05/20/2026
Both the school and library budgets in Guilderland passed handily on May 19; neither was over the state-set levy limit, requiring only a simple majority to pass.
Pictured above: Intently watching election results are, from left, Guilderland School Board member Nina Kaplan, Superintendent Daniel Mayberry, and library Trustee Matthew Grunert.
It was the first Guilderland budget for Mayberry and the last library budget for Director Pete Petruski, who resigned abruptly this month after two years at the helm.
“We are grateful for the continued support of the Guilderland community and for its continued support of our students and staff,” Mayberry said in a statement. “Approval of this budget helps the district continue delivering valued programs and services for the year ahead. While financial challenges remain, we are committed to thoughtful planning, transparency and working together as we look to the future.”
Rather than making unpopular across-the-board cuts of 5 percent, the school district closed a gaping budget gap by taking $2 million from its savings.
The budget passed with 69 percent of the vote: 1,355 to 617. All tallies reported in this story are the unofficial results announced on Election Night.
The $133.9 million budget for next year is about $7 million more than this year’s spending plan, a 5.27-percent increase.
About $87 million will come from local property taxes, a 3.42-percent increase over this year. About two-thirds of the budget is covered by property taxes and most of the remaining third is covered by state aid. The state has run past its April 1 deadline for adopting a budget so Guilderland based its state-aid estimates on the governor’s proposal.
Voters also passed a bus proposition with 69 percent of the vote: 1,365 to 600.
The district will spend up to $1.7 million to buy five 65-passenger school buses, three 35-passenger buses, two 29-passenger wheelchair-equipped buses, a Chevy Tahoe, and a tractor.
