CLIFTON PARK -- The Shenendehowa school board adopted a $146.1 million budget Tuesday night that would raise property taxes an estimated 3.69 percent, the smallest increase in recent years.
Additional spending includes a second year of high school alternative education serving more students, the start of a Math-Science-Technology Academy and increased nursing and athletic-training services.
If the spending plan is approved by voters, the tax bill for an average Clifton Park homeowner, with a house assessed at $143,919, would rise about $145 to $4,061, according to district projections.
The impact in the other towns served by the district would vary. In Halfmoon, the average tax bill could rise an estimated $141, in Malta $91, in Waterford $84, in Ballston $126 and in Stillwater $69, according to the district.
The budget, as adopted Tuesday, uses $2.65 million in reserves.
Superintendent L. Oliver Robinson cautioned against the temptation to spend more of the district's reserve money in order to reduce the estimated tax increase.
Using reserves lessens the district's ability to absorb unexpected costs later on, Robinson said, adding that "a good year could translate into multiple bad years."
Several board members said they were mindful of how the budget will be received in the community, especially when rising fuel prices and volatile credit markets are putting pressure on household budgets. "We all feel it in everything we do," Vice President Janet Grey said. "We put gas in our tank, we go to the store. Everybody is whispering recession."
The spending plan will go before voters on May 20.
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