Schenectady board hears detailed plan for new Freshman Leadership Academy; district projects smaller learning communities and expanded electives

The Schenectady City School District presented the design and instructional plan for the new Freshman Leadership Academy (also referenced as SFLA) during the board work session on May 7. District leaders said the academy is intended to create a smaller learning environment for ninth graders, align freshman coursework with future leadership communities at the high school and provide new career and technical education (CTE), arts and extracurricular spaces.

Phil Wyman, the Freshman Academy principal, described the model as four smaller learning communities within the academy, each formed by a team of four core teachers and supported by a social worker, a school counselor and restorative-practice and safety staff. "Our teams ... will have anywhere from a 15 to as high as a 25 students in that core team," Wyman said, noting that smaller teams are designed to let staff identify lagging skills and monitor interventions.

Program design and instructional supports The academy will use a straight-eight schedule with four core classes—English, global history, mathematics and science—and four additional slots for electives and supports. Wyman and other presenters said the schedule includes built-in "lab" time (for example, algebra and biology labs) intended to serve as embedded tutoring and to give struggling students regular access to targeted instruction.

Karina Hagan, AVID coordinator at the high school, described AVID as both an elective for selected students and a set of instructional strategies (WICOR—writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization, reading) that the district is training teachers to use. She said that by the end of the summer roughly 54% of Freshman Academy teachers planned to be trained in those WICOR strategies; the district presented AVID as a pathway to prepare students for advanced programs in later grades.

Facilities and program offerings The district said the Freshman Academy is projected to enroll about 450 freshmen in its first year; other options for freshmen remain available, including Early College/Proctors and Big Picture Learning. Presenters said building features include renovated science classrooms, new arts spaces (orchestra, band, choir, dance), a culinary program (in coordination with BOCES), CTE/STEAM workshop areas (including a drone program and an on-site drone-soccer space) and athletic fields. The district said JROTC will be offered on the Freshman Academy campus and that administrators are discussing how to keep the JROTC programs connected across multiple sites.

Student pathways, choice and transition planning District leaders said the Freshman Academy will provide sample "freshman experience" courses so students can explore possible pathways—STEM, humanities, visual and performing arts (VPA)—before committing to a tenth-grade leadership community at the high school. Wyman and other administrators described multiple steps to manage the transition from ninth to tenth grade, including presentations by leadership communities, summer orientation and peer-mentoring programs.

Parent engagement and access Presenters said the academy will include a family/community engagement space and district staff committed to outreach. They described multiple recent and planned information sessions at middle schools and a May opening for staff visits and public walkthroughs; the team said orientation dates for families and students would follow.

Quotations and credit "Our students deserve a better place, to walk in and see something fresh," said Dennis Green, the district instructional leader referenced during the presentation. Principal Phil Wyman said the academy's motto is "thrive in ninth" and emphasized staff commitment to the model. Karina Hagan summarized AVID's goals: "We target the 30 fifth or the 80 fifth percentile of the student, and it's students that do want to go to college."

Operational notes and next steps Administrators said staffing and schedules are still being finalized, and described the district's plan to provide transportation between the Freshman Academy and the main high school for students who need access to high-school–level clubs, athletics or classes. The board asked detailed questions about cohort sizes, course offerings, CTE staffing and supports for students with IEPs; administrators told the board co-teaching and credit-recovery options will be part of the design.

Ending Board members praised the presentation and asked the district to continue parent outreach and transition planning. The academy is scheduled to phase in as part of the district's broader 2030 high-school revitalization plan and to open for the coming school year; administrators provided dates for staff walkthroughs and community visits as part of the rollout.