To the Editor:

As we approach the end of the 2020-2021 school year, I would like to recognize and thank our teachers, staff, parents, community members, and administrators for their tremendous commitment to our students’ ongoing educational needs and the considerable needs brought on by the global pandemic.  

I look ahead with sincere gratitude and renewed spirit as we plan for the 2021-22 school year. 

The district is determined to provide a safe return to in-person learning next year, and meeting the needs of students remains our top priority.  The 2021-22 proposed budget balances a safe return to in-person learning while also maintaining academic and extracurricular opportunities.  

This year, funding prioritized district-wide goals that address our students’ social and emotional mental health and strove to create a positive culture in our schools and community by hiring an additional school psychologist and a district-wide administrator for diversity, equity, and inclusion.  

These priorities are critical this year due to the prolonged stress and disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

If approved by the voters, the proposed $104,979,570 budget for the 2021-2022 school year carries a 1.28-percent increase to the tax levy, equal to the district’s tax cap for this year.  

In addition to the budget, a proposition will appear on the ballot to replace aging school buses and maintenance vehicles. However, approximately 50 percent of the bus purchase would be returned to the district in future state aid, reducing the cost to local taxpayers. 

This year, in-person voting returns. The annual budget vote and board of education election will be on Tuesday, May 18.  Voting will occur in person from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the elementary school in the voter’s residential zone.  

I urge all eligible residents to vote; the ballot will include this upcoming school year’s budget, the bus proposition, and the election of three members to the board of education. 

Thank you to all of our community members who participated in the budget development process. I encourage all district residents to review the budget details on the district website: www.guilderlandschools.org. 

While it has been a challenging year, our community shows compassion and profound understanding for one another. The Guilderland Central School District continues to thrive. 

I wish you good spirits and the best of health. Thank you.

Seema Rivera

President

GCSD

Board of Education