Troy and Wynantskill school districts agree to feasibility study for potential merger – Troy Record

TROY, N.Y. — The Troy City School District (TCSD) and Wynantskill Union Free School District (WUFSD) held a joint meeting of their Boards of Education on Wednesday evening to vote on moving ahead with a feasibility study to determine if the two districts should merge.

The process began when WUFSD received the results of an optimization study of the school district’s finances and fiscal future. When Superintendent Dr. Mary Yodis learned that the district’s current financial situation was a very difficult one, she also learned that the State Department of Education has incentive programs that help struggling school districts to merge with larger ones. In the education world, this is known as “reorganization.”

“What emerged from the study was an affirmation of our close-knit community,” WUFSD Board of Education President Nichole Hurbanek said at the meeting. “However, it also revealed fiscal challenges and limited opportunities that come with our small size.”

WUFSD and TCSD are already longtime partners, with Troy High School being one of several options that Wynantskill parents can choose for their children when they finish their studies at Gardner-Dickinson School. It raised the question: would reorganizing the two school districts make sense?

To answer that question, and the many, many others that arose with it, the two school districts need to conduct a feasibility study to see if reorganizing would really be the best option for both parties. Wednesday night’s joint Board of Education meeting served to inform attendees of the optimization study’s findings, introduce a broad overview of what reorganization would mean for the two districts, and to vote on whether the feasibility study should happen.

TCSD Superintendent John Carmello described the meeting as “a conversation to gauge interest.”

Aiding in the reorganization process from start to finish is the BOCES district, which Superintendent Dr. Gladys Cruz explained will serve as “a neutral resource” as TCSD and WUFSD “contemplate this complex decision.” All information about the reorganization, including meeting schedules, FAQs, and study findings, will be available on the BOCES website and will be regularly updated.

“We at the BOCES are here to support you in your informed decision-making,” Cruz said to the Boards.

It will be many months before the reorganization happens, if it happens at all. Dave Elliot from the State Department of Education gave a presentation that outlined the steps that must be taken before reorganization can occur. First, the Boards of Education must decide if a feasibility study should be done to determine if a reorganization really is the best path. Second, the study needs to be conducted. Costs can be covered by state grants and aid from BOCES. Third, meetings must be held to keep the community informed. Fourth, a straw vote must be conducted to determine public support. If the public does not support the reorganization, the Department of Education will not allow it to happen. Vote results must be made publicly available.

Assuming that the reorganization eventually happens, by state law — which dictates that school districts cannot shrink in size, but can only grow -—TCSD will annex WUFSD, which will then cease to exist. The Wynantskill Board of Education would be dissolved, and no new seats would be voted on. The new, larger reorganized school district would receive a total of $241 million in state funding, and any outstanding debt from the former WUFSD would be recalculated at TCSD’s building aid ratio rate. TCSD can then apply for state grants to complete capital projects on any and all buildings in its district, including annexed ones and new constructions.

Carmello stressed that if the reorganization happens, Gardner-Dickinson School will stay open and all faculty and staff will keep their jobs. Any students currently attending high schools in other districts through WUFSD’s high school selection program will be able to stay where they are. The top priority, regardless of whether or not a reorganization happens, Carmello said, is the students’ well-being and academic success.

“I’m confident that this feasibility study will show without question that this partnership is the way to get this done,” Carmello stated.

The benefit of a reorganization, as outlined by Elliot’s presentation, is that the students of WUFSD will have access to even more resources, services, and opportunities than they already do. Currently, TCSD’s partnership with Wynantskill allows WUFSD’s middle school students to play on the Troy sports teams and participate in the annual school musical. The reorganization will give all Wynantskill students access to all programs and activities in the Troy schools.

The reorganization would also bump the combined district’s state reimbursement rate for capital projects from 90% up to 98%, meaning that for every dollar spent on school improvements, only two cents would come out of the district’s pocket after reimbursement. The net result would be more funding for capital improvements with zero cost to school district taxpayers.

“I look forward to all the town halls and all the stakeholder meetings that will be scheduled, and answering all of your questions,” Carmello said to the meeting attendees.

Following Elliot’s presentation, the floor was opened for members of the public to express opinions and concerns. Questions were raised about communication and transparency during the process, what the next steps for Wynantskill would be should the reorganization not happen, and if sending students to other high schools would still be an option.

Yodis thanked everyone for their support, from TCSD’s immediate and welcoming acceptance of her students, to the parents who voiced their concerns, to the members of both Boards of Education for working together on the process.

“Tonight’s conversation is not an ending, it’s a beginning,” she said.

Both Boards of Education voted unanimously to conduct the feasibility study. The study will cover a wide range of topics related to reorganizing, including options for transportation, current and projected enrollments, and staffing plans, and options for extracurricular activities and educational programming.

For more information about school district reorganization, visit www.p12.nysed.gov/mgtserv/sch_dist_org. To get all the latest information and updates about the Troy-Wynantskill school district feasibility study, visit www.questar.org/feasibility.

Dave Elliot from the State Department of Education was a major figure at the joint Board of Education meeting between Troy City School District and Wynantskill Union Free School District. (Melissa Schuman – MediaNews Group)
Dave Elliot from the State Department of Education gives a presentation about how school district reorganization works. (Melissa Schuman – MediaNews Group)
Details of the Troy-Wynantskill School District Feasibility Study are presented at a joint meeting of the two school district’s Boards of Education. (Melissa Schuman – MediaNews Group)
Members of the Troy City School District and the Wynantskill Union Free School District Boards of Education attend a joint meeting to vote on proceeding with a feasibility study for a potential reorganization. (Melissa Schuman – MediaNews Group)

Originally Published: August 14, 2025 at 9:20 AM EDT

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