Ballston Spa Board adopts 2025-26 budget; officials say no layoffs expected after retirement incentive

The Ballston Spa Central School District Board of Education on Wednesday approved the district's 2025-26 budget after a final presentation from district leaders that combined a modest tax levy increase, $250,000 in planned fund-balance use and staffing adjustments created by retirement incentives.

Superintendent Doctor Dugan opened the budget presentation and said the plan balances three elements'staffing reductions handled through retirements, increased use of savings and a slightly higher-than-normal tax levy. "I can tell you this year we are not looking at any layoffs," Dugan said, noting that most staffing changes will be accomplished by absorbing retirements and not by terminating employees.

The board heard from Brian, a district business-office presenter, who described the district's revenue picture, noting state aid remains uncertain because New York State had not finalized its budget. The presentation used the governor's proposed 2% foundation-aid increase as the working assumption. Brian said property taxes will remain the largest revenue source (about 56%) and that the typical homeowner's tax change is estimated at roughly 2.1% under the proposed levy assumptions.

The presentation also highlighted a multi-year pressure point: a declining PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) from GlobalFoundries that has reduced local revenue and will continue to affect the district until the schedule levels out later in the decade. To help close the current budget gap, the district plans to use $250,000 of fund balance as a one-time measure.

District leaders described how a negotiated retirement incentive with the teachers' association helped avoid layoffs this year. Dugan and Brian detailed positions reduced through attrition and retirements: one administrative position, three teaching assistants, five high-school classroom teachers, two middle-school classroom teachers and one elementary librarian. The district said it will replace several positions: one teaching assistant, three high-school classroom teachers, one elementary classroom teacher and one elementary school counselor; final hires were to be posted after the state aid number was clearer.

Program changes also figure in the budget. The district will run a trimmed-down K'5 summer program (with expected K— class ratios growing from about 5:1 last year to an estimated 12—15:1 this year) and will focus high-school summer offerings on credit-bearing core classes. Extended school year (ESY) services for special-education students will be delivered in-house next year, with k— at the complex, grades 4— at the middle school and grades 9—2 at the high school, the board was told.

Career and technical education (CTE) programming is maintained and expanded in places: the proposed budget funds travel for about 70 students to attend BOCES CTE programs, while roughly 180 students participate in in-district CTE courses (construction, carpentry, HVAC, plumbing, culinary, cosmetology, welding and heavy machinery among them). The district also plans to begin adding direct consultant teacher (DCT) services at Malta over a phased period to expand K— DCT programming without requiring students to leave their home school.

The budget maintains funding for two school resource officers and continued investment in facilities and cybersecurity, the presentation said. Brian pointed the board to historical revenue charts showing the district's reliance on property taxes and a long-term decline in some categorical aid tied to enrollment.

Dugan and the business office reminded the public that the district must act on a local budget timeline even while the state budget remains unsettled; if additional state aid were later provided, the board said it would return to the board to consider whether to restore staff, reduce the levy or lower the use of fund balance.

The board set a public budget hearing for Wednesday, May 7 at 6:15 p.m., with the regular board meeting to follow, and a districtwide budget vote scheduled for May 20, the superintendent said.

Why it matters: The package approved Wednesday balances program continuity'including special-education services, CTE and summer learning'against limited local resources and state funding uncertainty. The board highlighted that the retirement incentive avoided layoffs but created longer-term decisions about which positions to refill and how to maintain classroom and support services.

For now, the budget takes effect with the board's approval; officials said future changes would depend on the final state aid numbers and any alterations to the GlobalFoundries PILOT schedule.