Bonnie Hart

The Lake George Central School District's Board of Education recognizes the importance of reserved funds for the District's financial planning for future projects and acquisitions. A plan has been developed for the District's current reserves, which are accounted for in the General Fund. The Board intends to maintain and fund these reserves appropriately, with excess fund balance amounts apportioned to various reserve funds. The administration will report annually on the uses and balances of these funds to the Audit and Finance Committee. The plan includes status reports on the Repair Reserve, Unemployment Reserve, Employee Benefit Accrued Liability Reserve, Employee Retirement Contribution Reserve, Tax Certiorari Reserve, Insurance Reserves, Workers' Compensation Reserve, and Capital Reserves.

The board meeting focused on appointing John Luthringer as Superintendent of Schools for the period of July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2025, and approving the related employment agreement.

The 2024 NYSSBA Budget Priorities focus on several key areas to support New York schools. These include advocating for increased school aid, rejecting proposed cuts to Foundation Aid and advocating for a minimum increase to account for inflation and staff shortages. The plan also addresses the need for zero-emission buses, proposing feasibility plans, cost aid eligibility, and shorter amortization periods. Universal school meals are another priority, aiming to expand access to free meals for all students. The plan also emphasizes career and technical education, increased funding for student mental health support, pre-kindergarten expansion and equitable funding, and addressing staff shortages through various measures. Finally, it advocates for increasing the allowable undesignated fund balance for school districts and restoring funding for prior-year aid claims.

The Lake George Central School District's Strategic Plan focuses on personalizing opportunities to empower students as lifelong learners, leaders, and global citizens. The plan centers around three main goals: 1. Cultivating mindsets and behaviors for success and well-being by emphasizing core values (Collaboration, Respect, Excellence, Accountability, Trust, and Empathy); 2. Empowering students to achieve academic standards at essential proficiency levels; and 3. Increasing the proficiency rate of target subgroups. Strategies for achieving these goals include fostering a supportive community and culture, creating a profile of student success and well-being, aligning and integrating existing programs, and developing an action plan with measurable outcomes. The plan also emphasizes gathering and analyzing data, identifying areas of need, creating intervention plans, and regularly assessing progress.

The legislative priorities for BOCES of New York State in 2025 focus on securing adequate and predictable funding for school districts and BOCES. Key areas include updating the Foundation Aid formula to reflect current datasets, fixed district costs, and the impact of the tax cap, as well as fully funding expense-based aids. Additional priorities involve modernizing BOCES aid by increasing the aidable CTE instructional salary cap, extending allowable lease terms with public sector entities, supporting the transition to zero-emission buses, and addressing critical workforce shortages through expanded scholarship programs and modernized civil service hiring practices.