SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs City School District has been honored with the Best Communities for Music Education designation from The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation.
Now in its 26th year, the designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate “outstanding achievement for providing music access and education to all students.”
“This honor reflects our district’s deep commitment to the arts and the outstanding efforts of our music educators, students, families, and community partners,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Michael Patton.
“Music education is an essential part of a well-rounded education for many students here at Saratoga Springs, equipping us with skills that extend far beyond the classroom,” said Thomas Bundy, president of the Saratoga Springs High School Tri-M Music Honor Society. “It provides opportunities to collaborate with peers, explore diverse cultures, express ourselves creatively, and build lifelong skills—all while enriching both our school and local community.”
To qualify for the Best Communities designation, the Saratoga Springs School District answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program, and community music-making programs. Responses were verified by school officials and reviewed by the leading arts educational research firm, WolfBrown.
Photo of a Maria College graduate at SPAC by Cindy Schultz.
Photo of Skidmore College graduates via Skidmore.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — As we go on, we remember all the SPAC we shared together.
Two higher education institutions celebrated their commencement ceremonies at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) last weekend: Skidmore College and Maria College.
Skidmore conferred 628 degrees during its 114th Commencement Exercises on Saturday, May 17. Members of the 2025 class hailed from 42 countries, 35 U.S. states, and Puerto Rico. 412 Bachelor of Arts and 216 Bachelor of Science degrees were conferred. Poetjournalist Aaron P. Dworkin and Adam D. Weinberg, director emeritus of the Whitney Museum of American Art, both received honorary degrees and addressed the graduates.
The following day, Maria College awarded bachelor’s and associate degrees, as well as practical nurse certificates, to 218 graduates in fields such as nursing, healthcare management, psychology, and liberal arts. Honorary doctorates were awarded to Sister Jean McGinty ’62 and Bartley J. Costello III for their leadership in healthcare and public service, while Maureen E. O’Brien received the McAuley Award for advancing disability inclusion and supporting student success. Keynote speaker Dr. Barbara Crump encouraged graduates to lead lives rooted in resilience, purpose, and service to others.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Unofficial election results released late Tuesday night into Wednesday morning told an unsurprising tale: voters of the Saratoga Springs, Ballston Spa, and Schuylerville school districts approved their respective budget proposals by wide margins and voted new board members into office in largely uncontested elections.
Only one ballot proposition was met with any significant resistance. Ballston Spa School District residents narrowly supported their district’s efforts to buy an electric school bus by a margin of 161 votes. The bus is expected to be a pilot program of sorts to test the range, cost, and efficiency of a zero-emission vehicle prior to 2027, when all districts across New York State will be required to begin purchasing electric vehicles for their transportation fleets.
School district logos via their respective district.
Saratoga Springs
Residents of the Saratoga Springs City School District approved the proposed $159,398,849 school budget for the 2025-2026 school year by a vote of 2,282 to 568. Voters also approved the following propositions:
The Bus Bond Proposition was approved by a vote of 2,284 to 560;
The Legacy 2025 Capital Project Referendum was approved by a vote of 2,312 to 520;
The Capital Reserve Fund Proposition was approved by a vote of 2,346 to 491.
Three candidates were also elected to the Board of Education. The vote counts were as follows:
Ashley Fogarty – 2,288 votes
Leigh Wilton – 2,182 votes
Natalya Lakhtakia – 2,175 votes
As of press time, these results were unofficial prior to being formally accepted by the Board of Education at a meeting scheduled for May 21 at 7 p.m.
Ballston Spa
Residents of the Ballston Spa Central School District approved the 2025-2026 budget proposal of $110,305,520 with an unofficial vote of 77% “yes” to 23% “no.” A total of 1,342 votes were cast. Three other propositions were also approved:
Prop 2 – School Vehicles: 1,031 “yes” to 310 “no”
Prop 3 – Electric Bus: 751 “yes” to 590 “no”
Prop 4 – Library: 1,125 “yes” to 219 “no”
Two candidates were elected to the Board of Education, with both seats beginning in July. Carrie Chapman received 1,042 votes and Tim Turbiak received 915 votes.
