Saratoga Springs High School is transforming civic learning through an innovative Participatory Budgeting (PB) process that empowers students to take an active role in shaping their school community. Through this authentic experience, students identify needs within the school, design capital improvement proposals, and make real decisions about how funding is allocated.
Participatory Budgeting focuses on civic engagement, giving students a real-world connection to how decisions are made in a community. As future voters, students learn how to evaluate spending, work together, and share their voices through a structured voting process.
Throughout the PB cycle, students engage in hands-on learning by identifying school needs, developing ideas for improvement, and working collaboratively with school leaders and staff to refine proposals, assess feasibility, and create detailed plans that include budgets, timelines, and long-term sustainability. Students also take on leadership roles in organizing the process, from developing proposals and creating ballots to communicating ideas and encouraging peer participation, fostering critical thinking, collaboration, problem-solving skills, and a strong sense of student voice.
The 2026 final projects included on the ballot were privacy upgrades in restrooms, the addition of an outdoor water source, a grill for the cafeteria, feminine product dispensers in bathrooms, and the addition of bocce courts to support Unified Sports programs.
On March 24 and 25, high school students cast their votes to determine which projects would move forward, with final results to be announced soon.