2025-26 budget information
Note sure of your polling place today?
Use the NTS Voter Information Portal to find out!
Our school budget vote and Board of Education election will be held Tuesday, May 20.
Polling locations will be open throughout the city from 7 a.m.-9 p.m. There will be one new polling location, for voters in the 14th Ward and the 8th Ward, Districts 1-4.
As with last year, all City of Albany residents will once again have the option to vote by mail.
Two Board of Education seats will be up for election; there are three candidates vying for the open seats.
Budget proposal supports student needs, fiscal goals
The City School District of Albany’s budget proposal for the 2025-26 school year would continue to support programs and services that students need and deserve while also minimizing the impact on taxpayers.
The $342.4 million proposal that voters will consider May 20 includes a tax-levy increase of 0.9%. It is the fifth year in a row that the district’s proposed increase has been less than 1% – the average proposed increase during that time has been less than six-tenths of a percent.
The proposal strategically reduces staff expenses through retirements and the elimination of vacant positions, accounting for the end of the temporary federal COVID-19 relief funding for schools. Because of an anticipated decline in enrollment, staff-to-student ratios are expected to be as good or better next year.
Check out our budget newsletter to read more!
Voting information
| Ward | Districts | Voting Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | All |
New Hope Church |
| 2nd | All | Giffen Memorial Elementary School 274 South Pearl St. |
| 3rd | All | Sheridan Preparatory Academy 400 Sheridan Ave. |
| 4th | All | North Albany Middle School 570 North Pearl St. |
| 5th | All | Arbor Hill/West Hill Library 148 Henry Johnson Blvd. |
| 6th | All | William S. Hackett Middle School 45 Delaware Ave. |
| 7th | 1-5 | Delaware Community School 43 Bertha St. |
| 7th | 6-8 | William S. Hackett Middle School 45 Delaware Ave. |
| 8th | 1-4 | NEW LOCATION Bethany Reformed Church 760 New Scotland Ave. |
| 8th | 5-9 | Albany School of Humanities (ASH) 108 Whitehall Road |
| 9th | All | New Scotland Elementary School 369 New Scotland Ave. |
| 10th | All | Pine Hills Elementary School 41 North Allen St. |
| 11th | All | Albany High School's Abrookin Career and Technical Center 99 Kent St. |
| 12th | 1-3 | Italian American Community Center 257 Washington Ave. Extension |
| 12th | 4-9 | Montessori Magnet School 45 Tremont St. |
| 13th | All | Pine Hills Elementary School 41 North Allen St. |
| 14th | All | NEW LOCATION Bethany Reformed Church 760 New Scotland Ave. |
| 15th | All | Eagle Point Elementary School 1044 Western Ave. |
Note sure of your polling place?
Use the NTS Voter Information Portal to find out!
Early voting & absentee ballots
All Albany voters have the option of early voting by mail.
Also, the City School District of Albany automatically sends absentee ballots to people the Albany County Board of Elections designates as having a permanent disability or are in the military.
Applications for vote-by-mail and absentee ballots are available above. You also can call (518) 475-6015 and ask to have a vote-by-mail or absentee application mailed to you.
Deadlines
If you want a vote-by-mail ballot sent to your home, the district clerk must receive your completed application at least seven days before the vote – by Tuesday, May 13 at 4 p.m.
If you want to pick up your vote-by-mail ballot in-person at the district headquarters in Academy Park, you must have your completed application to the clerk by 4 p.m. the day before the budget vote – Monday, May 19.
All absentee and vote-by-mail ballots must be received in the clerk’s office by 5 p.m. on the day of the vote – Tuesday, May 20.
You can call the board clerk with any questions at (518) 475-6015.
Presentations and resources
Download our candidate info sheet to read personal statements from each candidate, and/or check out the candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters:
If you would like to schedule a presentation for your organization prior to the vote, contact our Communications Department at (518) 475-6065.
We're sorry, no events were found for this calendar.
Superintendent Hochreiter will host a series of virtual budget Q&A sessions to provide additional information for community members.
We're sorry, no events were found for this calendar.
Budgets from prior years
This site provides information using PDF, visit this link to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader DC software.