Wynantskill board sets vote on merging with Troy schools

The Wynantskill Union Free School District will move forward with an effort to merge with Troy schools, and set a public vote for the end of March.

The school boards of the two districts held a joint meeting Wednesday. They accepted a final feasibility study on the effort, which was approved by the state Education Department, and voted to start the annexation process.

The Wynantskill board scheduled a community vote on the issue for 12-9 p.m. March 31 in the Gardner Dickinson School Library. Absentee and early mail ballot applications can be obtained by emailing the district.

The Wynantskill school board held its own regular meeting after the joint meeting Wednesday and presented tentative budgets with two scenarios for the following school year.

If the annexation vote is not approved, taxpayers would face a proposed tax levy increase of 6.4%. That would decrease to 0% if the vote is approved.

The Wynantskill district last year identified “fiscal challenges and limited opportunities,” and one of its key recommendations was to explore partnering with Troy schools in a formal reorganization.

There were 292 students enrolled in the Wynantskill district and 3,475 in the Troy City School District during the 2024-25 school year, according to the state Education Department.