These vote tallies were unofficial as of press time, pending formal approval.
Schuylerville
Residents of the Schuylerville Central School District passed a $40 million budget for the 2025-26 school year by a vote of 510 to 128. The capital project proposal also passed by a vote of 501 to 129.
Voters elected two members to the Board of Education to fill the following positions:
One five-year term beginning July 1. The seat will be held by Shaun Cumm, who received 514 votes.
One term that will commence immediately after the May 20 election (or as close thereto) and expires on June 30, 2027. The seat will be held by Bernie Buff, who received 500 votes.
In the Schuylerville Public Library Board of Trustees election, voters elected two candidates: Laura Dooley (538 votes) and BriAnne Mulligan (474 votes).They will each fill a three-year term ending in 2028. In addition, the Schuylerville Public Library’s budget appropriation proposition passed 558 to 80, increasing the annual budget appropriation by $32,000 to a total of $409,000.
“We’re grateful to our community for their continued support of Schuylerville students, staff, and schools,” said Superintendent Dr. Ryan Sherman in a statement. “The approval of both the budget and the capital project proposal allows us to maintain the high-quality programs our families expect, while ensuring our facilities remain efficient and prepared for the future.”
“This vote demonstrates our community’s commitment to thoughtful planning and the continued success of our students,” said Board of Education President Bernie Buff. “These approvals ensure we can move forward with key improvements—both educational and infrastructural. We are grateful for the support of our voters.”
Waldorf students dance around a maypole at the school’s Spring Faire event. Photo provided.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Students, friends, and family members danced around a maypole as live music played during the Waldorf School’s Spring Faire on May 3.
Children enjoyed natural crafts such as botanical silk dying, wool felting, and making flower crowns. The outdoor pizza oven churned out slices while goats, rabbits, and even a dove (named Igor) made appearances. The event also featured The Rolling Pebbles (a youth folk band with two Waldorf students as members), a marionette show, and contra dancing.
Photo via the Schuylerville Central School District.
SCHUYLERVILLE — To celebrate Autism Awareness Month in April, Schuylerville Elementary School students and staff took part in a spirit week designed not only to show support for individuals with autism, but also to educate and inspire kindness, understanding, and friendship throughout the school community.
The physical education department created a special sensory-friendly unit, allowing all students to experience movement and games in a way that respects different sensory needs; classroom teachers incorporated a variety of educational activities into their week, aimed at helping students better understand neurodiversity; and each day had its own theme and small challenge to encourage empathy, inclusion, and self-awareness. The themes were:
• Monday – Team Up for Autism Day
Students wore their favorite team apparel, celebrating the idea that everyone is on the same team when it comes to inclusion. The day’s challenge: include someone in your game at recess.
• Tuesday – Neurodiversity Day
Students honored the diverse ways minds can work. Challenge: notice what’s unique about yourself.
• Wednesday – What’s Your Passion Wednesday
From Pokémon to painting, kids and teachers proudly dressed to reflect their interests, recognizing that passion is a powerful part of identity for those on the autism spectrum. The day encouraged students to start a conversation with someone about their passion.
• Thursday – Sensory Friendly Day
Students dressed in their comfiest (school-appropriate) clothes to reflect on how sensory experiences affect everyone differently. Challenge: notice what sensory experiences overwhelm or calm you.
• Friday – Go Blue Day
The school “blued out” in solidarity for Autism Awareness Month, with students and staff donning shades of blue from head to toe. The final challenge was: be kind.
To close out the week, elementary students came together on the playground for a Blowing Bubbles for Autism event. What began as a local initiative has now grown into a global movement, with tens of thousands of people participating in the bubbles event each April.
