Voters reject $56.1M school building

By KENNETH C. CROWE II, timesunion.com Staff writer
First published in print: Friday, December 12, 2008

BALLSTON SPA — Voters in the Ballston Spa Central School District defeated by a nearly 2—1 margin Thursday a $56.1 million plan to expand the middle school.

The proposition went down 1,644—843, district officials said.

Students in grades six, seven and eight attend classes in the former high school, which was built in the 1950s for 800 students. More than 1,050 use the building now.

"The building is still overcrowded with kids,'' said Stuart Williams, a district spokesman.

The Board of Education will consider what steps should next be taken to deal with the facilities needed at the middle school.

Before the vote, Superintendent Joseph Dragone said the school board went ahead with the proposal despite difficult economic times because the state would cover 79 percent of the cost and taxpayers will pay 21 percent. If the project was approved, the owner of a home valued at $221,000 would see a $120 increase in taxes per year, starting in 2012 until the 15-year bond is paid off.

The campaign to win support from taxpayers for the project also marked the first time the board has turned to a public relations firm for help. In its strategic planned adopted this year, the board voted to spend up to $12,000 on public relations services to help communicate with the public. The board chose Allegory Studios of Saratoga Springs, which works with the board's architect, CSArch Architecture of Albany.

It was Allegory that helped develop the board's slogan, "Build for Tomorrow. Our students, their future."