Menands residents will go to the polls on Tuesday, May 20, to vote on a proposed $12.9 million budget for the 2025-2026 school year.
In addition to the annual budget, voters will consider two separate propositions: a $6.67 million Capital Project and the transfer of the village library property to the Library Board of Trustees.
The proposed budget represents a $521,553—4.19%—increase in spending. The increase is offset by anticipated revenue from property taxes, state aid, interest earnings, tuition from non-resident students and the district’s fund balance.
The budget includes a tax levy increase of 4.14%, which remains within the state’s allowable tax cap. As such, the proposal requires a simple majority, 50% plus one vote, for approval.
Superintendent Jennifer Cannavo said the proposal reflects the district’s continued commitment to academic excellence and fiscal responsibility. It maintains all current programming and allows for enhancement in key areas, including health and safety measures, support for a wide range of extracurricular activities across many grade levels and transition of the PreK program to district control..
Capital Project
Village residents will consider a $6.67 million Capital Project that will provide additional classrooms to address fluctuations in student enrollment and educational mandates.
Cannavo said the project would have a minimal impact on taxpayers, with a yearly tax increase forecast of $16 for seniors with a STAR tax exemption; $21 for all property owners with a STAR exemption; and $24 for those without the exemption. The estimate is based on a $250,000 assessed property value.
The project would address a critical need for 3,585 square feet of new space while expanding educational opportunities for students, Cannavo said.
“Over the last few years, we have had to move fifth grade into the Middle School to accommodate larger class sizes and the addition of the PreK program. At the same time, we have increasing special education demands and an overall shortage of space,” she said.
For example, the guidance office meeting space and the district’s food pantry is now situated in what used to be an entranceway and lobby to the district offices.
Addressing community questions regarding the impact of the Riverside Special Education Collaborative on the project, Cannavo stressed that there is no correlation between students being sent to Menands by other districts who pay tuition and the need for additional space.
The superintendent stressed that the additional classrooms are needed for Menands students and that the approximately 12 students from outside of Menands that attend the school have zero impact on the spacing needs.
“The bottom line is that we need the classrooms regardless and only open up to other districts the seats we cannot fill with our own students,” Cannavo said. “By doing so, we are able to offset the costs of the staff and faculty that we need to have to serve our students.”
“We are seeing increases in kids with exceptional needs and we have a responsibility to educate our kids in the least restrictive environment,” she said. “The fact is that we are the least restrictive environment.”
Menands Coordinator of Pupil Personnel Services Audrey Koslowski said the district would be liable for between $1- and $2-million-a-year in tuition costs to educate its students in out-of-district placements if it were not for the creation of self-contained classrooms.
The project would also address long-term issues within the school, including aging infrastructure.
Library transfer
Also on the ballot is the proposed transfer of ownership of the Menands Public Library to the library Board of Trustees.
Under an agreement reached this year, the library Board of Trustees will pay $1 and assume ownership of the building, giving the directors more autonomy in making improvements and updates without the regulatory hurdles associated with being owned by a school district.
Cannavo said the transfer is essentially a paperwork deal, as there will be no impact onthe public’s use of the library, and the Board of Trustees and the Menands
School will continue to have a working relationship.
“The library has maintained the property and managed daily operations independently for years. Transferring ownership will give the library board a greater ability to improve the structure without first seeking state regulatory approval, which is a requirement of any projects that involve school district buildings,” Cannavo said.
The district has owned the library since 1982 after acquiring it from St. Joan of Arc for $1.
Other Items on the ballot
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Two candidates for two vacancies on the Board of Education—one for a term of four years commencing on July 1 and a second for the remaining balance of an unexpired term that expires on June 30, 2026.
The highest vote recipient will receive the four-year term, while the other candidate will fill the unexpired term.
The candidates are Jason Hoffman, an eight-year Menands resident with two children in the school district, and incumbent Patrick Semexant, who has been a Menands resident for nearly a decade and is also a parent of two Menands students. -
The Menands Public Library proposed budget of $306,423.