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Cohoes district delays move of alternative learning program to community center; $2,000/month lease budgeted
Summary
District leaders said they will "press pause" on rushing a move of the alternative learning program to a community center after county pricing arrived late; the administration said the district had budgeted $2,000 per month for a lease and will pursue in-house options for 2027–28 while finalizing a longer-term plan. The board will receive an NAERTA-related RFP timeline at the July 8 meeting.
District administrators told the Cohoes City School District Board of Education on June 17 that plans to place the district's alternative learning program in a community center will be slowed while officials complete required drawings, review county pricing, and allow time for bids, repairs, inspections, and state approval.
Superintendent O'Shea and district staff said the county only delivered pricing information on the facility today, and that further work is required to finalize lease terms and the construction timeline. Officials estimated a bid period and procurement window of roughly six weeks after terms are agreed, but cautioned actual timelines can be longer; for that reason leadership recommended pausing to avoid a rushed move that might not be ready for the 2027–28 school year.
On budgetary implications, a district staff member said the administration had budgeted $2,000 per month for the lease. Board members expressed concern about investing time and money if the community center's availability and long-term stability were uncertain; those concerns reinforced the administration's recommendation to keep an in-house, interim alternative-learning model (similar to past AIM Academy arrangements) while the district completes a full implementation plan.
Separately, the superintendent said the district has scheduled a July 2 meeting with CSR to work through the NAERTA clean initiative timeline; applying for certain NAERTA incentives will require an energy-efficiency study and issuing an RFP. The administration said it will share dates and an application timeline at the July 8 board meeting.
What happens next: staff will review county pricing and lease options, continue planning in-house supports for 2027–28 as a contingency, and return a detailed timeline and RFP schedule to the board on July 8.
