BALLSTON SPA — The Ballston Spa “RoBovines” youth robotics team has earned a chance to compete at the FIRST Robotics Championships in Houston, Texas in April. But they need some extra funds in order to get there.
The team has launched a GoFundMe to help cover the cost of travel and competing. The registration fee alone is $2,500. The team is seeking $10,000 total in funds.
To learn more or to contribute to the cause, visit gofundme.com/f/help-robovines-get-to-the-world-championship.
SCHUYLERVILLE — The Schuylerville Central School District (SCSD) is encouraging community members to send letters to local representatives in protest of Governor Kathy Hochul’s executive budget proposal. The district projects it will lose 17.23% of its foundation aid, leading to a 5.71% overall loss in revenue from the previous school year.
A letter template, posted to the SCSD website, states that the district is “frustrated and disappointed that the executive budget proposal reverses years of progress towards full funding of the Foundation Aid formula by eliminating the hold harmless provision for hundreds of school districts and lowering the inflationary factor.”
The hold harmless provision would ensure that school districts receive at least the same amount of funding next year as they did the previous year. Hochul intends to get rid of the provision.
“Now, more than ever, school districts are responsible for providing a variety of supports, services, and opportunities, in addition to academics, grades K-12,” the letter states. “We hope you will see that the proposed foundation cuts come at a time when the state should be supporting schools instead of cutting their funding.”
Acting Superintendent James Ducharme participated in a roundtable discussion last month about the loss of foundation aid that included members of the New York State United Teachers union, Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, and State Senator James Tedisco.
“What we’re hearing is, we need different pathways, we need different options,” Ducharme told the roundtable attendees. “The only way for a school district, especially a small school district like us, to create those options is through being properly funded through the state.”
Governor Hochul has argued that large foundation aid increases in recent years were an attempt to compensate for past “disinvestments” in education. “You may have gotten $5 million in one year to make up for the past, and if I don’t give you $5 million again, you think it’s a cut?” Hochul said in her budget address earlier this month. “I’m still thinking that’s pretty good. That’s still a lot of money.”
The cover page of a report by the Harris Beach law firm that investigated claims of “abusive coaching” in the Saratoga Springs City School District’s athletic programs.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — An independent investigation stemming from claims of “a toxic culture of alleged abusive coaching” determined that the Saratoga Springs City School District investigated “most, but not all” complaints made about the school’s cross-country and track and field program.
“With several of those complaints or allegations, evidence reviewed by the investigation team suggests that the District’s review did not go far enough and/or the manner in which the District addressed the complaints or allegations lacked follow up or oversight of directives given,” stated the report from the Harris Beach law firm.
In response, Superintendent Dr. Michael Patton said the district would conduct a second review of its athletic programs with assistance from the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference, review its coaches’ policies and practices, and possibly revise its Coaches Handbook. Dr. Patton also said he would recommend policy changes regarding corrective actions taken against coaches. At a Board of Education meeting on March 14, Board President Tony Krackeler said that “discussions of our athletic program are far from over.”
“The failure to sufficiently and comprehensively investigate and respond to some of the complaints made over the 35-year period reviewed was contrary to the District’s best intentions,” Dr. Patton said in a statement. “We are determined to use the results of this investigation and the report’s findings to make our strong athletic program even better.”
The report seemed to question the district’s decision to re-hire cross-country and track coaches Art and Linda Kranick, stating that “while the District received complaints regarding student athletes across multiple years concerning alleged improper conduct of the Kranicks, the District continued their annual appointment as coaches, even after they had no rights under the CBA to those appointments due to their retirements from teaching.”
But the report also noted that “there were others who took the contrary view and praised the District’s coaches…especially that of the Kranicks for their successes and positive contributions.”
During public comments at the March 14 board meeting, standout varsity runner Emily Bush spoke in defense of her coaches. “As much as I love this sport, I can tell you all confidently that I would not be doing it if I felt like I was in an abusive environment,” Bush said. “The skills I’ve gained are invaluable and I can’t stress that enough.”
Five parents of current or former Saratoga runners also expressed support for the Kranicks’ program. One of them criticized local news networks for only highlighting negative aspects of the program. Another, Carl Strock, said he sympathized “with those who thought the program was extreme. I thought it was too. You don’t get to be national champions by taking it easy, by having a lot of days off. You get to be national champions by pushing yourself and by others pushing you.”
The report by Harris Beach was the result of claims of “abusive coaching” in a legal complaint filed in October of last year. 1989 graduate Kristen (Gecewicz) Gunning said that the running program was “a toxic culture of control and abuse of middle and high school girls all in the name of winning.” 1999 graduate Lauren Hogan said that some aspects of the Kranicks’ program “caused immense damage to me both mentally and physically.” An updated version of the legal complaint from October 30 included more than a dozen witnesses who made various claims against the cross-country and track program. The claims spanned from the 1980s to 2022.
A slide from the 2025 Budget Development presentation delivered at the March 6 Ballston Spa Board of Education meeting shows anticipated IT support services budgets for 2024 and 2025. Image via the Board of Education livestream.
BALLSTON SPA — The Ballston Spa Central School District has $1.4 million budgeted for IT support services this year and anticipates spending another $1.5 million next year.
Much of this increase in funds is due to cyber security enhancements, said Clerk of the Board and Records Access Officer Brian Sirianni during a budget development presentation at the March 6 Board of Education meeting. “Cybersecurity is just top of the mind, every day, every way,” Sirianni said.
To help with cybersecurity issues, the district hires multiple outside consultants. “We rotate through various groups to get more information from various companies,” Sirianni said, “so that we’re not just hearing the same things.” The district has nearly 4,600 Chromebooks and more than 1,000 desktop computers to safeguard.
