The spending plan comes with a 2.53 percent tax levy increase, the maximum possible without having to resort to approval from a supermajority of 60 percent or greater at the polls.

Despite a flurry of meetings among Saugerties officials, the establishment of a second egress point for the Riccardi Elementary School, located at a dead-end road north of the hamlet of Glasco, seems still only a distant possibility. There is still no consensus even on whether a second road would increase the safety of the school’s students.

The tax increase is estimated at 2.5 percent.

Perhaps the most significant change is the reduction of testing days for each exam from three to two. Other changes include shorter, untimed tests, giving students a greater chance at success without worrying about the clock ticking on the wall.

The light-filled classrooms in what’s to become the new Middle Way School in West Saugerties were packed with kids and parents Saturday, February 24, as educational consultant Kristen Lhatso, from Boulder, Colorado, outlined emerging plans for the private day school for elementary age students planned to open in September.

Administrators are supporting the students. “We want to help the kids coordinate something so it’s done in a safe fashion and it’s not just mayhem, and that they also get to make their points,” said superintendent Seth Turner.

Less than a week after a Saugerties student and his father were arrested, 70 residents attended a school safety forum seeking answers from administrators and trustees.

When the Saugerties police chief suggested teachers carry guns, attendees applauded. But the high school principal doesn’t support the idea.

The Saugerties pre-kindergarten program at Mt. Marion and Cahill elementary schools has been under way for a little over a month, and school officials think it’s been a great addition.