Niskayuna proposes $116.1 million budget with 2.29% levy increase; SRO contract and nine-bus purchase to appear on May 20 ballot

Niskayuna Central School District officials on Tuesday presented a proposed $116,100,000 budget for the 2025–26 school year, recommending a 2.29% increase in the district's tax levy and roughly $2.46 million in new program investments.

If adopted by voters on May 20, the budget would represent a 4.3% increase in overall spending compared with the current year, district presenters said during the public budget hearing.

The district said the proposed levy increase of 2.29% is below its calculated tax-cap limit of 3.58%. Using current assessment and equalization assumptions, the presenters estimated that the levy change would raise the typical annual tax bill on a $300,000 market-value home by about $110 (about $9.20 per month), but they cautioned those figures are estimates until final assessments and equalization rates are set.

District officials described how the $2.46 million in new investments (20.8 full-time-equivalent positions) would align with district priorities: expanding special-education options with two self-contained classrooms (one elementary and a sixth-grade classroom at Van Antwerp), additional special-education staff at the high school, a dedicated director of science and engineering/technology, a phased-in elementary ELA curriculum (previously approved by the board), and a Summer Learning Academy moved from grant funding to the general fund.

Officials also proposed safety and student-support investments, including: - Funding to contract with a law enforcement agency for a full-time school resource officer (SRO), planned primarily for assignment at the high school with districtwide educational and prevention duties; - A security monitor position in each elementary school to expand the district's school-safety team; and - An additional full-time counselor and an extra custodial position at Iroquois middle school to support the reconfiguration and expected enrollment changes.

The presenters said the SRO would be a contracted, sworn officer with a student-focused role emphasizing prevention, community relations and mentoring while also responding as a first responder in emergencies. The district said it is finalizing a memorandum of agreement with the Niskayuna Police Department (and similar terms could be established with another agency) and will present the job description and MOA to the board for consideration.

Other operational investments included creation of a director of professional learning/community education (budget-neutral by consolidating existing stipends and funds), expanded district communications staffing (two days of additional communications coverage), transportation technology (geo-alerts for families and tablet navigation for bus drivers), and an added grounds worker to maintain facilities and athletic spaces.

On transportation, the district said the May 20 ballot will include a bus purchase proposition to replace nine school buses under the district's replacement plan; the presenters said the district continues to pilot two electric buses acquired with grant funding and expects those units to be in service by the end of the school year. District staff described two assessments completed for electric-bus readiness: a preliminary assessment by National Grid and an ongoing, deeper engineering study (Capital Region BOCES/Wendell) that will recommend which routes and sites are best suited for electrification as the state moves toward future procurement mandates.

School leaders said the proposed budget maintains current programs while investing in areas driven by community priorities gathered through an annual ThoughtExchange community survey, including academics, safety and security, middle-school realignment, social-emotional supports, and retaining the district's regional competitiveness for staff recruitment.

Votes at a glance (motions acted on during the May 6 meeting): - Approval of minutes from the April 23, 2025 regular meeting: approved (voice; board reported "7 of us"). - Appointment of personnel to preside over the annual meeting and canvass elections: approved (voice; 7 yes). - Award of bids for the 2021 capital improvement project (Phase 2B, Van Antwerp): approved (voice; 7 yes). - Award of employee benefit/health insurance broker and consultant contract (RFP 25-007) to NFP: approved (voice; 7 yes). - Approval of a memorandum of agreement with the Niskayuna Directors Association (compensation for certain members): approved (voice; 7 yes). - Approval of the consent agenda (items A through I as listed on the agenda): approved (voice; 7 yes).

All recorded motions passed on unanimous voice votes as announced at the meeting; the transcript recorded the tally as "7 of us" for the items above but did not supply a roll-call vote list of individual member votes.

Why it matters: The budget sets the district's operating plan and local tax levy for the coming year and will be decided by voters on May 20. The proposed SRO contract and the bus purchase proposition represent significant operational choices that the board and community have flagged as priorities; the SRO would be an externally contracted sworn officer with school-based duties, while the bus vote funds fleet replacement and continued evaluation of electric-bus options.

What's next: The district scheduled polling at Niskayuna High School (band room) on Tuesday, May 20, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., and reminded voters that absentee and early mail ballots are available through the district office (contact: Cynthia). Staff said they would return to the board with final MOA language for the SRO position and will present implementation details for new positions if the budget is approved.

Provenance: topicintro block_id:t1187.62 local_start:0 local_end:800 evidence_excerpt:"Matt and I are, this will be our third budget presentation today...proposed budget for the 2526 school year for purposes of this public hearing." reason_code:topicintro; topicfinish block_id:t2254.79 local_start:0 local_end:900 evidence_excerpt:"So on the May 20 ballot, we've talked about the $116,000,000 budget. We also have a bus purchase proposition..." reason_code:topicfinish.