The Albany County School District #1 Board of Trustees voted to remove a planned payment to the Cook Center for Human Connection from the district bill list following extended discussion about cost, utilization and whether the board had adequate notice.

The decision came during the board’s monthly meeting after staff described the contract components and cost breakdown. Trustee Nate Martin moved to strike the Cook Center item from the bill list; the motion passed on a roll‑call vote, 7 yes, 2 no. The board then approved the monthly financial report as amended.

Why it matters: trustees said the item was a sizable, unbudgeted expenditure and they wanted more data on who uses the services and how the district measures value. Several trustees and staff stressed support for staff mental‑health resources but said they needed clearer justification and utilization metrics before authorizing new recurring costs.

Board discussion and numbers
Dr. Kimberley Goldhart, the superintendent (participating by videoconference), said the Cook Center relationship includes materials the district has used previously and new options the district was considering. District staff then provided a line‑item breakdown. According to district staff member Mister Simon, the contract components and annual costs presented were: the mental‑health series platform ($17,500 per year), parent coaching ($16,500 per year) and a new staff‑guidance product ($11,250 per year). Simon said the only newly requested portion this year was the staff guidance service.

Trustees raised multiple concerns: several said they had not been briefed in advance and that the district’s mental‑health grant from the state, which funds some services, had not been finalized. Miss Green (district finance staff) told the board the Cook Center payment was not in the original budget and that the district intended to use state mental‑health grant funds to pay for it if the grant allocation covered the expense.

Trustees also asked for utilization tracking and comparisons with other vendors. Trustee Emily Stanton and Trustee Janice Marshall asked for evidence of staff uptake and whether less costly alternatives had been evaluated. Trustee Steve Gosar and Trustee Nate Martin said they supported additional staff resources but not without more board review and clearer procurement documentation.

Motion and vote
The motion to remove the Cook Center payment from the bill list was made by Trustee Nate Martin and seconded. The chair conducted a roll call. The vote by name recorded in the meeting transcript was: Cecilia Aragon — Aye; Beth Bair — No; Steve Gosar — Aye; Janice Marshall — Aye; Nate Martin — Aye; Carrie Murphy — No; Emily Stanton — Aye; Kim Sorensen — Aye; Sofia Gamalski — Aye. The amendment passed 7–2.

After that amendment, the board approved the monthly financial reports and the bill list as amended.

Next steps and staff response
Dr. Goldhart and staff said they will pause the paid portion of the Cook Center services and revert to the Cook Center’s free video resources while the board gathers more information. Staff offered to provide utilization data, termination/contract details and comparisons to alternative vendors if the board requests them. Several trustees asked that any future contract include measurable utilization and outcome reporting and invited staff to convene stakeholders — including counselors and other school personnel — to evaluate options and report back.

Funding note
Miss Green told the board the district expects to use state mental‑health grant funds to cover the expense, but said the district had not yet received the grant allocation amount for the year; last year’s state mental‑health allocation to the district was referenced in discussion as $229,000 but the final allocation for the current year had not been determined.

Ending
Trustees and staff agreed to continue outreach and to bring additional information to a future meeting before restoring the Cook Center payment to the bill list. The monthly financial report was approved after the Cook Center item was removed.