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Saratoga School District Residents to Vote on ’25-’26 Budget on May 20 

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Education, Featured.

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/.

It’s Back: Seasonal Parking Program Set to Begin on Memorial Day in Saratoga Springs

Written by Thomas Dimopoulos on . Posted in Featured, News.


Pay Station on Putnam Street parking deck, upper level, on May 13, 2025. Photo by Thomas Dimopoulos.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Spa City’s seasonal parking program will make its return on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26.

During the program season, which will run through to Monday, Sept. 1, parking in city owned garages and surface lots will costs $2 per hour, or $12 for an overnight rate from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. On-street parking will remain free for all vehicles.

Saratoga Springs City residents are eligible for free parking permits. The city says those who registered in 2024 have been renewed in 2025. New to the program: permits for residents of the Saratoga Springs City School District, which can be purchased monthly or for the entire season at a discount.

The s inaugural program kicked off in 2024, with the city anticipating approximately $1.6 million in revenue minus an estimated $450,000 expenses and resulting in net gain of over $1.1 million. 

The program eventually got underway in mid-June and resulted in a net revenue of just over $130,000, officials announced in October. Overall, the program generated just over $275,000 with a project cost about $144,000 to implement the first year – nearly $124,000 of which was for the one-time purchase of equipment. 

“In the second year of the program both public safety and public works are prepared to improve on what they learned through implementation and I’m hoping for a successful program in 2025,” said Public Safety Commissioner Tim Coll.

Newly minted DPW Commissioner Chuck Marshall expressed strong opposition to the paid parking plan during his campaign for the seat earlier this year in a citywide special election. Marshall, who was endorsed by the Republican Party, secured the seat by a narrow margin and at his swearing-in ceremony in March said while he remained opposed to paid parking measures in the city, it would be irresponsible to simply un-fund it as it already was present in the budget as city revenue, and its outright elimination would create an unbalanced budget.

 “I remain concerned about the impacts of paid parking on downtown businesses, but the City Council approved the program so it will be implemented this year,” Commissioner Marshall said in a statement this week. “Throughout the program I’ll be performing a thoughtful assessment to determine the full ramifications of paid parking.” 

Garages and surface lots owned by Saratoga Springs are included in the paid parking restrictions. This includes the multi-level parking garage on Woodlawn Avenue, the two-level garages one on Spring Street and the other on Walton Street, and the surface lots located at Spring Street and other High Rock Avenue. In each of these locations the hourly rate is $2, or $12 overnight.

Residents previously registered only need to update their vehicle information if it has changed (new license plate or vehicle). Those interested in obtaining a permit can access the portal through the City’s website to register: https://www.tocite.net/saratogaspringspd/portal/permit  or visit the Department of Public Works at City Hall, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. –  4 p.m., for assistance.

Taxpayers of the Saratoga Springs City School District (SSCSD) can apply for a monthly or season long permit. Monthly permits are: $35 for May and June, $45 for July, and $55 for August and September. The seasonal permit cost is $100 and must be purchased in May or June. Permits can be purchased through the portal on the city’s website.

Employees of businesses located downtown can obtain a free permit through their employer. The employer needs to register their fleet with the city and can email parking@saratoga-springs.org for more information. Businesses that previously registered their fleet will be reactivated and can apply a 2025 permit to their employees.

Note, the Saratoga Springs Public Library Lot located on Maple Avenue requires a separate free library permit that can be obtained at the front desk of the library. 

B-Spa Native Selected 9th in Pro Softball Draft

Written by Jonathon Norcross on . Posted in Featured, Sports.


Image via the @AUSL_Blaze X account.

BALLSTON SPA — Ballston Spa native and Duke University softball standout Ana Gold was selected by the Blaze as the 9th overall pick in the inaugural Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) college draft on Saturday night. The draft was broadcast on ESPNU.

The AUSL will feature four teams playing a 24-game season in a traditional format. The league’s commissioner is Kim Ng, the former general manager of the Miami Marlins and a former assistant general manager for the New York Yankees.

Gold’s college career at Duke includes a career slash line of .309/.412/.610. To those numbers, she’s added 49 homers, 7 triples, and 28 doubles for the Blue Devils since her freshman year in 2022. She’s also stolen 50 bases and totaled nearly 200 hits in a little more than 600 at bats.

At Ballston Spa High School, she was ranked the No. 39 prospect in the country (according to Extra Innings Softball), was named three times to the Suburban Council’s First Team, and was a two-time Second Team All-Stater.

The Blaze also selected Virginia Tech’s Emma Lemley and Florida Gator Korbe Otis in the draft.