BALLSTON SPA — The Ballston Spa Central School District will have two Board of Education seats up for election on May 20, with both seats commencing in July. District residents will select from the following candidates at the polls: Carrie Chapman and Tim Turbiak.
The Board of Education election, along with the school budget vote, will be held from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. Residents of the Towns of Ballston, Milton, and Charlton can vote at Ballston Spa High School, while residents of Malta can vote at the Malta Town Hall.
Photo of Carrie Chapmanvia the Ballston Spa Central School District.
Carrie Chapman
Chapman is a native of Ballston Spa and attended Malta Avenue Elementary and the Ballston Spa middle and high schools. After graduation, she studied Psychology and Art History at the University of London, Goldsmiths, and earned a B.A. in Psychology from Hamilton College. She then moved to New York City, where she worked in fashion as a buyer and in product development for Barneys New York and Saks Fifth Avenue for 14 years. Fashion took her around the world and across the country, but when it was time to raise her family, Chapman returned to the Village of Friends.
Chapman is the current president and former vice president of the Malta Avenue PTA. During her tenure, she has increased family and staff engagement while also building inclusive programs and community-building events. Beyond the school community, Carrie serves as a member of the Historic District Commission. She and her husband have a 6th grader at Ballston Spa Middle School and a 4th grader at Malta Avenue.
“My mission is to support our exceptional school district by championing every student’s success and promoting an inclusive community that builds a deep sense of belonging,” Chapman said in her candidate position statement. “Both of my parents were educators, and my father was a founding member of the Ballston Spa Education Foundation. I experienced firsthand the profound impact educators and school programs have — not only on students, but on families and entire communities. As a longtime resident, PTA president, and parent with children in the district, I look forward to rolling up my sleeves to support continued improvements in our schools while also tackling any obstacles that arise.”
Photo of Tim Turbiak via the Ballston Spa Central School District.
Tim Turbiak
Turbiak moved to the area in 2019 from Brooklyn. He graduated from Xavier High School in Manhattan in 2002 and completed his certification to become a Radiographic Technologist at the Bartone School of Radiography in 2007. He is currently employed with OrthoNY. Turbiak was a member of the Ballston Spa Board of Education from 2021 until 2024. During his time on the Board, he served on the Policy Committee and served as liaison to the Parent Teacher Associations (PTA). Over the years, he has helped organize a number of fundraisers for organizations such as Toys for Tots, the Wounded Warrior Project, and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. He currently resides in Ballston Spa with his wife Eliana and their two children.
“It was such an honor to have served on the Board previously, and it’s my hope to be elected once again,” Turbiak said in his statement. “It will be my utmost priority to ensure the tools and resources our district provides to our students remain constant. The ability to achieve a meaningful diploma should be afforded to all students, and they should be provided the environment to see that through. In working with the rest of the Board of Education, we will navigate the concerns of students and families alike and come together as a community to overcome any obstacles which may come our way. Our students should be our top priority, and ensuring they have the resources to receive a meaningful diploma from Ballston Spa is something [on] which we can all agree.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS — On Tuesday, May 20, residents of the Saratoga Springs City School District will vote on a proposed $159,398,849 budget for the 2025-2026 academic year. This spending plan includes a 3.97% tax-levy increase, which remains within the allowable local tax cap.
The budget includes funding to enhance elementary social worker services and strengthen support for English Language Learners. Continued investments in Advanced Placement (AP) and Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs are designed to help students with the skills and experiences needed for success in college and career.
New this year, funding has been allocated to launch a Participatory Budgeting initiative at the high school. This opportunity will engage students directly in the decision-making process, allowing them to determine how a portion of the school budget is spent—providing them with experience in civic engagement and leadership.
This year’s budget also includes nearly $2 million in savings through what the district calls “strategic operational efficiencies and staff reallocations.”
More details about the proposed budget can be found at: www.saratogaschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/25-26-Budget-Booklet-Final-1.pdf.
