Category Archives: News

The School Board continues to review facility needs for a possible bond proposal for next spring. The District will host a series of community meetings in October to gather input about community priorities, which will help the Board develop a final bond proposal for next May

A proposal could include:

• Projects to upgrade existing schools for instructional programs
  Safety and security projects
• Maintenance projects to protect the community’s investments in school buildings
• New elementary schools to relieve overcrowding and manage growth
• Reconstruction of buildings that need large-scale repair and renovation

Please join us and share your input. All meetings are planned for 6-7:30 p.m.

• Oct. 5: Timber Ridge
• Oct. 12: Oak Grove Elementary
• Oct. 20: West Albany High School
• Oct. 26: South Albany High School

More than 60 fifth-grade students took over the school library at Periwinkle Elementary School this week. The students will use the temporary classroom space until the new modular classrooms are ready in mid-September.

The students from Kristyn Kohler’s (pictured, right) and Mercedes Strowbridge’s classrooms will share the library space and learn as a group until they split up during the move to the new classrooms.

The new classroom space is being added at the school because of high enrollment growth in the attendance area.

GAPS submitted water samples for lead testing at all schools and facilities this summer. The labs are returning results as fast as possible but have high demand from school districts around the state.

We are repairing and then retesting all fixtures with elevated lead levels. Any fixture with tests showing elevated lead levels will be kept out of service until tests show that they no longer exceed allowable lead levels set by the EPA.

Read the latest update about water tests for each school.

South Albany High School staff are back at work organizing their classrooms, including the culinary arts and music teachers who are moving into rooms in the new cafeteria.

The building is ready for the new school year, and the SAHS community is ready to show it off. This new building will be a source of pride for the school and the entire district.

The public is invited to two open house events:

Sept. 7 from 6-7:30 p.m. 

Sept. 24, 9-11 a.m.
Donors to the Albany Public Schools Foundation South Albany High School Fire Fund will be honored and thanked for their donations. Area leaders, including local legislators, have been invited.

The School Board continues to review facility needs in the District for a possible bond proposal for next spring. A proposal could include projects to upgrade existing schools to address instructional program, safety and deferred maintenance needs and construction of one more new elementary schools to relieve overcrowding and manage growth.

Projections show that District enrollment will continue to grow, and current schools are at capacity. See Gaps anticipates high enrollment in Albany Democrat-Herald.

The last new elementary school constructed in the District was Periwinkle in 1977. See school building age timeline.

In October, the District will host a series of community meetings to gather input about community priorities for new schools, which will help the Board develop a final bond proposal. Superintendent Golden will seek public input on possible projects.

Please join us at one of the following meetings:

10/5: Timber Ridge School
10/12: Oak Grove Elementary School
10/20: West Albany High School
10/26: South Albany High School