Ballston Spa Central School District voters will have five propositions to decide on when they go to the polls Tuesday, May 20, including the $70,162,308 budget, adopted by the Board of Education Wednesday, April 23, following an hourlong tenure recognition ceremony, which was held immediately after the public comment portion of the meeting.
Budget discussions didn’t begin Wednesday until 9:30 p.m., when the board called the meeting back to order after honoring 41 teachers and assistants for three or more years of service to the district. By the time budget talks resumed, most members of the public had left.
The adopted budget holds a 1.5 percent average tax increase, which board Vice President Keith Stewart said is a good place to be.
It’s not acceptable to stay flat just to stay flat, he said of the tax rate.
The board decided to add an additional $300,000 to the adopted budget to support the rising cost of fuel.
`I think a lot of our constituents have to retrench,` said board member Jeanne Obermayer, regarding the difficult economy. `And I think we have to be considerate of the fact that not everyone has the money to put into extra programs.`
Stewart said that although the residents of the district are faced with a struggling economy, many people moved to the district because of its continued growth and success.
`There are a number of people who have stayed in Ballston Spa because they think it’s good and it’s going to get better,` he said.
Stewart said several people want to improve their children’s educations, and they will want new programs and services for students.
Included in the $300,000 is a stipend for a school-level Web master and transportation for middle-school bowling classes.
Several board members discussed ways to work around hiring a Web master to maintain the district’s Web pages, which are updated by different volunteer staff members from each of the schools.
The board said they would like to standardize the format of the Web pages across the district.
Obermayer said the district could retool staff responsibilities to include maintenance of the district’s Web site so the board would not have to hire an outside individual to update the pages.
The budget is up 6.3 percent from last year’s voter-approved budget, and includes the one-time cost of implementing a full-day kindergarten program.
The Board of Education adopted a full-day kindergarten program in January after they received notice of grant funding from the state for implementation.
Full-day kindergarten implementation did not affect the adopted budget according to Williams.
Another proposition on the ballot is for the purchase of several school buses and vehicles at a cost not to exceed $896,000.
Voters will also be asked to approve renovations to district buildings at a $503,000 price tag.
Other propositions are the district’s contributions to the Ballston Spa Public Library and the Ballston Spa Area Recreation Commission.
The district has had a relatively low voter turnout over the last several years according to district spokesman Stuart Williams.
He said 2,452 residents voted during the school board elections last year.
A subcommittee designed to encourage residents to vote will be holding presentations at different locations outside the school and at parent-teacher association meetings.
Williams also said the school has created handouts to distribute through the four towns, so the information is readily available.
An official, state-mandated, budget hearing will be held Wednesday, May 7, at 7 p.m. at the district office.
In response to community concern over the closing of Malta Avenue Intermediate School, the school board summoned a task force to evaluate the closure of Malta Avenue and make recommendations to the board.
Board Member Frank Townley said he voted with the board to close the school because the building is not functional for instructional use.
Residents spoke out against the closure saying Malta Avenue was historic and in walking distance to the village.
While Board Member Patrick Leanza said these were valid concerns, he is focused on the building’s ability to provide an adequate education.
`None of the things are going to deliver an appropriate education,` said Leanza.
Board President Kathy Jarvis said the details of the task force would be forthcoming, but that people are encouraged to apply for a position on the task force.
According to Williams, the task force will consist of about 15 representatives. He said it would likely include two representatives from each school as well as two residents from the district.“