SARATOGA SPRINGS —The Saratoga Springs City School District is expected to spend $1.7 million on buses for the upcoming school year, and the state government’s looming electric bus mandate will likely yield “eye-popping” costs down the road.

At the February 29 Board of Education meeting, Assistant Superintendent for Business Robert “Bobby” Yusko laid out the district’s proposed 2024-2025 bus bond. The purchase is set to include five 66-passenger buses, three 66-passenger buses with luggage compartments, two 35-passenger buses, and one more 25-passenger bus with six wheelchair spots.The total cost will be $1.723 million. 

But those figures will likely be dwarfed by the sums needed to transition the district’s entire fleet to electric vehicles, which the district will need to begin doing in 2027. None of the planned 2024-2025 bus purchases will be electric. 

“A regular electric bus as we know it today is about $400,000, so it’s eye-popping,” Yusko said. “We also know on top of purchasing the vehicles themselves to the tune of $400,000 a piece, there will be significant capital improvement upgrades that will be required as a result of this mandate.”

Yusko said he was hesitant to provide an estimate of the total costs of converting a fleet of more than 100 buses to zero-emission vehicles because “there’s so much more information we still need to uncover.”

“If nothing happens in Albany in terms of any legislative action,” Yuko said, “this is the letter of the law, and we will have to start doing whatever we can to make that transition.”

SCHUYLERVILLE — Schuylerville High School Principal James Ducharme has been appointed Acting Superintendent of Schools. Superintendent Gregg Barthelmas was granted a personal leave of absence beginning February 26. 

“Mr. Ducharme is an established and respected leader in the Schuylerville community, who has spent years cultivating relationships with students, faculty, staff, and families,” said Board of Education President Michael Bodnar in a statement. “The Board has great confidence in Mr. Ducharme as Acting Superintendent. We know and trust he will make decisions in the best interest of all students and the district, which is always our ultimate goal.”

While Ducharme serves as acting superintendent, current High School Assistant Principal Mr. Nate Kocak will serve as co-principal alongside Mr. Todd Gonyeau.

SARATOGA SPRINGS —The Saratoga Hospital Volunteer Guild is offering up to five $2,000 scholarships for high school seniors. Eligible students must be accepted into college for September of 2024, have at least a 3.0 GPA, and complete an application by the March 31 deadline. 

Volunteer Guild Scholarship Chairperson Irma Somich will personally contact recipients upon the decision of the Scholarship Committee. Recipients will be formally announced and honored at a Guild dinner in May.

 Additional information, as well as application forms, are available through high school guidance offices and online at www.saratogahospital.org/classes/volunteering.

SOUTH GLENS FALLS — The 47th annual South High Marathon Dance will be held March 1 and 2 at South Glens Falls Senior High School, 42 Merritt Rd., South Glens Falls.

The South High Marathon Dance is a charitable event that is held the first full weekend of March each year. Students at South Glens Falls High School gather to raise money and dance for an amazing 28 hours. All money raised helps local individuals and charities.

Last year, the dance raised $630,111.07 for 22 beneficiaries, bringing the 46-year total to more than $10.5 million raised for 641 beneficiaries. 

The South High Marathon Dance Inc. is registered with the state of New York as a charitable corporation and has been determined by the IRS to be a public charity under section 501 (c) (3). Accordingly, all donations are tax deductible.

For more information visit shmd.org.

BALLSTON SPA — The Ballston Spa Central School District’s annual Wellness Expo is being held on Saturday, March 9 from 9 a.m. until noon in the Wood Road Elementary School cafeteria/gymnasium. The goal of the event is to encourage students and families to participate in healthy and active lifestyles. More than 50 health and wellness professionals from throughout the community and around the region will provide educational information on fitness, healthy eating, and related wellness topics. The Wellness Expo is a free event that is open to all residents of the district. 

For additional information, please visit the district’s website at www.bscsd.org. Call The Office of Community Relations and Program Support at 518-884-7195 x1369 with any questions.

Mechanicville — Timothy Buchal of Mechanicville has been named to the Fall 2023 Dean’s List at Florida Institute of Technology. To be included on the Dean’s List, a student must complete 12 or more graded credits in a semester with a semester grade point average of at least 3.4.