Voters overwhelmingly approved the City School District of Albany’s 2022-23 budget and two related propositions Tuesday, approving a comprehensive plan that continues to support academic and social-emotional programs and staffing for students more than two years into a worldwide pandemic.
Voters approved the $288.2 million budget by a 1,925-540 margin, or 78%. It is the highest approval percentage ever for a district budget vote, and the seventh time in eight years that at least 70% of voters have voted “yes.”
“We are grateful to our community for its ongoing support of our school district,” said Board of Education President Anne Savage. “Our budget for next year, in conjunction with our one-time federal COVID-19 funds, will allow us to continue to rebuild from the pandemic.”
The budget includes a 0.9% tax-levy increase, the sixth time in the last nine years that the levy increase has been less than 1%.
The budget is supported by the state’s commitment to ending inequities in Foundation Aid funding for all New York school districts, and the district also will continue to invest its separate one-time COVID-19 relief funds to provide additional supports for students.
“We are so appreciative of our community’s support, especially during these challenging times,” said Superintendent Kaweeda G. Adams. “We value the trust they have put in us once again as we look ahead to next school year and our continued commitment to providing equitable opportunities for all of our students to reach their potential.”
For more information about the 2022-23 budget, please visit our School Budget section.
Both district propositions also passed by wide margins. Proposition #2, a $10.1 million capital project that will increase energy efficiency at four schools, was approved 1,989-46, or 81%. Proposition #3, which will allow the district to purchase three small parcels to build a playground and additional outdoor recreational space at Edmund J. O’Neal School of Excellence, was approved 2,093-356, or 85%.
Board members Ellen Krejci and Tabetha Wilson also were re-elected to four years terms that will begin July 1. They ran unopposed.
