Saratoga Springs Principal Resigns after Stealing from Union

A Saratoga Springs principal has resigned after an investigation found that he stole thousands of dollars from a union he was a member of.  

Scott Singer, principal of Maple Avenue Middle School, resigned on Nov. 13 after pleading guilty to charges of petit larceny stemming from allegations that he stole $12,298.63 from the Saratoga Administrators Association (SAA). At the time of the theft, Singer served as the treasurer of the SAA. 

According to the criminal complaint, the theft was first uncovered by Johanna Friedman, an Assistant Principal at Saratoga Springs High School and the current treasurer of the SAA. In a deposition supporting the complaint, Friedman said her suspicions began when Singer closed an account run by the SAA — despite her requests not to — and subsequently deposited a check for $3600 into the account. 

These suspicions led Freidman and Kevin Wolpert, the SAA co-president and Saratoga Springs High School Assistant Principal to begin investigating Singer’s actions as the union’s treasurer dating back to the start of his term in 2019. It was during this investigation that they found multiple cash withdrawals and checks made out to Singer which he signed for himself.

“Scott made unauthorized cash withdrawals and checks to himself from our association’s account,” Wolpert said in his deposition. “The potential number of misappropriations and unauthorized withdrawals amounts to $12,298.63. Scott appears to have attempted repayment but owes the association up to $4,682.03.”

Singer’s resignation was accepted by the Saratoga Springs City School District Board of Education on Nov. 13. In an email to parents, Superintendent Dr. Micheal Patton announced the resignation and asserted that the allegations were not related to his work at the school. 

“In October, the district became aware of concerns regarding Mr. Singer’s conduct in his role as an elected official of the Saratoga Springs Administrators Association,” Dr. Patton said in the email.  “These concerns were unrelated to his responsibilities as a building principal, his interactions with students, staff, or any misuse of district or taxpayer funds.” 

Singer first joined the Saratoga Springs School District in 2002 as a special education teacher and served as a social studies teacher and assistant principal for both the middle and high school. He’s also served as the Treasurer of the New York State Middle School Association since 2019. 

As for Maple Avenue Middle School, on Nov. 19, the Saratoga Springs City School District announced that Mark Fish will take over as the interim principal from Dec. 1 to April 2, 2026. 

Fish previously served as the Superintendent of Greenwich Central School District and most recently served as Interim Superintendent of Galway Central School District from January- July 2025. Fish is also listed as the historian for the New York State Middle School Association.

“We are very confident that Mr. Fish’s extensive middle school leadership experience will provide strong support for our students, staff, and school community during this time of transition,” The announcement said.