SCHUYLERVILLE — After almost a decade with the Schuylerville Central School District, High School Principal James Ducharme has been appointed as the new superintendent of schools for the Cambridge Central School District, Schuylerville announced last week. Ducharme will finish the 2024-25 school year with Schuylerville, and begin as superintendent in Cambridge on July 1.

“Mr. Ducharme has been an outstanding leader and exemplified an unwavering commitment to improving the lives of students and the district as a whole,” said Schuylerville Superintendent Dr. Ryan Sherman in a news release. “His remarkable ability to build meaningful relationships and make thoughtful, solution-oriented decisions will undoubtedly benefit the students, staff, and community of Cambridge.”

Under Ducharme’s leadership, Schuylerville High School consistently achieved a graduation rate of more than 90% for seven consecutive years. He began his administrative career at Schuylerville in 2015 as the grades 7-12 assistant principal before being promoted to high school principal, a role he held for more than seven years. In total, Ducharme has spent 21 years working in education. 

“I’ve always been driven by a commitment to doing what’s best for students,” Ducharme said. “My time at Schuylerville has been more than just a career—it’s been a family. The relationships I’ve built with students, staff, and the community have shaped me as a leader. I have been fortunate to be surrounded by an amazing team at Schuylerville and am extremely grateful for all of the students, staff, and community members I have been fortunate to work with. I am honored to serve the Cambridge Central School District as its next superintendent, and look forward to building on the district’s strengths and meeting the challenges ahead. Together, we will continue to create an environment where every student can succeed.”

With Ducharme transitioning to his new role, Schuylerville will now begin the process of selecting its next high school principal. A committee will be formed to lead the search, ensuring that the next leader upholds the district’s commitment to academic excellence, student well-being, and strong community relationships. The committee will include input from faculty, staff, parents, and administrators to ensure a thorough and thoughtful selection process. Schuylerville parents who are interested in being part of the committee can email Communications Director Taryn Kane (kanet@schuylerville.org) with their contact information.

“This is an incredibly important position for our school community,” said Schuylerville Board of Education President Bernie Buff. “Finding the right person to continue fostering a positive and supportive learning environment will be a top priority. The board expresses its gratitude to Mr. Ducharme for his years of dedicated service to the district. He has been an exceptional leader who always puts students first. His dedication, professionalism, and commitment to both academic excellence and school safety have left a lasting impact on Schuylerville. We wish Mr. Ducharme nothing but success in this next chapter.”

BALLSTON SPA — Ballston Spa High School’s 0xBe4 robotics team was ranked the 4th best team in New York State following the New York Tech Valley FIRST Robotics Competition at MVP arena last week.

The squad also earned its 32nd team award with the Gracious Professionalism Award. 0xBe4 helped two rookie teams throughout the tournament and helped another team earn the Rookie All-Star Award.

Prior to the event at MVP, 0xBe4 competed at the Finger Lakes Regional against 54 teams from New York, Ohio, and West Virginia. The team qualified in 11th place and was selected to compete in Eliminations with the 5th seed Captain. The team’s record was 10-4 and their robot placed in the top ten in many categories. At the time, they were ranked #147 out of 2,947 teams in the country, and they were ranked #189 out of 3,712 teams in the world.

BALLSTON SPA — The Ballston Spa School District may soon purchase its first electric school bus.

The district’s school board is set to vote on a proposition at their next meeting on April 2 that would allow the district to buy a zero-emission bus to the tune of $273,000. 

The actual cost of the vehicle is $481,000, but grant money provided by New York State would pay for roughly half that amount. Despite the state-provided funds, the cost of the electric bus would still be about $100,000 more than a traditional bus, Clerk of the Board and Records Access Officer Brian Sirianni said during the board’s March 19 meeting.

Sirianni also said he would be “surprised” if the state has enough money to continue to pay for a portion of all the electric buses required to transition all fleets in the state to zero-emission by 2035. 

The lone electric bus purchased by Ballston Spa would be used as a sort of pilot program to allow mechanics, drivers, and other staffers to become accustomed to EVs. Acquiring a bus would also allow the district to test out its range once fully charged.

“The bus companies will say, just like the car companies will say, ‘this has a range of 300 miles.’ But does it really? The answer is generally no it does not,” Sirianni said. “It’s significantly less than that, and it’s more significantly less than that when it’s cold.”

The district still hopes that the state government will delay the 2027 deadline, when all school districts are required to begin transitioning their fleets to electric vehicles.

“The longer it gets delayed, the better the buses will be,” Sirianni said. “And hopefully they won’t cost as much.” 

Sirianni estimated that it could cost more than $2 million to acquire bus chargers. Overall, the district has around 80 buses that would need to be replaced by EVs.

According to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), although electric buses cost more to purchase, they are cheaper to operate and maintain.  

“The initial cost of an [electric school bus] may be offset by state and federal assistance, and by lower fueling costs and less maintenance requirements over the bus’s useful life,” NYSERDA says. “Annual maintenance and operations savings vary but can range from a few thousand dollars to more than $10,000 per bus, per year.”

According to New York State’s Electric School Bus Roadmap report, “the total cost of [zero-emission school bus] ownership is expected to reach parity by 2027 due to advances in battery technology, increased supply chain outputs, as well as lower fuel and maintenance expenses.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Amidst the ongoing turmoil created by the nationwide school bus driver shortage, the Saratoga Springs City School District has increased its driver rates from $22.15 per hour to $25.15 per hour. The new rate will be effective starting July 1, per the approved CSEA contract.

According to the district, its bus driver positions come with guaranteed annual increases through 2030, full health insurance (or a $4,000 annual buyout), a New York State retirement pension, and paid training.

School bus driver shortages have been an issue both locally and across the country. Data from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) indicates that from September 2019 to September 2023, there was a 15.1% decrease in the total number of K-12 bus drivers nationwide. 

According to the EPI, school bus driver wages are typically lower than most other workers. Drivers earned an average of $20 per hour in 2022, which is nearly 17% less than the median wage for all workers. Drivers only work an average of around 32 hours per week, which means their weekly wages are also below average. Many drivers also don’t work during summers, which further decreases their yearly income.

At a Saratoga Springs Board of Education meeting in December, Paul Overbaugh, a former state director of pupil transportation for the New York State Education Department, pushed back against the idea that higher wages would solve the driver shortage. 

“If someone was going to be motivated by a salary increase, it’s only going to be temporary,” Overbaugh said at the meeting. “I mean, it helps, don’t get me wrong…but it’s not going to be the end all, be all. Really, there needs to be a paradigm shift in our communities to want to do something for the good of our district.”

School Board Vice President Tony Krackeler said he respectfully disagreed with Overbaugh. 

“If we’re not paying enough, we ought to pay more,” Krackeler said. “More money will work better than platitudes about getting butts in the seat, I think.”