SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs City School District held a Board of Education meeting on Jan. 3. Much like other recent BOE meetings in districts across Saratoga County, several community members addressed the Board to discuss the mask mandate ruling and what happened in our schools on Tuesday, Jan. 25.
Community members spoke on the lack of science when it comes to masks preventing the spread of the virus, the mental health crisis among children and young adults in the nation right now, and the stress placed on students to wear a mask to protect teachers.
“Masks aren’t working, masks are making the kids miserable, masks are causing social distancing and more of a divide between kids than uniting them,” one speaker stated.
They also had suggestions for the Board going forward, such as discussing the topic of natural immunity, and bringing in other doctors with different viewpoints to debate the protocols in place. On speaker also brought up the survey on masking that the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Central School District has sent out following their most recent BOE meeting. See Saratoga TODAY’s report on that meeting here: Discussions on the Mask Mandate Continue in the BH-BL School District.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Michael Patton addressed the Board and statements during the public comment period, after they remarked that Tuesday morning’s letter was misleading and that following the advice of the NYS Education Department was in violation of the U.S. Constitution. Their ask was for more timely communication in the future.
“I apologize if that information wasn’t available until 8:30 a.m., but I needed to make sure that I had a clear understanding so I could communicate effectively to our parents, staff, and students,” said Superintendent Patton. “I would much rather be right in the information that I want to put out, than be wrong and confuse the community already on a contentious topic.”
On the other hand, speakers commended Patton for signing the “Pathway to Normalcy” letter advocating for a clear and comprehensive plan to unify school communities during the pandemic, with importance on in-person learning. See Saratoga TODAY’s report on the “Pathway to Normalcy” here: WSWHE BOCES Superintendents Advocate for “Pathway to Normalcy.”
“We will continue to advocate for our kids, to ensure in-person learning, and always keeping the best interest of our staff and students in mind,” said Superintendent Patton.
Financial Report
Also discussed at the BOE meeting were some financial figures. The District has recently earned top grades on fiscal stress monitoring report cards, and some of the following statistics are just estimates or guesses and subject to change.
The minimum proposed increase in Foundation Aid is 3%, about $880,000 more in state aid than received in the prior year. The property tax levy is still being calculated, but the statutory limit is under 3.1%, and the recommendation from the District Office is under 2.9%. The District also is taking advantage of a $3.8 million bond refunding, and their net savings as result of the refunding will be approximately $177,000 dollars. However, there will most likely be a budget gap coming up that they will have to address.
Board Resolutions
At the end of the meeting, the Board also brought up a resolution for discussion and changes at the next Board meeting (Feb. 15).
A summary of the resolution up for adoption is to acknowledge educators of the district for their hard work, condemn the behavior of uncivil and personal attacks against educators, and encourage community members to be mindful when using social media. It was questioned if this resolution was written as a direct response to Tuesday’s events, but it was explained that is not the case.
Club Abolishment
Also on the agenda was the abolishment of several Maple Avenue Clubs: Robotics Club, Performing Arts Club, RC Club, Jazz Band Club, Ukulele Club, Tri-M Music Honors Club. However, this was never discussed during the meeting.
View the agenda at saratogaschools.org, Board of Education tab (see Quick Links sidebar). Watch the full meeting here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozZ2Gl6Aui8.
