COMMUNITY UPDATE
FEBRUARY 2025
Advocating for our students’ needs
Telling our story is an important part of the work we do to serve our community throughout the year.
The achievements of our students and employees. The extensive lists of programs, services and opportunities we offer at every grade level. The partnerships that help our teachers and staff focus on our students’ academic and social-emotional needs. The solutions we put in place when challenges arise – and to proactively head them off before they arise.
At this time of year, an important part of that ongoing cycle of communication is our legislative advocacy. We are active, especially during these important budget-development months, in making the case for the support we believe our students and schools need and deserve.
Led by our Board of Education’s Government Relations Committee, we were busy in that work during February.
That included two days of meetings with state officials Feb. 25-26 in partnership with colleagues from the Conference of Big 5 Schools. That includes New York City, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Yonkers, as well as Albany, Mount Vernon and Utica – smaller districts and communities that share many of the same needs as our state’s largest urban centers.
Our primary focus this year is on fair and equitable updates to the state’s school funding formula that take into account each community’s unique needs. We believe the state is making good progress in this critical area.
Our advocacy also continues to focus on fair prekindergarten funding, support for our English-language learners, assistance in establishing a “Grow Your Own” pathway to help students pursue careers in teaching, and the fiscal challenges posed by the oversaturation of charter schools in Albany.
We also welcomed U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko for a town hall meeting at Albany High School on Feb. 19. The congressman provided a packed auditorium with important updates, and also listened carefully to the many fears in our community over the changes in our nation’s leadership.
The congressman graciously provided me and Albany High Principal Jodi Commerford an opportunity to advocate for the needs of our students prior to his public event. We emphasized our continued commitment to ensuring the rights and dignity of everyone in our school community. The congressman assured us he will continue his strong efforts on behalf of all of Albany’s residents.
Stay tuned for updates as our budget-development cycle continues through the late winter and spring, leading to our annual budget vote and board elections May 20.
Sincerely,
Celebrating Black History Month
We proudly spent February celebrating Black History Month!
While learning about the triumphs and understanding the tragedies of African-Americans past and present is intentionally woven into the fabric of our school community year-round, this month-long observance provides an opportunity to more deeply explore this vibrant and complex history.
You can visit our Facebook page to take a look at some of the many celebrations and workshops throughout the district, and a huge thank you to all our families, employees and community partners who helped contribute to these incredible events.
Hoop happenings
The Albany High School girls' basketball team is getting ready for a Section 2 Class AAA semifinal showdown with Colonie on Friday night.
The third-seeded Falcons (17-4) advanced to the final four with an impressive 73-30 victory over Saratoga Springs on Feb. 26. Eleven players scored in that win — Jasanii Francis Torres led the way with 23 points, and Ny’onah Austin added 11 points.
Friday's semifinal matchup at Hudson Valley Community College will be a meeting between two of the top Class AAA teams in the state — Colonie (15-5) is ranked No. 13, and the Falcons are No. 21. It's also a matchup of the teams that have won the last three Section 2 titles — Albany High in 2022-23, and Colonie last year. Game time Friday is 6 p.m. The winner advances to the championship game on Monday, March 10 at 7:45 p.m., also at Hudson Valley.
The Albany High boys' team ended a successful season with a 61-40 loss to CBA in the quarterfinals at Hudson Valley on March 2. The Falcons finished 12-7 — congratulations to coach Sean Brown and the entire team on a great season!
Indoor Percussion show a hit
Spectators were thrilled by the sights and sounds of marching arts at our Indoor Percussion Ensemble’s home show at Albany High on Feb. 22!
The event featured six competing ensembles – five visiting schools that competed and three exhibition performances. The day also featured a spotlight of the 15 Albany High seniors in the Indoor Percussion Ensemble.
Shout out to Class of 2024 alum Nathaniel Wheeler who came back to his alma mater and provided these photographs of the event!
Winter scholar-athletes
The New York State Public High School Athletic Association announced its winter 2025 scholar-athlete individuals and teams, and we are thrilled to share the wonderful news that 47 Albany High School student-athletes had a 90 or above grade-point average and will receive pins for their scholastic achievements!
Additionally, three of our winter teams earned the Scholar-Athlete Team Award, with the average GPA of the top 75% of the roster being 90 or greater.
Track and field heading to states
Our Albany High boys' indoor track and field team had an outstanding performance at the state qualifying meet held at Hudson Valley Community College on Feb. 22!
We are thrilled to share that several of our Falcons qualified for the state championship:
- Samir Gardner, Nasief Smith, Daaron Harrell and Rohan Edwards-Grant placed first in the 4x200 relay.
- Gardner placed first in the long jump.
- Edwards-Grant placed third in the 55m dash.
- Noah Bizer placed third in the 1600m and will run the 1600m leg of the intersectional relay for Section 2.
The New York State indoor track and field championship will take place on Saturday at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island.
Let's go Falcons!
Pre-K & magnet lotteries
Just a reminder that applications for our pre-K and magnet lotteries must be received by March 14 in order to be included in our April 16 lottery!
Applications receieved after March 14 will be processed in the order that they are received for future rolling lotteries and/or wait lists.
To apply or learn more, you can visit our pre-K 4 and magnet pages.
2025 Hall of Fame applications welcome!
A reminder that we are accepting nominations for the City School District of Albany Hall of Fame Class of 2025 through April 1.
Nominations are accepted in three categories:
- Distinguished graduates – Graduates of any of the high schools that have served our district through the years – Albany High School, and the former Philip Schuyler High School and Street Academy of Albany. Graduates may be nominated based on their achievements while attending our schools, after graduating from high school or both.
- Distinguished educator – Individuals who served as employees of the Albany school system for at least 10 years. Nominees can no longer be working for the school district to be considered.
- Contributor – Any individual who has been a strong supporter of the district’s programs or students for at least 10 years.
You can visit our Hall of Fame section to complete the online nomination form – please be as thorough as possible and remember to include a photo of the nominee – and to learn more about the Hall of Fame and our past induction classes.
2025-26 family calendar available
Our one-page 2025-26 calendar for families – showing days off at a glance – is now available for download!
The 2025-26 school year for students will officially begin Thursday, Sept. 4. Please watch for additional information regarding student schedules for the first days of school.
We're hiring for two assistant superintendents!
Are you a dedicated and compassionate school leader looking to join Superintendent Hochreiter and our administrative team?
Apply now through March 31 for either of our two available assistant superintendent positions:
- Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction
- Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Instruction
For more information and to apply, visit our employment page!
Looking ahead
Don't forget that you can view our online calendar for a look at all the important events coming up throughout the district and at our schools! Also, be sure the contact email we have on file for you is correct so that you automatically receive regular updates through SchoolMessenger, and don't forget to follow us on our various social media platforms!
This site provides information using PDF, visit this link to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader DC software.