Summer school begins Monday, July 8
Superintendent Adams talks with a TV reporter at TOAST on Wednesday about a $75,000 donation from Hannaford to support distance learning for Albany students.
City School District of Albany Superintendent Kaweeda G. Adams joined representatives from the Albany and Schenectady education funds Wednesday to celebrate an incredible $107,000 gift from Hannaford Supermarkets to support distance learning in the two school districts.
Hannaford’s donation includes $75,000 to the Albany Fund for Education, which association Executive Director Mari Shopsis said would put 300-400 laptop computers in the hands of district students early in the new year.
Hannaford announced the donation during an outdoor news conference at Thomas O’Brien Academy of Science and Technology (TOAST).
“We are grateful to Hannaford and the Albany Fund for Education for providing this generous and deeply appreciated support for our students and our school district,” Adams said. “As a community, it is partnerships like these that allow us to rise to the challenges that this worldwide pandemic has brought us and continue to provide the high-quality educational programs and services that our students need and deserve.”
AFE has been actively seeking donations of used computers this fall to support district students in distance learning environments. To date, AFE has distributed nearly 140 devices to students through this effort. The Hannaford gift will significantly enhance those efforts.
“When the perfect storm of inequitable funding cuts and delayed Chromebooks hit our district, we knew we had to respond,” Shopsis said, “because students cannot learn, grow or succeed when they are sharing one Chromebook with two, three or even more siblings, and can't even get online reliably to attend their classes.
“We are so grateful for community partners, like Hannaford, who see the challenges that are facing our students and move quickly to leverage resources to address them.”
About 1,700 district students are currently sharing devices at home due to the shortage and a delayed order of 5,200 Chromebooks. The district ordered the devices in July and initially expected delivery in September. Delivery was delayed until November and remains pending.
“The pandemic has dramatically shifted the way our children are being educated,” said Hannaford Supermarkets Director of Operations Andy Willette. “Hannaford strongly believes that all children should have access to a quality education. We applaud the many teachers and administrators who continue to work so hard to provide enriching instruction in this challenging environment. We hope this donation makes education even more accessible and fosters a love of learning for children in our community.”
If your student is sharing a computer at home, you can contact AFE for more information or fill out the request form online. Students are able to keep these donated devices received through AFE permanently.
