May is a month full of honors & special events. Here are two happenings you will enjoy!

Four candidates compete for three seats on BH-BL Board of Education

Proposed Budget is $52.2 million

After four months of analysis and debate, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Board of Education members approved a proposed 2008-09 school budget of $52,240 344, an increase of 3.97% over the current year.

     The budget, a proposition to replace five aging school buses and four candidates for three seats on the school board will all be on the ballot when the public votes on May 20.

     To learn more, please view our:

		Press release describing the proposed 2008-09 budget, its tax impact,  tax exemptions, and School Board candidates.
		A copy of the complete 2008-09 budget newsletter that will be mailed to BH-BL households on May 1 (pdf format - Warning to dial-up users: this is a huge file.)
		2008-09 Budget Development webpage, where you can track the budget process for the past four months.

Student musicians sweep All-American Music Festival in Florida

After months of fund-raising and "practice, practice, practice!" BH-BL high school musicians returned home in triumph on April 30 from competing against 30 other high school at the All-American Music Festival in Orlando, Florida. In fact, both the Concert Band and Jazz Band earned "Best Band in Festival" trophies. For the details on what each group won and a BUNCH of nifty photos, check out the Fine Arts Department homepage.

BH-BL Science Bowl team heads to Washington D.C.
 

   Five BH-BL High School pupils and their coach, teacher Brian Watts, will be traveling to Washington D.C. this week on an all-expenses-paid trip to compete in the National Science Bowl from May 1 - 6.  At the Regional competition in March, the BH-BL team of Douglas McErlean, Thomas Martindale, Emily Wexler, Sam Wilson and Matthew Wolf beat teams from Albany, Berlin, Bethlehem, Galway, Maple Hill, Niskayuna, Saratoga Springs, Scotia-Glenville, and Shaker high schools to earn the right to go to nationals to compete against 66 other regional winners.

   The National Science Bowl is a fast-paced question and answer competition similar to Jeopardy. Students are quizzed on biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, earth science, general science, and math. Regional winners' expenses are paid by the US Department of Energy, and their stay in Washington also includes seminars and tours of landmark buildings.  Go to National Science Bowl for more information.

Status of BH-BL school attorney

With all the negative news coming from the State Comptroller's office about school district attorneys found to be inappropriately added to the NY State Employees Retirement System and in line to receive state pensions, a number of folks have inquired about BH-BL's attorney. The answer is no, neither our attorney nor the school physician with whom we contract for professional services has been added to the state retirement system nor been offered a state pension by our school district.

Case of MRSA prompts extra precautions at Pashley Elementary

April 29, 2008     A case of CA-MRSA (Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) has been confirmed in a Pashley Elementary School student. The student is at home under the care of a physician, is taking antibiotics, and will not return to school until cleared by a physician. The classrooms, bus and areas used by the student have been cleaned and disinfected as a precaution. Principal Jill Bonacio sent a letter home to all parents today detailing school precautions and reminding everyone that health authorities insist thorough washing of hands with soap is the best way to prevent the spread of MRSA. More information

Student Art Exhibit on display at Ballston Community Library

Artwork by Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake pupils in grades 1 through 8 will be on display through April 30 at the Town of Ballston Community Library. All are welcome to view the exhibit during normal library hours or to come to the reception on Saturday, April 26, from 1:00 - 3:00 pm. The library is located on Lakehill Rd and Lawmar Lane and is open Monday through Thursday from 10:00 am - 8:00 pm, plus Friday and Saturday from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm.

2008-09 school holidays announced

If you want to plan NEXT year's vacation now, here's what you need. The BH-BL Board of Education has approved the basic 2008-09 school calendar. Go to 2008-09 School Vacation Days at a Glance for a list of all holidays, half days, Regents exam days, and all days with an abnormal schedule. (Our Calendars page also has other information that may be of interest.)

Kindergarten Registration continues

On March 10 and 11, over 200 new BH-BL kindergarten pupils were registered for next fall's classes. Parents:  if your kindergarten-eligible child has not yet been registered, please call Jackie Martini at 399-9141, ext. 5002, so that we can add your child to our records.

Children must be five on or before December 1, 2008, to start kindergarten this September.

Parents of older children who will be starting at BH-BL in the fall should go to Are you new to our schools?

Calling all BH-BL Alumni!  Class Reunion parties are being planned for next summer & fall  We have just posted a new announcement for the Class of 1998.  Does your class have a reunion coming up? You can read all the information we have about BH-BL reunions (or send us updated information for your class) by clicking the "Alumni" button on the left or here. Also check out and join the BH-BL Alumni Database and see who else has registered from your class.

Senior named semi-finalist in Intel science competition

BH-BL High School senior Matthew Wolf has been recognized as one of the top science pupils in the nation by being chosen as an Intel Science Search Semi-finalist for his three-year research project on carbon dioxide and global warming. He is the only Capital Region pupil so honored and the fourth BH-BL pupil to win this honor in the past seven years. More information.

After negotiations with town of Glenville

DARE program is restored at Pashley Elementary

At their meeting on January 22, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Board of Education members agreed to find $2,000 in the district's budget to enable the 5th grade DARE program to go forward as usual later this spring at the Pashley Elementary School. A previous announcement that the DARE program would be cancelled was changed following negotiations between town of Glenville police chief Michael Ranalli and school district superintendent Jim Schultz. More information.

All Star Artists' work on display in Saratoga

Work by 12 Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School student artists was featured in the Saratoga County High School All-Stars Show from January 5 - 12 at the Arts Center Gallery, 320 Broadway, in Saratoga Springs. To see the names and works by all 12 pupils go to All-Stars.

