Enrollment committee to hold community forums

in January regarding middle school options for 2009-10

ALBANY, N.Y. (December 16, 2008) -- The City School District of Albany's Middle School Enrollment Planning Committee will hold public forums in January to inform community members about options under consideration for 2009-10 and to solicit feedback.

Presentations will be held on the nights of Wednesday, Jan. 7 and Thursday, Jan. 8, and on the morning of Saturday, Jan. 10. Two presentations will be held each day, with the same information presented at each. Parents and community members are invited to attend the presentation that is most convenient. The full schedule follows; you also can download the event flyer in .pdf format:

Albany Community Development Agency

200 Henry Johnson Boulevard, 434-5240

10-11:30 a.m.

North Albany Academy

570 North Pearl Street, 475-6800

10-11:30 a.m.

Committee members will present information about two options -- a feeder system, in which students from designated elementary schools would continue on to designated middle schools, and a random school assignment system, in which all students would be assigned through an annual, random, computer-generated process. For additional information, you can check out the committee's Dec. 2 presentation to the Board of Education.  

The 30-member committee has been working throughout the fall to draft a recommendation for the board. Following the Dec. 2 presentation, the board directed the committee to organize public forums as its next step.

The district will enroll students in grades 6-8 in Stephen and Harriet Myers Middle School and William S. Hackett Middle School in 2009-10. North Albany Academy also will continue to serve students in prekindergarten through grade 8. Philip Livingston Magnet Academy will not be enrolled as a middle school in 2009-10 due to declining enrollment.

Myers, Hackett and North Albany each have been part of the district's current facilities project for elementary and middle schools. Myers is a completely new facility that opened in September 2005. Hackett (September 2008) and North Albany (September 2005) both were completely renovated. As a result, all students in grades 6-8 will have the opportunity to access state-of-the-art school buildings beginning in 2009-10.

The committee held its first weekly meeting Oct. 15, and is working toward a Feb. 3 target for the board to approve an enrollment plan. The timeline for the committee’s work follows:

• Sept. 18-Oct. 1 -- Committee established

• Oct. 15-Dec. 2 -- Committee develops and implements work plan

• Dec. 2 -- Committee presents recommendation to the Board of Education for discussion

• Jan. 7-10 -- Public forums

• Jan. 15 -- Committee presents revised recommendation to the board

• Feb. 3 -- Board approves plan

For more information, please contact Ron Lesko in the Communications Office at 475-6075.

The City School District of Albany serves approximately 8,400 students in 18 elementary, middle and high schools. In addition to neighborhood schools, the district includes several magnet schools and programs, as well as other innovative academic opportunities for students. The district is more than halfway through its comprehensive facilities project to newly build and/or renovate nearly all of its elementary and middle schools. The ultimate goal of the facilities project is to provide schools with the resources necessary to help students succeed in the 21st century.