U.S. Department of EducationLaunches Investigation Into Saratoga Schools

Written by Jonathon Norcross on . Posted in Education, Featured.


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.

Homeless Shelter Operator Delivers Urgent Message to City of Saratoga Springs 

Written by Thomas Dimopoulos on . Posted in Featured, News.


Adelphi Street shelter, operated by RISE, on May 6, 2025. RISE’s main office – where a new Homebase Therapeutic Community Center is being developed, may be seen in the distance on Union Street. That building will not have shelter/bed capabilities. Photo by Thomas Dimopoulos.  

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The operator of the city-based 24/7 low barrier homeless shelter delivered what it called “an urgent message on the future” to City Hall this week: without a city commitment to fund shelter operations through 2026, the agency would cease shelter operations with an anticipated closure date on June 3.     

Following up on its two-page letter addressed to the City Council dated and signed by RISE Housing and Support Services Executive Director Sybil Newell on April 29, members of the nonprofit housing agency showed up in numbers at City Hall during this week’s meeting to deliver their message in person.   

“We want to ensure the low barrier we’ve worked on so hard on for the past couple of years remains open long enough to find a permanent solution, so we don’t end up back at square one,” Newell said during the night of the May 6 council meeting.  

“We are funded through the end of December 2025. However, for the past two years we’ve really had to scrape and struggle to get funding committed every year and that has left us in complete limbo close to at the end of our contract, every year,” Newell said. “We are simply asking them to commit to funding us through the end of next year (2026) so we aren’t scrambling and scraping again in a few months, and we can really get some momentum behind finding a permanent solution.”

Some of the council members were admittedly “caught off guard by the letter,” and after lengthy discussion during its meeting seemed to come to a consensus to revisit the issue more fully during its next meeting on May 20.   

RISE has operated the Adelphi Street low-barrier shelter since 2022 as an emergency response to visible homelessness in Saratoga. The shelter currently serves more than 30 people who cannot access traditional shelters due to mental health or substance use challenges. The June 3 date cited as potential closure precedes by one day the start of the highly anticipated Belmont Festival week in Saratoga Springs and the closure would result in the near three dozen people RISE serves without its serviceable shelter.    

“We want to bring public attention to this issue at the most salient point in the year,” Newell said. “Unfortunately, on December 31, nobody’s paying attention to homelessness. That’s why we’re paying attention to this now.”    

The Adelphi Street shelter, local just of South Broadway, first opened as a winter-season Code Blue shelter operated by Shelters of Saratoga in winter 2019-20, evolving into Saratoga Springs’ first low barrier year-round facility when RISE assumed operations in 2023.  Local developer Sonny Bonacio secured a temporary lease on the property, renovated the building, and provided it rent-free to RISE on a temporary basis. That time frame is soon coming to conclusion. 

The current cost of operating the low barrier shelter is approximately $42,000 per month, or a half-million dollars per year, which includes staffing, utilities, meals and additional support services.  “That amounts to about $45 per day per person, year-round, and that’s if we serve 30 people,” said Newell, adding that the number of people served is often higher and is currently at 35. The city of Saratoga Springs is funding the approximate $500,000 costs through the end of this calendar year.

“The owner of 4 Adelphi Street, Peter Kodogiannis, has graciously allowed us to use that space for the low-barrier shelter, and (previously) allowed the city to use that space for Code Blue. He is not pleased that a solution has not been found yet,” Newell said. “He called me the other day wondering when our shelter will be leaving and about how much progress the city and the county have made toward finding a permanent solution. I was not able to give him that answer. So also on behalf of him, I’m here speaking and trying to put pressure on the city and the county to come up with the solution so that isn’t put in an impossible situation where he has to put a homeless shelter out on the street to get his building back.”       

Saratoga County recently purchased a 1.4-acre parcel at 96 -116 Ballston Ave. (Route 50) in Saratoga Springs for $3 million as the future location of a permanent Code Blue homeless shelter. “Code Blue” is strictly a cold-weather seasonal shelter and does not address year-round homelessness. Additionally, the county has strongly maintained that it has no willingness to operate as a low barrier facility. 

Whether dialogue between the city, shelter operators, and the county will now become heightened remains to be seen, although there appears a desire among some to do so.    

“While I can only speak for myself as a county supervisor, I would like to see the county get more involved,” said Michele Madigan, who represents the city of Saratoga Springs at the county board. “I think it would be beneficial for RISE to educate the supervisors on what a low barrier shelter is.”   

“With the buying of the property for Code Blue, I think it gives us the perfect opportunity to locate all of these services in one location if we can just get the county on board,” Newell said.  

