SCHENECTADY — When residents head to the polls to cast their votes on the Schenectady Central School District’s proposed $265 million 2023-2024 school budget on May 16, they will encounter a ballot that includes a proposed $300 million capital project and a pair of referendums on proposed district property acquisitions.
During the school board’s Wednesday night meeting at Mont Pleasant Middle School, the council authorized a pair of propositions that, if approved by taxpayers, would see the district purchase the former OrthoNY building at 530 Liberty St. for $2.9 million for use as a Family and Community Engagement Center and buy Keane Elementary School from St. Luke’s Roman Catholic Church for $2 million.
With the district requesting that taxpayers approve approximately $570 million in total spending during the May 16 balloting, feedback from district residents has been minimal during the public comment portion of the school board’s meetings this spring.
“I think if there was major opposition we would have heard it,” Schenectady Superintendent Anibal Soler Jr. said following Wednesday’s meeting. “So sometimes no comment is, ‘Hey, continue the course.’ So that’s kind of how I’m treating it. My hope is that it gets supported and people come out. My biggest thing is that I want people to participate and engage in the process. Typically we don’t get a lot of numbers for our board elections or budget vote process, but they’ve been consistently in favor of the work that we’ve been doing. I think if it was something that people were concerned about, that we would have heard a loud enough noise given the items that we’re asking for.”
The proposed $300 million capital project would see the district conduct major renovations on nine district buildings, with construction work beginning this year and lasting until 2030.
The proposal includes $126 million in infrastructure upgrades to the high school, $60 million in districtwide renovations and $25 million in upgrades each for Central Park Middle School and the Steinmetz Campus.
The capital project requires a supermajority vote of 60% for passage, while the budget and referendums on the ballot require simple majority votes to pass.
“I think those who have looked into it have been pretty clear that they understand it and that they get it,” Soler said. “Obviously there’s a concern that, ‘Is it too many items to be voting on?’ You have the five propositions, plus they have to choose board members. Our hope is that the community is consistent with their pattern and continues to support the budget.”
Schenectady taxpayers approved the $239 million 2022-2023 spending plan by a 1,164 to 326 margin last May.
During a public budget hearing during the Wednesday meeting, District Chief Financial Officer Terrence Gillooley noted that the budget, the capital project and the purchase of Keane Elementary and the property at 530 Liberty St. do not include any tax increase for residents.
Gillooley said that with the passage of the state budget, the district will receive more state aid than projected.
“With the recent passing of the budget, the final state aid runs came out and we’re going to get an additional $2 million in revenue next year,” he said.
Soler said the district will place the $2 million into its building reserves for use in the following school year.
The May 16 ballot will also include a referendum to add a student rep to the school board, with a high school student providing a pupil’s perspective in a non-voting role on the board.
“The board has always been pushing me to make sure we do more with student voices and student representation,” Soler said following Wednesday’s meeting. “It was kind of the impetus for me creating the Superintendent’s Student Leadership Advisory Council. They (the board) also asked me to go a step further and look into what it would take to add a student board rep. The community has to vote on it because it would be a change of governance.”
The ballot will also include three Board of Education races, with four candidates running for three seats. Challengers Amanda Sponable-Pantalone and Anne Kennedy will compete with incumbent Board President Bernice Rivera and Board Member Nohelani Etienne to fill three spots, with School Board Member Princella Learry declining to run for re-election.
Polls will be open from noon to 9:00 p.m. on May 16 at eight district schools.
Contact Ted Remsnyder at tremsnyder@dailygazette.net. Follow him on Twitter at @TedRemsnyder.