All Three Tri-Lakes School Budgets Pass. Here Are the Numbers.
Saranac Lake passed with 79%, Tupper Lake cleared its 60% supermajority, and Lake Placid passed with 81%. All three Tri-Lakes districts approved their 2026-27 budgets on Tuesday.
All three Tri-Lakes school districts put their 2026-27 budgets to voters Tuesday. All three passed.
Saranac Lake: Budget Passes 79%, Incumbents Win
The Saranac Lake Central School District’s $39.8 million budget passed with 79.29% of the vote — 555 yes to 145 no. The budget meets the state tax cap and includes some staffing reductions through attrition.
Incumbents Joe Henderson and Mike Martin both won reelection to the school board. Martin led with 528 votes, Henderson received 491. Scott Gibson, a Bloomingdale resident running for his first term, received 252 votes. Voters could vote for up to two candidates.
Voters also approved two additional propositions: up to $360,000 from the transportation reserve fund for two new buses, and the district’s annual levy on behalf of the Saranac Lake Free Library.
Tupper Lake: Budget Clears 60% Supermajority
The Tupper Lake Central School District’s $23.3 million budget passed with 62.5% of the vote — clearing the 60% supermajority required because the proposed budget exceeds the state tax cap. The budget carries a 4.90% tax levy increase, more than twice the state-imposed 2.21% cap.
Superintendent Jaycee Welsh called the result a relief after a difficult budget season marked by rising healthcare, fuel, and electricity costs. “We did it, and most of all, we’re excited for our students,” she said.
Incumbent board members Mary Ellen Chamberlain and Sabrina Shipman won reelection in an uncontested race. Chamberlain received 640 votes and Shipman received 582.
Lake Placid: Budget Passes 81%
The Lake Placid Central School District’s $24.6 million budget passed with 81.3% of the vote — 314 yes to 72 no. The budget carries a 3.21% tax levy increase, at the state cap, and required only a simple majority to pass.
Voters also approved drawing up to $537,256 from the district’s capital reserve fund to purchase three new school buses, and set the Wilmington E.M. Cooper Memorial Public Library’s annual funding at $17,640.
What These Budgets Mean for Taxpayers
In Saranac Lake, the tax levy increases by $189,680 over last year — just under the 0.75% cap. In Tupper Lake, property owners will see an estimated tax rate of $18.77 per $1,000 of assessed value, a $525,000 increase in the total levy. In Lake Placid, the district will draw $18,660,100 from property owners, $580,638 more than last year, at an estimated rate of $5.17 per $1,000 of assessed value — though final rates will not be set until property assessments are finalized later this summer.