SARATOGA SPRINGS — On Tuesday, May 17, the annual statewide school budget vote and board elections will take place. In anticipation of that event, the Saratoga Springs School District Board of Education adopted the district budget during its regular meeting on Tuesday, April 12, following a presentation by Assistant Superintendent for Business Timothy Hilker and Director of Budget and Program Integration Joseph Greco, Ph.D.
The proposed 2022-2023 school budget of $137,138,255 includes a spending increase of 1.87% and a tax levy of 2.9%. During the presentation, Hilker said the levy is well within the range of what increases have been.
“It’s important particularly as we continue our capital planning discussions,” Hilker said. “You can start to see the results of planning ahead for all of our capital improvements and trying to account for what the aid impacts will be on our local share, which is a major driver of our tax calculation. So, those early years of capital planning have started to yield results in terms of stability of the tax levy and increases.”
Dr. Greco reported that between an additional $29,000 in state aid and several budget reductions spread throughout the district, they were able to add back into the budget six teaching assistants under Integrated Co-Teach at Grades 2-3, a Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA) to help and support CSE, especially at the elementary level, and Girls Ice Hockey.
Dr. Greco said, “We did what we set out to do, present you with a balanced budget.”
The May 17 ballot will also include a bond proposal to replace seven 66-passenger and three 30-passenger school buses for an estimated total local share of $640,118, which is $128,024 per year for five years. The district replaces about 10% of the fleet every year as the buses have a life of about 10 years.
Also on the ballot will be a bond proposal for the purchase of two heavy-duty front loaders with buckets for snow removal. According to the board presentation, the estimated savings over the 25-year useful life of owning the machines compared to leasing is about $669,500.
Details of the budget presentation are available on the district website. Between April 22 and May 3, the board will be sending a budget newsletter and other handouts with more information. The board will hold a public hearing about the school budget on Tuesday, May 10.
The Board of Education, in partnership with the League of Women Voters, will hold the Saratoga Springs Candidate Forum on May 4, 2022, at 7 p.m. in the high school’s Robert S. Meade Teaching Auditorium, 1 Blue Streak Blvd., Saratoga Springs, NY 12866. Please submit advance questions by May 1 to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Also briefly mentioned during the board meeting, the timeline for the superintendent’s evaluation and the board’s self-evaluation process has begun. Sometime over the next month, the board will be receiving evaluation forms.
There will be no school on Friday, May 27, which is Memorial Weekend, because the school did not use all of its weather emergency days. The state requirement of school days will still be met. The district will be announcing all date changes for the remainder of the year sometime in the following week. Additionally, the school district will be launching a newly designed website on June 1.