Albany County School District #1 adopts personnel and weapons policies, hears updates on free school meals, athletics care and property sales

The Albany County School District #1 Board of Trustees at its Aug. 16 business meeting adopted three district policies, approved a request for proposals to hire a real-estate broker for surplus property, and heard reports on communications around universal free student meals, athletic-health services provided by Premier Bone & Joint, and restored federal grant funding.

Board action and policy changes led the meeting. On three separate motions the board adopted Policy 4023 (weapons), Policy 5031 (paid time off and medical leave bank) and Policy 5033 (personnel leave). Trustees amended the newly added pregnancy-loss leave in Policy 5033 during debate: for pregnancy loss prior to 20 weeks gestation the board approved “up to three weeks” of leave, and for fetal loss at or after 20 weeks (stillbirth) the policy allows up to six weeks, with medical leave eligibility or additional leave available where appropriate. The board approved a request for proposals to hire a real-estate brokerage to market and sell district properties the board has previously authorized for disposition, beginning with the old Slade Elementary site.

Why it matters: the personnel and safety policies affect staffing, leave benefits and daily operations for district employees. The RFP moves the district toward liquidating surplus property and directing sale proceeds into district building reserves.

Policy votes and amendments - Policy 5033 (personnel leave): board approved on third reading with an amendment to the pregnancy-loss provision to allow up to three weeks for miscarriage (prior to 20 weeks’ gestation) and up to six weeks for stillbirth (20 weeks or later). The change was proposed and discussed during the meeting; trustees said further refinement could be considered later. - Policy 4023 (weapons) and Policy 5031 (paid time off and medical leave bank): both adopted on third reading.

Communications and free-meal rollout Superintendent Dr. Goldhart told trustees the district will pursue focus groups and a youth advocacy council to identify barriers for underrepresented families and said the district will develop a diversity statement during the coming school year “pending any legislation that allows that or not.” He also urged trustees to consider attending the National Assembly for Family Engagement and Education virtual conference in October and said the district would “utilize language services” in outreach.

Communications director Madison briefed the board on the district’s outreach around universal free student meals, saying, “So the first thing I wanna talk about was the free and reduced lunch and how we're feeding all the students for free.” She described website updates, boosted social posts, radio interviews and school-level materials (flyers and QR codes) and said a district “scope survey” will be launched Oct. 27–Nov. 10 to help measure community awareness and guide future communications.

Recruiting and hiring: SchoolSpring Dr. Goldhart and trustees discussed the new SchoolSpring recruiting platform the district began using in late February. Dr. Goldhart said the district has seen a large uptick in applications for posted positions — noting an example where an attendance-secretary posting drew about 4 applicants previously and 30 applicants after SchoolSpring — and called the platform part of a broader push that includes higher compensation to increase recruitment.

Athletic health services: Premier Bone & Joint update A representative from Premier Bone & Joint reported service and caseload details for the 2023–24 and 2024–25 cycles. The trainer said the district recorded roughly 935 contacts under a new injury/maintenance tracking system, with about 732–753 formal evaluations in prior years; football generated the largest share of evaluations and concussion exposures in part because a junior-varsity football team increased play opportunities. The presenter noted, “we did a $151,400 worth of services” in 2023–24 (a figure the presenter contrasted with a different, larger billed figure reported elsewhere). The business office confirmed the district is under a five-year contract with Premier renewed this year.

Finances and federal grants The business office presented monthly cash-basis financials and reported proceeds from July surplus equipment/vehicle sales (about $17,000 from fleet surplus). Trustees discussed a July surplus sale example — a 2008 Chevrolet TrailBlazer sold for $755 — and staff explained the district sells under a sealed-bid surplus process rather than a set reserve price.

On federal funding, administrators reported Title II, III and IV allocations have been restored after a hold; the business office said it returned roughly $200,000 to the technology budget and a similar amount to the district reserve while staff continue to reconcile how much federal funding can be reallocated back from the general fund.

Real-estate RFP and property disposition The board approved issuing an RFP for real-estate brokerage services to market and sell seven district-owned properties the board previously approved for liquidation, beginning with the old Slade Elementary site and related parcels. Staff said the RFP will be advertised and sent to local and regional real-estate associations; proposals will be due after a 45-day window with an anticipated award after the October board meeting. Administrators emphasized offers on property will be evaluated like typical real-estate offers (not sealed-bid surplus sales) and that sale proceeds are planned to flow back into district building reserves per statute.

Technology: first reading of acceptable-use policy and AI discussion The board moved Policy 8002 (acceptable use) on first reading. Trustees and administrators discussed growing use of artificial‑intelligence tools and the need for student and staff guidance. Technology staff said they are working to manage educational access to commercial AI platforms and that Google Gemini access has recently become manageable in the district admin console; they also said the district has asked vendors for education-focused admin tools to allow managed accounts and logging for student use. Trustees asked for further work on implementation, student notification and possible micro-credentialing or lessons on ethical and effective AI use.

What’s next - The consolidated grant meeting was announced for Sept. 18 and the board scheduled a retreat Sept. 3. Trustees and staff said policy language and implementation details (particularly for the pregnancy-loss leave and acceptable-use/AI guidance) may be refined in coming months.

(Notes: this item summarizes actions, reported figures and substantive discussion recorded during the Aug. 16 Albany County School District #1 board meeting.)