According to the Board of Education’s policy manual, the district is “committed to maintaining the security and privacy of student data and teacher and principal data and will follow all applicable laws and regulations for the handling and storage of this data in the district, and when disclosing or releasing it to others, including, but not limited to, third-party contractors.”
A November 2023 case study by the computer software company Faronics reported that the implementation of Deep Freeze, a software utility, resulted in an 80% reduction in software-related issues and system crashes across the district. Faronics called the Ballston Spa Central School District “a testament to strategic IT solutions’ power.”
Photo via the Saratoga Springs City School District’s Facebook account.
SARATOGA SPRINGS —The Maple Avenue Middle School Science Bowl team won the gravity-powered car competition at the New York State Capital District Middle School Regional Science Bowl earlier this month. They also finished 6th in the academic competition.
Ballston Spa music students pose for photos while being formally recognized by the district’s Board of Education at a meeting on March 6. Images via the Ballston Spa Board of Education livestream.
BALLSTON SPA — Ballston Spa Central School District’s music program was formally recognized by the Board of Education at a meeting last Wednesday night. Students from across all grade levels attended the meeting to pose for photos and support one another.
“This evening, evidenced by the large gathering here,” said Board President Jason Fernau, “it is our pleasure to recognize what is clearly a very strong and vibrant music program.”
Brian Retersdorf, the district’s K-12 Music Coordinator, said that Ballston Spa’s music program is “one of the most supported districts, I firmly believe, in the Capital Region.”
Retersdorf said his student orchestra was now the largest in the Suburban Council. “31 students playing the professional-level books. Not regular books, professional level that Broadway musicians, people across the world are playing.”
“This, to me, is what success is,” Retersdorf said, “being able to recognize this many students who are achieving such incredible things.”
Malta Ave Elementary students pose with a trophy after competing in the 2024 Region 6 Odyssey of the Mind competition. Photo via the @MaltaAveElm X account.
GLENS FALLS — More than 100 students competed in the 2024 Region 6 Odyssey of the Mind competition last weekend in Glens Falls, and both Galway and Ballston Spa students will be advancing to the state tournament.
Two teams from Ballston Spa School District’s Malta Ave Elementary will head to states, and for the first time ever, Galway will have a team from every division competing.
Galway’s Division 3 team also won an Omer award, which is given in recognition of individuals or teams who demonstrate outstanding sportsmanship, exemplary behavior, or exceptional talent. This team represented Galway last year at the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals in Lansing, Michigan, earning first place for long-term problem, and fourth place overall.
Odyssey of the Mind is a problem-solving competition for students of all ages. At the beginning of the school year, teams are divided by grade level into several divisions and choose to perform one of five long-term problems, which they practice for months. This year’s problems were: Pirates & the Treasure, Because iCan, Classics…The Walls of Troy, Where’s the Structure, The Most Dramatic Problem Ever, and Dinos on Parade. On competition day, every team is asked to solve a secret spontaneous problem. Combined scores are tallied for each team and determine whether or not the teams will advance to the state tournament.
Listed below are the members of the Galway teams that will appear at the state competition in Syracuse on April 13.
Division 3: Shamus Evans, Simon Evans, Eben Perkins, Peregrine Perkins, Aidan Reekie-Mell, Taylor Germain
Division 2: Henry Pasieka, Avery Pasieka, Edmund Perkins, Mari Smith, Ailey Nelson
Photo of Skidmore College’s new Athletic Communications and Marketing Associate Director Kyle Lancto via Skidmore Athletics.
SARATOGA SPRINGS —Skidmore College has announced that Kyle Lancto has been promoted to Associate Director, Athletic Communications and Marketing. Lancto takes over for Bill Jones, who is retiring on March 11. Lancto’s promotion is effective immediately, and he will coordinate a search for an assistant director to fill his vacant position.
“We are excited to promote Kyle,” said Gail Cummings-Danson, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Athletics Director, in a statement. “This is a well-deserved promotion for someone who has put in countless hours marketing Skidmore Athletics during his 2.5 years of working with our programs.
Lancto was named Skidmore College Athletics Marketing and Communications Manager in September of 2021. Prior to Skidmore, he was an athletic communications graduate assistant at Vermont State University Castleton. He began his career as a sports information intern at SUNY Cortland.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — At a February 29 Board of Education Meeting, Dr. Michael Patton, Saratoga Springs’ Superintendent of Schools, said that the district had received an “incomplete,” preliminary report from the Harris Beach law firm regarding allegations made against Saratoga’s athletic program.
Dr. Patton said that attorneys from Harris Beach needed additional information from the district in order to complete the report. The final report is expected to be submitted “sometime within the next two weeks.” Once received by the district, the report will be released to the public.
The review stems from claims of “a toxic culture of alleged abusive coaching” in a legal complaint filed in October of last year. Girls’ varsity cross-country and indoor track coaches Art and Linda Kranick were at the center of the allegations.
SARATOGA SPRINGS —The Academy for Lifelong Learning is offering adults 55+ twenty-six, 6-week, noncredit courses starting in March and April. Registration is now open by mail or in-person at the free Open House at 2 p.m. on March 14 at the Knights of Columbus on 50 Pine Road in Saratoga Springs.
Registrations will be accepted by mail until courses are full. Some courses will sell out. Annual membership is $75. Six-week courses are $50 each.
Topics for these volunteer-led courses include music, opera, literature, Supreme Court, Italian language, Russia, Tai Chi, room design, Game of GO, writing, hiking, senior issues, history, wildflowers, cinema, birding, and more. Courses are offered on location in classrooms, outdoors, and some by Zoom.
More information and the course catalog can be found at www.allsaratoga.org
