Kenneth C. Crowe II is reporting for the Times Union voters in the Rensselaer City School District go to the polls July 28 to revote on the 2020-21 budget. The do-over was made necessary after district voters rejected the original proposal by an almost two-to-one margin. The first spending plan totaled $27.71 million and required a 19.5 percent tax levy increase. The city district's sports programs have now been eliminated, representing about 42 percent of the $524,000 spending reduction. The plan to eliminate sports funding has been devastating and has led students to meet with Superintendent Joseph Kardash and Athletic Director Bill Spath to talk about the future of athletic programs through community-supported funding. The district will work with the students, the Rensselaer Athletic Association and the district alumni association to establish community funding for sports, Kardash said. In addition to sports, the budget draft calls for cuts to extracurricular activities, the elimination of a special education position, reductions in technology purchases, supplies and materials, professional development and field trips and contractual expenses. The impact of the cuts on the tax levy increase will not be known until the board meets July 9. If the budget is rejected a second time, the district forced to impose a contingency budget, necessitating further cuts. Read the full story in the Times Union.