On Tuesday, May 15, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake school district voters will go to the polls to decide on a $50.2 million budget for the 2007-08 school year. The proposed budget is up 6.9 percent from the current year and will result in an average tax increase of 5.3 percent across the district’s four towns. For the homeowner with a median value home currently assessed at $171,100, the proposed budget calls for a tax increase of $162.
Most of the increase in this year’s budget comes from higher costs for staff, health insurance, utilities, BOCES services and debt service. In addition to the budget, voters will consider a proposition to purchase four school buses and will elect four members to the board of education.
In addition, four of the seven seats on the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake board of education will be up for election. The incumbents running uncontested are:
Robert Speck of Wendy Lane, Burnt Hills, seeking his 12th term on the board. A former Stevens PTA president, BH-BL PTA Founder’s Day Award winner, and National PTA award winner, he is a retired GE engineer and manager and is currently the board’s liaison with the high school PTSA and board development chairperson.
Timothy Kelliher has served on the school board for nine years and is seeking his fourth term of office. This year, Kelliher is chairing the school board’s long-range planning efforts and serving as liaison with the Stevens Elementary PTA and the BH-BL Education Foundation.
Joe Pericone of St. Stephens Lane, Glenville, was appointed to the school board in October 2006. Pericone is currently leading the board’s policy review efforts and serving as liaison with the Pashley Elementary PTA.
John Blowers was appointed to the school board in November 2006. Blowers is the school board’s liaison with the O’Rourke Middle School PTA, and is also proud to be a member of the BH-BL class of 1983.
If the proposed budget is defeated at the polls, the board of education would have three legal options. They could decide to put the same budget before the voters a second time, put a revised budget before the voters, or go directly to a contingency budget. New contingency budget rules mean that the BH-BL board of education would have to cut $297,955 from the proposed budget. In this case, taxes on a median value home (assessed at $171,100) would increase by 4.9 percent or $150.
Voting will take place at the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School Tuesday, May 15, from 7a.m. to 9 p.m.`