Retired MLB Player Launches Premium Youth Glove Company

Written by Jonathon Norcross on . Posted in Featured, Sports.


A Kali baseball glove. 
Photo via Kali Gloves.

EAST GREENBUSH — Kevin Smith, an East Greenbush native whose MLB career culminated with a stint on the 2024 New York Yankees, has a new venture keeping him busy during retirement: a premium youth glove company called Kali Gloves.

Smith, a Columbia High School grad who also played with the Toronto Blue Jays and Oakland Athletics, co-founded Kali Gloves with Matt Talarico, the Yankees’ former director of speed and baserunning.

The idea for their new collaboration was born in the Yankees clubhouse, where players and staffers struggled to find a high-quality, customizable leather glove specifically designed for kids and little leaguers. Smith began taking matters, quite literally, into his own hands.

“We started to cut up gloves in the locker room,” Smith told Saratoga TODAY. “I was cutting up my own gloves trying to figure out a way to make them easier to close [and] have them fit little kids’ hands better…We took our experience of seeing kids always using the wrong glove, making it harder for them to be good at playing catch and play the game and have fun, and we paired it with as many innovations as we could to say, ‘Okay, this is the glove that I want my kid to have.’”

The key ingredient in the Kali Gloves recipe is Japanese kip leather, which is lighter and softer than traditional rawhide, but durable enough to hold its shape after years of wear, tear, and ground balls. It’s also easier to break in, and it does a better job molding itself to the smaller hands of young athletes.

According to Talarico, one unnamed MLB All-Star said he liked a Kali glove designed for Talarico’s daughter better than four custom gloves designed just for him. “He couldn’t believe there was a youth glove that felt like that,” Talarico said in a message posted to the Kali website.

This All-Star apparently wasn’t the only major leaguer to try out a Kali glove. Smith said that Yankees ace Max Fried recently wore one at Yankee Stadium.

“A lot of former players and coaches are buying it for their kids,” Smith said. “That was the best thing because they’ve been around the game for so long.” 

The swanky-looking gloves are all 10.5 inches, an ideal size for kids learning baseball basics. They also feature elastic wrist laces that prevent slipping and sliding, elastic finger loops that ensure correct hand placement, and palm slits that help the gloves maintain their shape and performance over time. All told, the Kali glove distinguishes itself from both cheaper competitors and pricier custom gloves that can sometimes take up to a year to receive. (By contrast, a mint-colored Kali glove imported from Japan takes only 3-4 weeks to arrive.)

Smith said that designing and manufacturing these youth gloves began as a hobby, but soon blossomed into a booming business.

“We went through a bunch of prototypes that started catching on and a lot of people were interested in them, so we figured we’d make a few more, and it’s been really fun,” Smith said. “The long-term vision is to be a youth athletic company trying to make premium products for kids, ones that help them play the game and love the game better.”

It might not be long before Smith, who is settling into a post-playing career in Arizona, starts designing gloves for his own kids: an 18-month-old and a 7-month-old.


A young Kevin Smith, who grew up in the Capital Region as a
New York Yankees fan before becoming a Yankee himself in 2024. Photo via Smith’s X account.

“I got to play in the big leagues and my wife traveled with me and we had a lot of fun but now we’re trying to grow a family, and the hotel life with two little kids wasn’t going to be ideal,” Smith said. “My family still lives in Albany [and] we’re in [Arizona] raising a family.”

Last season, Smith played in two games for the Yankees, the team he grew up idolizing as a youngster. “I was one of those kids watching [Derek] Jeter every night,” Smith told the YES Network’s Jack Curry during spring training.

Perhaps now, young New Yorkers watching the Bronx Bombers on TV will have better gloves to bring with them to the ballpark.

SPAC Earns Sensory Inclusive Certification, Launches New Education Programs

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Education, Featured.


The SPAC School of the Arts “Access the Arts” final shares at the
Spa Little Theater on April 30. Photo by Jonathon Norcross.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) announced this week that it has earned a Sensory Inclusive Certification from KultureCity, a national nonprofit at the forefront of the inclusivity movement. 

The certification builds on the launch of SPAC’s new “All-Access Nights” and “Access the Arts” education programs, which offer free classes designed to promote a greater sense of belonging in arts programming for individuals with developmental, intellectual, and physical disabilities.

One of the only certified locations in New York State, SPAC School of the Arts opened in 2021 and is a multi-disciplinary school that provides music, theatre, and dance programming for children and adults.

