Voters in the Kingston City School District will head to the polls on Tuesday to say yay or nay to a $180,813,057 budget proposal for the 2019-20 school year, one which school officials tout as maintaining program and helping expand pre-kindergarten offerings, while keeping the tax levy increase at just 1.45 percent.
Former Saugerties schools superintendent Seth Turner says the school district he headed from 2009 to 2018 owes him $61,745.40 for unused vacation and sick days. When Turner left the district in late September 2018, the school board denied him the money. Last month, he filed a lawsuit.
The delegates chosen to represent American Legion Post #72 of Saugerties at next month’s annual Boys State program had their first taste last week of what the five-day event is all about.
Over their last two games, the Saugerties High School varsity baseball team has outscored its opponents 30 runs to zero.
Democrat Brian Cahill, the former majority leader of the Ulster County Legislature, will seek to unseat Republican James Maloney for the District 4 seat this fall. Cahill was a legislator from 2006-2009, serving as majority leader in 2008 and 2009.
“It’s similar to regular golf,” said the city’s parks superintendent. “But the neat thing about disc golf is you don’t have to worry about a tee time, you don’t have to pay for greens fees, though there might be a nominal charge if there’s a tournament going on. We really believe it’s going to be a great asset to our parks system. We’re really pleased to have this happen.”
Jane St. Amour, currently business manager at the Spencer-Van Etten school district near Ithaca, will officially take on the role of business manager of the Saugerties school system on July 1. “Saugerties is a great school district with a supportive board of education and community, and I am looking forward to getting to know everyone and immerse myself in the excellent things that are happening here in Saugerties,” said St. Amour.
Kingston Stockade FC will open its fourth season of local soccer at Dietz Stadium on Saturday, May 4. They’ll host the New York Cosmos, the reigning champion of the North Atlantic Conference of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL).
While Saugerties organizers continue planning for the third annual Hope Rocks Festival this August, two new Hope Rocks events are planned for early next month: The Hope Rocks Hardball Invitational, a high school baseball tournament on May 4; and the Hope Rocks Grand Gala, a fundraising event on May 10 with a focus on the Hope Rocks mission: To “illuminate the darkness of addiction and suicide.”
The Kingston City School District is still searching for a pair of principals to fill vacancies, with the leaders of both Kingston High School and George Washington Elementary School planning to step down at the end of the current academic year.