Superintendent Gardner and district finance staff told the school board that a roughly $370 million statewide revenue shortfall and a 361-student enrollment decline have cut district funding by about $1.07 million; leaders say they have absorbed the loss with reserves but are planning for potential additional cuts next year.
The Greater Albany Public School District board voted to adopt the superintendent's goals as board goals and to keep the district's existing board working agreement. The board also approved a postponement of purchasing state‑adopted science and health curriculum for the 2025–26 cycle.
The district rolled out a new meal-provider arrangement and a West Albany ship‑out kitchen; food-service staff said the new workload and space constraints have left some kitchens understaffed and challenged, and a parent and a staffer raised concerns about students’ lunch length and kitchen capacity.
Board and outside facilitator led a work session to review a draft board operating agreement, emphasize 'no surprises' communications with the superintendent, and consider meeting-process changes to improve decision-making and public engagement.
District leaders, union and neighboring Lebanon staff described a new classified-employee mentoring pilot designed to reduce turnover, support new hires and strengthen school-level continuity; a $20,250 regional grant will fund the first phase.
Student board members said the new district cell-phone policy helped increase in-person engagement at high schools; principals and the superintendent said high-school staff noted improved classroom attention and social interaction.
Greater Albany Public Schools has engaged Sage Architecture, completed ODE facility assessments and formed a 24‑member long‑range facilities advisory committee; staff expect a draft plan for board review by June 2026.
Superintendent Andy Gardner outlined plans to deepen the district's instructional framework, increase protected observation time for principals and pilot an AI tool (Magic School) to accelerate feedback cycles for teacher practice.
The board agreed to reschedule its September listening session to Oct. 21 to avoid conflict with OSBA training and discussed running future sessions with a focused topic plus an open comment period to increase turnout and usefulness.
An OSBA facilitator told the Greater Albany Public Schools Board that high-performing board behavior measurably improves student outcomes and urged the board to adopt clear expectations, use data for oversight, and strengthen board–superintendent relations.