Also on the Ballot:
• Bus Bond Proposition: This would authorize the school district to issue an estimated $2,060,000 in serial bonds to purchase 70-passenger buses, 64-passenger buses with wheelchair lift, and Suburban vehicles for facility or student transport. State aid would reimburse the district for approximately 40% of the cost. These purchases are part of the district’s plan to replace buses near the end of their useful lives to reduce maintenance costs and help ensure a safe fleet of vehicles.
• Bond Proposition for Legacy 2025 Capital Project: This would authorize $142,872,000 for scope of work and authorize the use of $7,500,000 of fund balance ($3.5M 2017 Capital Reserve / $4M Unassigned Fund Balance). This would also authorize the issuance of Serial Bonds totaling $135,372,000. To learn more, visit www.saratogaschools.org/about-us/capital-project/2025-legacy-capital-project/.
• Capital Reserve Fund: This would authorize the district to create a reserve and fund it up to $10M for future capital projects after July 1, 2025. The useful life of the reserve would be 10 years.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Caroline Street, Division Street, Lake Avenue, Geyser Road, Dorothy Nolan, and Greenfield elementary schools. If you are uncertain where to vote, visit https://vip.ntsteamed.com/.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Skidmore College will be hosting fireworks displays on its campus on both May 15 and May 31. The shows will begin around 9 p.m. and last for about 10 minutes.
The fireworks are in honor of two celebrations: Senior Week (May 12-16) and Reunion Weekend (May 30-June 1).
The Skidmore campus is located at 815 N. Broadway.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — On May 20, Saratoga Springs City School District residents will elect three people to the Board of Education for three-year terms. The candidates, in the order they will appear on the ballot, are Natalya Lakhtakia, Leigh Wilton, and Ashley Fogarty.
A Meet the Candidates forum, hosted by the League of Women Voters, will be held on May 14 at 7 p.m. in the Saratoga Springs High School Teaching Auditorium.
Photo via the Saratoga Springs School District
Natalya Lakhtakia
Lakhtakia was elected to the Board of Education in 2019 and is running for her third term on the school board. She is a speech-language pathologist at a public elementary school. She is married and has one child. Natalya holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Spanish from Penn State and a master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Utah. In addition to serving on the school board, her community involvement includes volunteering with Saratoga Stronger, community organizing with CDDSA, and volunteering within the Division Street PTA.
In her time serving on the school board, Lakhtakia was one of three board members who proposed the recent “Affirming Our Support for Every Student” resolution, which passed with a 7 to 1 vote. She was also one of several board members to push back against suggested schedule changes designed to help ease problems caused by the ongoing bus driver shortage. The idea of changing elementary school start times to 9:50 a.m., Lakhtakia said at a board meeting in December, made her “concerned that we as a board are going to come across as not really caring whether adults in the home can work or not.”
Photo via Skidmore College
Leigh Wilton
Wilton is running for her first term on the Board of Education. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Princeton University and a Ph.D. in Psychology from Rutgers University. Leigh currently serves as an Associate Professor at Skidmore College, where she has been involved in educational leadership and service. In addition to her work in higher education, she serves as the Regional Coordinator for Princeton Alumni Interviewers.
According to her Skidmore faculty page, Wilton’s research interests include diversity; race, gender, and multiracial identity; and social perception and intergroup relations. At Skidmore, she was part of a committee in 2021 that chose the summer reading book, “How to Be an Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi. In her previous life as a business consultant, she worked with companies on-site across the US and in the UK, France, Germany, Spain, India, and Taiwan.
Ashley Fogarty
Fogarty is also running for her first term on the Board of Education. She is a 2001 graduate of Saratoga Springs High School. Ashley holds a bachelor’s degree in History from Siena College and a master’s degree in Special Education from the College of St. Joseph. She has worked as a special education teacher in Boston and New York City, and most recently served as the Director of Universal Pre-Kindergarten at the Saratoga Regional YMCA. Her past community involvement includes volunteering with the Special Olympics and the “I Can Bike” program.