Reminder to parents  

     If you would like to receive an automatic email when school is closed or delayed, please sign up for our "School News Notifier" service by clicking on the "BH-BL SNN" logo on the right. You are welcome to use this opt-in email service for more than one email address if you wish. A number of parents use both their work and home email for instance .You can get more information here or click directly on the SNN logo above right.

BH-BL residents and staff working to focus & strengthen the district's Interscholastic Sports Program   On October 23, the BH-BL Board of Education appointed 12 voting and 4 non-voting members to an Ad Hoc Committee on Strategic Planning for Interscholastic Sports. For information on the committee's goals, membership, and meeting minutes, go to Sports Committee.

"This is the best 'attaboy' a business office can get."

NY State Comptroller's office gives BH-BL top marks

After weeks of analysis, the NY State Comptroller's office has announced that its auditors were unable to find ANY reportable weaknesses in the financial controls and recordkeeping of the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake school district. Fewer than 5% of school districts audited to date have received a record of no findings like BH-BL. More information.

Can't hide that Spartan pride!

Fall Sport Finale: Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School teams have won Section 2 Championships in an incredible seven sports!  The Girls Cross Country team are State Champions for the second year in a row, and the Girls Soccer, Boys Soccer and Girls Volleyball teams are reached the quarter-final or semi-final game for State Championships. Way to go, Spartans!

For more details, go to the High School homepage.

BH-BL homeowners receiving    Middle Class STAR rebate checks  

The NY State Tax Department mailed Middle Class STAR rebate application forms to all NY homeowners with Basic STAR in mid-September. This year, eligible homeowners must use an ID number that appears on their individual application and must apply for the rebate either online or through the mail. The Middle Class STAR Rebate is in addition to the STAR reduction that already appeared on school property tax bills.

Only senior citizens with Enhanced STAR exemption do not have to apply and should have already received their rebate check in September.

Homeowners are reminded that the deadline for filing for the Middle Class STAR rebate is November 30, 2007.

2007-08 Calendars

Copies of the complete, detailed 2007-08 district calendar were mailed to all district households in August along with the Community Swim and Continuing Education brochures. You can also download a pdf version of the calendar here. (Warning to dial-up users: these are very big files!)

	September 2007 - September 2008 pages only (12 pages - 1 MB pdf file)
	September 2007 - September 2008 PLUS bus routes, phone directory & much more background information  (28 pages - 2 MB pdf file)

You can also view a list of all 2007-08 school vacation and half days at vacations.  

"Is my child safe at school?" is a question that parents can't help but wonder when there are so many stories about safety in the news. To view a list of the many things the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake school district does to protect students and staff, go to School Safety Update.

Special website feature:
"Policy Search" feature is live  The Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Board of Education Policy Manual has literally hundreds of policies that describe and control how all aspects of our schools will operate. All these policies are available on this website. We also have a simple way to search through them instantly using key words or phrases that interest you. At BH-BL Policy Manual, you can view both the list of all policy titles and our policy search feature.

Charlton Heights celebrates a new playground

With shouts and squeals of joy, dozens of Charlton Heights Elementary School children ran onto their new Magic Maze playground for the first time Sunday evening, June 17, 2007, as playground co-chairs Karen Smith and Tim Sinnenberg cut the paper chain and declared the playground open.

The kids ran, jumped, swung, slid, and climbed all over the new facility as a crowd of tired and dirty but equally happy adults watched. They were the final group of volunteers and parents who minutes before had sawed, screwed and painted the last boards into place under the direction of architects from Leathers and Associates.

For more information, go to construction photos or to the Charlton Heights home page for a list of business donors and construction chronology.

High School Time Capsule readied   What local photos and other materials can convey the current spirit of BH-BL to those who come to our school 50 years from now?? Go to Time Capsule to see how high school students have answered this question.

School Report Cards posted:  On May 18, 2007, the NY State Education Department made the 2005-06 Report Cards for all NY schools public on its website. You can view or download this compilation of 2005-06 test scores, graduation results, class size, attendance and other data for the entire Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake District here (pdf format). More information and the report cards for each of the schools in our district can also be viewed on the State Ed. website at New York State Report Cards.

Posted May 15, 2007, 9:30 PM

BH-BL Election Results for 2007:

Budget & Bus Proposition pass

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake residents approved the proposed 2007-08 school budget of $50.2 million by a margin of 63% at the district election on May 15, 2007.  A proposition to borrow up to $350,000 to purchase four school buses was also approved. Incumbents John Blowers, Timothy Kelliher, Joe Pericone and Robert Speck were all elected to the Board of Education.

For all the details on the vote, go to Annual Election.

Safety measure: Middle & Elementary School pupils must attend sports events with an adult   Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake parents are advised that 8th grade and younger pupils who wish to attend evening varsity interscholastic sports contests must do so with an adult. This proactive policy change was made in the fall of 2006 due to the number of youngsters being left unsupervised at games and several incidents of fighting, belligerence and other inappropriate behavior. Read more

BH-BL ranked 6th among 85 school districts in region

2006 School Report Card Data summarized.  
In its June 8-14, 2007, issue, the Albany Business Review ranked Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake 6th out of 85 Capital Region school districts on the basis of state test scores and graduation data.

       The weekly newspaper used data from the most recent New York State School Report Cards (May 2007). The original, lengthy State School Report Cards can be found on the NY State Education website here.