Ballston Spa proposes 2.9% FY2025–26 budget increase as special education, transportation and insurance drive costs

Ballston Spa Central School District held a public budget hearing May 7 to present its proposed fiscal year 2025–26 spending plan, which district finance staff said would increase 2.9% from the current year and be funded largely by property taxes, state aid and an increased use of fund balance.

Brian Sirianni, the district’s finance presenter, told the Board of Education and members of the public that the total budget is “a 2.9% increase right at what inflation is running now,” and he walked the board through the major cost centers and revenue assumptions behind that figure.

The nut graf: The proposal aims to maintain programming while covering higher costs for special education placements, transportation and employee medical insurance. District officials said state aid and pilot payments are not keeping pace with the proposed increase, which pushes more of the gap onto property taxpayers and designated fund balance.

Instructional spending is listed as the largest operating area; Sirianni said instruction is up 2.2% overall and that special education costs are rising faster, noting a 5.7% increase “because of our increasing population of special education students and the expenses that we’re experiencing.” He described staffing and placement shortages both in-district and among regional providers as a key pressure point.

Transportation spending is projected to rise 8.6%. Sirianni warned of local market shortages and said the district is “having very big difficulty in finding a mechanic” and is soon short two mechanics, a shortage he linked to higher contracted transportation costs. Contracted out-of-district transportation, including runs for special education students and students experiencing homelessness under McKinney‑Vento, shows a large increase; Sirianni identified a $175,000 rise tied to that contracted transportation.

On employee costs, the district’s “undistributed” category — which includes benefits and debt service — is up 3.4%. Medical insurance is the largest single dollar increase: Sirianni reported it is rising by about $1,100,000, a 6.2% increase, and that increase represents roughly 85% of the benefits net rise. He said the district participates in a consortium of school districts to manage insurance costs and that results this year point to a more balanced outcome for the consortium overall.

Revenues: The presentation showed property taxes and state aid supplying the bulk of the district’s revenue. Sirianni said taxes represent about 56% of revenue and state aid about 36%. He reported a roughly 20% decline in pilot payments tied to GlobalFoundries — a drop he quantified at about $740,000 — and said the district is using a larger amount of fund balance (the board-designated savings) in the revenue plan.

Sirianni discussed state aid assumptions: the district is using a 2% Foundation Aid increase as its planning figure, the same percentage the state signaled in prior communications. He also explained the district’s tax base growth factor, which the district estimates at 2.4% next year, and presented town‑level estimated tax-rate effects. Using the district’s tentative assessment rolls, he said Milton’s effective rate could decline by roughly 7 cents per $1,000 of assessed value, Malta’s effective rate is showing a projected decline of about 4.3%, and the Town of Ballston’s effective rate may decline by about 20 cents per $1,000; Sirianni cautioned these are estimates tied to each town’s assessed‑value changes and that individual taxpayers’ changes will depend on their home assessments.

Voter propositions: The presentation listed voter propositions that will appear alongside the budget vote. One proposition would authorize $1.3 million to purchase seven conventional diesel buses and a repair vehicle. A separate proposition would authorize one electric bus at $273,000; the district noted grant funding and a capital‑outlay allocation would pay for the EV charger(s) at the bus garage if awarded.

What’s next: The district will mail the budget flyer to households and hold town presentations; the annual budget vote and Board of Education election is scheduled for May 20. Sirianni said the full proposed budget document and presentation are available on the district website.

Ending: The hearing concluded with an opportunity for questions from board members; no public comments were offered during the budget hearing portion of the meeting.