Saratoga Springs City School District logo via the district.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The U.S. Department of Education launched an investigation into the Saratoga Springs School District on Tuesday for allegedly violating Title IX.
The inquiry came as a result of a letter sent to the department last month by Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, whose congressional district includes parts of the Saratoga school district.
“The Trump Administration has been unrelenting in our effort to ensure that women and girls’ educational experiences are not marred by sex discrimination,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “It is a clear violation of federal civil rights law, and of women’s dignity, to allow males to participate in female-sports and occupy female-only intimate facilities. Women fought for decades to secure Title IX protections, only to have these protections subverted and betrayed by those who prioritize a distorted ideology over fairness, dignity, and safety.”
“After my strong public advocacy, I want to thank President Donald Trump and Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon for swiftly opening a formal investigation into the Saratoga Springs City School District for their failure to uphold Title IX protections for women and girls in sports,” Stefanik said. “The Saratoga Springs School Board’s resolution allowing biological males to participate in girls’ sports and access girls’ locker rooms is a blatant violation of federal law under Title IX and an affront to the progress generations of women have fought to achieve. I remain steadfast in my commitment to fighting for the rights and futures of our young women, and I am proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with President Trump in this important effort. Thank you to the local parents who brought this to my direct attention.”
A letter sent by McMahon to Saratoga’s Superintendent of Schools Dr. Michael Patton includes a request by the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights for information it said was required for the investigation, such as:
• The district’s narrative response to the allegation under investigation and all documents or records referenced in the narrative response;
• All written policies or procedures in effect in, or followed by, the district during the 2024-2025 school year regarding the participation of male student athletes on girls’ athletic teams and/or their access to girls’ locker rooms;
• A copy of the district’s policy describing the definition or meaning of the words “sex,” “gender,” and/or “gender identity”;
• Any documentation regarding inquiries, complaints, or requested revisions to the policies or procedures regarding male participation in girls’ athletic teams and/or their access to girls’ locker rooms;
• A list of the district’s sports teams for girls and separately for boys for the 2024-2025 school year;
• A copy of the district’s athletic team rosters for all interscholastic sports teams classified for girls or women, identifying on each such roster any participants who are male.
The impetus for Stefanik’s letter and the subsequent Education Department investigation was a resolution recently passed by the Saratoga school board titled “Affirming Our Support for Every Student.” The resolution, which did not change any existing school policies, states, among other things, that the Board of Education would:
• reaffirm its support for the district’s policy and regulation 0105 titled “Equity, Inclusivity, and Diversity in Education”;
• uphold New York State laws safeguarding vulnerable populations and not comply with directives that violate civil rights protections;
• affirm that every student has a right to an education regardless of immigration status, and that law enforcement officers may not question students on school property except under very specific conditions;
• respect students’ chosen names and pronouns while also ensuring their right to use facilities and participate in activities and sports consistent with their gender identity.
The resolution appeared to be a clear attempt to combat several Trump administration policies that threaten to rescind federal funds from educational institutions that don’t comply with the president’s executive orders. According to Saratoga School Board Vice President Tony Krackeler, $3.1 million of the district’s 2024-25 budget came from the federal government. All of those funds, Krackeler said, are only amendable by an act of Congress.
According to the district’s Physician Advisor Dr. Emanuel Cirenza, there has only been one instance of a transgender athlete in the district in the last 28 years.
Prior to the investigation, the resolution attracted national attention due to the popular conservative X account “Libs of TikTok,” and the Riley Gaines Center, which sent its Ambassador Kaitlynn Wheeler to an April 10 Saratoga school board meeting to protest the resolution.
Stefanik is reportedly considering a run for governor after her nomination for UN ambassador was withdrawn earlier this year.
