Dear Schuylerville families,

When the COVID-19 virus brought its first wave of school closures back in mid-March, it was difficult for any of us to imagine where we would be one month later. Now, five weeks later, the uncertainty of what lies ahead still exists, especially as it pertains to education.

Cancellation of activities and events

Last evening, during its regular monthly meeting, the Board of Education, in conjunction with district administrators, made the difficult decision to cancel all school-sponsored activities and events for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year, with the exception of graduation. This cancellation will include the junior prom scheduled for Saturday, May 16. While the governor’s executive order of ‘New York on Pause’ is through May 15, a timeline for if and when schools will be allowed to re-open is unknown at this time. In an abundance of caution, this decision is being made to keep the health and safety of our students an absolute priority. 

Graduation

It is a priority for the district to hold a graduation ceremony at some point, depending on the reopening process of New York State. Our scheduled date of Saturday, June 27 and location of the Saratoga Springs City Center remains tentative, as we continue to monitor news and guidelines from the state level.

Budget Vote and Board of Education Election

During the April 20 regular Board of Education meeting, the proposed budget for the 2020-21 school year was adopted. The $37.4 million proposed budget, increases spending by 3.4 percent over the current year’s budget and carries a proposed tax levy increase of 2.6 percent. Since the levy increase is within the district’s tax levy limit as calculated under the state’s tax levy “cap” law, the budget will require a simple majority to pass. The May 19 budget vote and Board of Education election has been postponed until at least June 1. We will continue to monitor information from the state and communicate the information as it becomes available.

Remote learning packets

Last week, bus drivers picked up a good percentage of at-home learning packets from grades K-12 that covered material through April 9. If your child’s packet has not been picked up yet, they can be dropped off to the elementary, middle and high school on Monday, April 27 or Tuesday, April 28. Bins, labeled by grade level, will be outside each building’s main entrance from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.