“SPAC has always been dedicated to increasing access to arts education and the live performance experience,” said SPAC Chief Executive Officer Elizabeth Sobol in a statement. “But over the past few years, we have expanded from solely presenting music and dance classes to incubating new educational programming that prioritizes barrier-free arts access. Becoming one of the only Sensory Inclusive Certified locations in New York State is an incredible achievement for our SPAC School of the Arts and we are proud to continue this important work serving our community.”

KultureCity’s Sensory Inclusive Certification has been widely embraced by venues, stadiums, and cultural institutions across the globe. The program provides training and resources, enabling teachers and staff to better accommodate individuals with sensory sensitivities. As a result, families and individuals can enjoy arts classes, live events, and public spaces with greater comfort and ease.

Sensory sensitivities or challenges with sensory regulation are often experienced by individuals with autism, dementia, PTSD, and other similar conditions, regardless of age. Individuals might become overwhelmed by crowds, lights, sounds, smells, or other external stimuli. As part of the certification process, SPAC School of the Arts staff were trained by leading medical and neurodivergent professionals on how to recognize guests with sensory needs and how to handle a sensory overload situation. Sensory bags (equipped with noise canceling headphones), fidget tools, verbal cue cards, and weighted lap pads are also now available to all guests at SPAC School of the Arts.

SPAC also recently announced that it has launched a new “All-Access Nights” program at its SPAC School of the Arts, developed as a response to the need for inclusive spaces for school-age students, their families, and caregivers. The program launched with a pilot session in the fall with free music, theatre, and dance classes. The spring session runs every Wednesday through May 7, with the next session planned for Wednesdays in June.

“All-Access Nights” follows the creation of “Access the Arts,” a program for adults which began in 2023 and has since expanded its reach, working with six organizations including AIM Services and Saratoga Bridges across Warren, Washington, Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, and Montgomery counties. The program takes place three days a week at SPAC School of the Arts with free music, improv theatre, and dance classes for adults in day habilitation programs. “Access the Arts” culminated in a final celebratory “share” with all students, staff, caregivers, and community members on April 30 at the Spa Little Theater.

Breaking Ground & Pedaling Forward: New Bike Park Coming to Saratoga Springs  

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Featured, News.


Bike park depicting all three phases of development. Photo: Saratoga Springs DPW.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — A new bike park is coming to Saratoga Springs this summer. 

A ceremonial groundbreaking ceremony was held April 28 behind the Weibel Avenue ice rinks where an asphalt pump track will be constructed during the next several weeks.

The new construction represents phase one of a potential three-phase bike park that will provide a recreational space for bicyclists in the city.  

“You don’t need a fancy bike, you don’t need a specific sort of bike. You will be able to enjoy the bike park on whatever equipment that you have,” said Anna Laloë, executive director of the local youth cycling organization Saratoga Shredders. 

The group, which also goes by Shredders MTB, first proposed the pump track and bike park concept to the Saratoga Springs City Council in 2022. “Shredders is all about breaking down as many barriers as possible to get more kids on bikes,” Laloë said.      

The city of Saratoga Springs committed $400,000 toward construction of the park with Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner securing additional funding, said city Public Works Commissioner Chuck Marshall. 


Groundbreaking ceremony at Saratoga Springs bike park on April 28, 2025.  Photo by Thomas Dimopoulos. 

“This park is many years in the making and I’m proud we can bring this new recreation amenity to Saratoga Springs,” said Commissioner Marshall. “Many people worked tirelessly to see this through including Anna Laloë from Saratoga Shredders, support from Assemblywoman Carrier Woerner, multiple City Council members including former DPW Commissioner Jason Golub, and the Recreation Commission, along with DPW and Rec Department staff.”

Phase 1 calls for the construction of a Velosolutions asphalt pump track. American Ramp Company will build the park. The anticipated completion of the first phase is this June. 

The park will be free, open to the public and ride-at-your-own-risk, Laloë said. 

“The second and third phases – one is what we call a bike playground, a smaller version of this asphalt track, but it’s for our younger riders, our beginning riders and it’s also accessible for adaptive equipment,” Laloë said. “The third phase will be a jump progression line. That will be for our more advanced riders that like to send it a little more.”  

The idea is for people to bring their own bikes initially. The expectation is that a set of borrowed bikes will be available after the completion of all three phases. No anticipated timeline was discussed this week regarding future phases. Those remaining phases will cost approximately $650,000 with $400,000 previously pledged funding from Assemblywoman Woerner to support the construction of the bike park.

Commissioner Marshall was joined by Mayor John Safford, Recreation Commission Vice Chair Michelle Merola, city staff, and representatives of Saratoga Shredders during this week’s official groundbreaking.