SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs City School District held their first Board of Education meeting following winter recess on March 8.
With the mask mandate no longer a cause for concern, several district members used the public comment to period to bring up other questions regarding FOIL requests for school curriculum and the resolution to support educators against “uncivil” discourse that was discussed at the Feb. 15 meeting.
FOIL Requests
Before the meeting concluded, the Board did address the high number of FOIL (Freedom of Information Law) requests for school curriculum that the district has received. Superintendent Dr. Michael Patton said that work is already underway streamlining the requested information for online availability. Every year the high school publishes a course guide and teachers post their syllabus, so the most efficient way for parents to get this information is to connect with their student’s teacher(s) directly.
The community also expressed concern that they were being charged for FOIL requests. At the advice of a school attorney the district decided it was best to split the cost with the person filling the request due the time-consuming nature of the work and not just the resources (paper, etc.). A list of pricing information is made available upon initial interest in filling a FOIL request with the district.
Section II Girls
Ice Hockey
Athletic Director Nick McPartland approached the BOE to announce that the SSCSD Athletics Department is working on a 1-year merger with other Section II for the first Girls Ice Hockey program for grades 9-12, following a successful Girls Varsity Golf program that has had its numbers double in just over a year.
Conversation began in the fall of 2019, but were tabled due to COVID, and were revisited this winter. The plan is to get the program off the ground for the next school year. There are nine other schools in the merger including: Queensbury, South Glens Falls, Hudson Falls, Bolton, Lake George, Warrensburg, and Corinth. At least 14 girls have expressed interest in the program across these schools with a majority in Queensbury in South Glens Falls and two in Saratoga Springs.
There are 20 school-affiliated Girls Ice Hockey programs across the state, but none are local. Traveling for games and practices poses a small concern to parents, although with South Glens Falls in the merger the team would have free access to the Glens Falls Fire Road Ice Rink.
A resolution will be proposed to the Board at the next meeting, as they will only be asking the district for an initial investment of $6,000 in the 2022-23 budget.
Health & Safety
Following the mask mandate being lifted, the schools at every level have had a smooth transition into optional masking. Last week, only 12 cases were reported between students and staff.
School Budget
The budget gap for the 2022-23 school year is down to $141,000. The next budget workshop is March 15, where they will work on the main goal of closing that gap and making a prioritized list to present at BOE meetings within the next month. After April 1 the district will learn if they will be receiving any additional money from the state and then adopting the budget after that before the May 17 vote.
