funding for central data processing will increase by $1.53 million, or 40 percent, which covers updates to the high school’s television media lab.
There will be a 29.7 percent decrease in contract transportation due to a reduction in student need and the use of existing bus drivers.
Incumbent return to school board
Bellsey taught in the district for almost three decades, and coached varsity cheerleading for 24 years, before retiring in 2015. Her children, Jessica Bellsey, ’97, and younger son Jeb Bellsey, ’99, also attended Long Beach schools.
During her time in the district, Bellsey said, she’s bolstered her communication skills, as well as her ability to collaborate with others while fulfilling the needs of teachers, faculty, students, parents and other stakeholders.
Over her tenure, Bellsey helped support an $87.7 million community bond approved by voters in October 2025 to fund districtwide capital improvements. It helped open the high school’s wellness center and will be instrumental in the renovations to the elementary school playgrounds districtwide this summer. There will also be a new marine science center in the high school next year.
Being a retiree doesn’t stop Bellsey from wanting to support the district she’s known and loved for over 50 years.
“Our students deserve thoughtful leadership, steady experience and continued commitment to their growth and well-being,” Bellsey said. “I want what’s best for this city by the sea. I think that one place in any community, if they want it to be strong and inviting to prospective families, is to keep the school district strong and alive.”
Ryan has lived on the barrier islands for more than 45 years. He is also a retired teacher, psychologist, athletic director and Assistant Superintendent of Schools in Great Neck.
Ryan has served as a trustee in Long Beach nearly 20 years. In a re-election flyer distributed on social media, Ryan was quoted as being "committed to creating a balance between equity and excellence so that all students receive a fair opportunity."
“These are trying times,” Ryan said in the flyer. “Experience in dealing with various stakeholders is essential if we are to progress and move forward as a district and as a community.”
Board of Education President Alexis Pace said she was happy to have both incumbents back on the board, highlighting their experience and commitment to the district.
“I think they both have unique perspectives and they both always have the taxpayer’s best interest at heart,” she said. “Nora’s balance and Doc [Ryan’s] experience, we can continue to prioritize the welfare of our children.”
Long Beach Public Library
The Long Beach Public Library budget passed by a vote of 789 to 154, according to unofficial results released by the district. The spending plan totals just over $5 million, a 21.7 percent increase over the current year’s budget.
It necessitates an additional $25 in library fees, partly because of the closure of Baker and Taylor, a book distributor which serviced the library. The extra funding will expand library materials and programs, upgrade technology and support library and building operations.
Leigh Crane, the lone candidate running for the trustee seat vacated by Anita LaSpina, received 759 votes.
Crane, a Long Beach resident for over 13 years, is an educator at the National Beacon Center, an organization supporting Deaf and hard-of-hearing newborns, infants and young children. In addition to her work at Little Garden By the Sea in Island Park — an early childhood program — Crane is the founder of Moment by Moment, a community-centered initiative that offers programs for families.
“Throughout my career, I’ve worked to create accessible, inclusive and connection-centered spaces for children and families,” Crane said. “I understand the important role libraries play in fostering learning and a sense of belonging, and It’s a true honor to learn and serve alongside the current board members in support of the library and community.”
