Cohoes board proposes $54.9 million budget, $2 million capital-reserve proposition; no program cuts planned

Cohoes City School District officials presented a proposed $54.9 million budget on May 7 that would increase spending by $1.4 million (2.67%) and includes a $2 million capital-reserve proposition on the May 20 ballot.

"The proposed budget is $54,900,000," said Stacy Mackie, the district budget presenter. She told the Board of Education the district is using conservative estimates because the state budget had not yet been finalized and the district is heavily dependent on state aid.

The budget matters locally because state, building and federal aid supply more than 60% of the district's revenue, Mackie said; property-tax increases in the budget would generate $362,000 in new revenue. Using the district's example, a homeowner with a $150,000 assessed value would see about $5 more per month (about $60 per year) before accounting for changes to the STAR exemption. Mackie said a roughly $20 reduction in STAR would increase the net monthly effect to about $7.

District leaders said the budget preserves current instructional programs and staff. Instruction and employee benefits together account for roughly 80% of the proposed spending; operations (facilities, utilities, insurance) are about 11% and transportation about 5%.

New or expanded items in the proposed budget include a 0.5 full‑time‑equivalent campus safety monitor at the middle school, a stipend for a district lead for school-safety coordination, and a full‑time computer/IT technician to support Chromebooks and classroom displays. The district also budgeted for an HVAC audit to assess current systems and prioritize work ahead of new maximum temperature requirements set to take effect in September, and for planning an alternative program for grades 8–10 with a potential off‑site partner.

Officials said transportation costs have risen because of driver shortages and higher fuel costs; the district is preparing a transportation bid that it hopes will lower costs but said savings are not guaranteed. The district also plans to present a transportation assessment to CDTA (the Capital District Transportation Authority) and is working to schedule a meeting with CDTA.

The capital-reserve proposition represents the final phase of a previously voter-approved $5 million reserve. The district summarized planned projects to be funded by the reserve and by a separate $20 million capital project (of which the district would borrow $18 million and use $2 million from the reserve). District-listed health-and-safety and infrastructure items include exterior campus lighting, auditorium lighting replacement, a storage shed for athletic equipment, enhancements to the high‑school cafeteria courtyard, and walk‑in coolers at Avon, Lansing and the middle school.

Mackie warned the board about contingency‑budget rules if voters reject the spending plan. "If the budget is defeated, basically anything warm and fuzzy and fun will not be allowed in a contingency budget," she said, explaining that a contingency budget would freeze the tax levy at the current year level and restrict spending to items required by law.

The district will hold its annual budget vote and the vote on the capital-reserve proposition on Tuesday, May 20, with polls open noon to 9 p.m. Voting sites are each elementary school: Abraham Lansing, Harmony Hill and Ben Smith schools. The ballot will also include three board seats; the district announced candidates Sarah Burwell, Susan Kezi Paradis, Mary Anne Jendran, and Mikhail Dorsey for three three‑year seats.

At the May 7 meeting the board approved the consent agenda items (6a–j and 7b–f) and voted separately to appoint a list of substitute teachers and tutors, effective May 8, 2025. That substitute‑appointment motion passed with one abstention (Missus Snyder) and one member excused (Mister Jackson). The board then entered executive session at 6:27 p.m. to discuss a student matter and did not expect to return to public session.

The district said it has moved positions funded by federal American Rescue Plan funds into the operating budget where possible, and that it is not proposing reductions to those programs in 2025‑26. Board members and the superintendent said staff had spent months preparing the draft and thanked staff for their work.

The district encouraged residents to review the detailed budget documents and attend or vote on May 20; if voters reject the budget, the district said many nonstatutory programs and activities could be cut under contingency rules.