SLCSD Is Asking Residents for $25.7 Million. Here is Where Every Dollar Goes.

On May 19, Saranac Lake Central School District voters will decide whether to approve a budget of approximately $39.8 million for the 2026-27 school year — an increase of about 4.28% over the current year.

The part that affects your tax bill directly is the levy: $25,766,961. And here is the number that matters most — the levy increase is only 0.74%, just under the state-imposed cap of 0.75%, one of the tightest caps Superintendent Diane Fox said she has ever seen in her 13 years leading the district.

The Enrollment Crisis Behind the Numbers

In 1995, SLCSD had 1,910 students. Today it has around 1,037 — a drop of nearly 900 students over three decades. The district is closing Bloomingdale Elementary and restructuring its buildings. The budget cuts around five teaching positions and two staff positions through attrition.

Fox is retiring this summer after 13 years as superintendent. She called this a transitional budget, designed to leave her successor a workable foundation. The board is currently selecting that successor.

Is This Above or Below the State Cap

Below — just barely. The 0.74% levy increase stays under the 0.75% cap, requiring only a simple majority to pass on May 19. The board approved it unanimously.

What Happens If It Fails

The board would need to revise the budget or adopt a contingency budget, eliminating most non-instructional programs. Given how tight this budget already is, a failed vote would mean significant cuts.

Public Hearing: May 6 at 5pm in the HS Auditorium. Vote: May 19, 8am to 8pm, HS Door 5. Questions: Nikki Sears at searsnik@slcs.org or (518) 897-1624. If you attend the May 6 hearing and hear something your neighbors should know, file a report at trilakestownsquare.com.