Albany Schools Propose $342M Budget, Cut Staff as COVID Aid Ends | The Locally Times
The plan holds the tax levy increase under 1% but cuts staff positions as federal COVID-19 aid expires, with key details on enrollment and specific cuts absent from public documents.
The City School District of Albany has proposed a $342.4 million budget for the 2025-26 school year, a plan that pairs a minimal tax increase with significant staffing changes driven by the end of federal pandemic relief funding. This marks the fifth consecutive year the district has put forward an increase of less than 1%. Residents will vote on the budget and a Board of Education election on Tuesday, May 20, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Three candidates are running for two open seats on the board. While the district presents the budget as a continuation of fiscal stability, the plan relies on reducing staff expenses to close a gap left by expiring federal aid. The public documents, however, lack the specific data needed to fully assess the budget’s impact on classrooms and school operations. ## Staff Cuts Follow End of Federal COVID Aid A central component of the 2025-26 budget is the reduction of staff expenses. According to district documents, these savings will be achieved by not filling vacant positions and through retirements. The strategy is a direct response to the expiration of temporary federal COVID-19 relief funds for schools. While the district identifies the cause, its public budget information does not quantify the scale of the changes. The documents do not specify the total number of positions to be eliminated, nor do they provide a breakdown of which roles—such as teachers, aides, or administrative staff—will be affected. Furthermore, the records do not indicate which schools or academic programs will see the largest impact. The total dollar amount of the expiring federal aid is also not specified, making it difficult for the public to determine the size of the budget hole the district is working to fill. However, that newsletter was not included with the primary budget documents, leaving critical details about the plan’s direct consequences on school services and personnel unclear. ## Enrollment Data Missing to Support Staffing Claims The district’s budget proposal asserts that despite staff reductions, staff-to-student ratios will remain the same or improve in the coming year, a projection it attributes to an anticipated decline in student enrollment. However, this claim is not substantiated with data in the provided budget information. The district has not released its specific enrollment projections for the 2025-26 school year, nor has it detailed the projected decline by grade level or school. Without these figures, it is impossible to independently verify the district’s assertion about classroom ratios or understand how staffing changes might affect different parts of the district. ## Delayed Hearing for $10.4M Student Achievement Plan Separate from the general budget is the district’s 2025-26 Contract for Excellence plan. According to a document on the district’s website, this plan allocates $10,460,870 toward improving student achievement and building capacity to serve students in high-needs schools. The contract is governed by state regulations that require targeted efforts to help students who are not meeting state standards. While the funds are part of the overall financial plan voters will decide on in May, the timeline for public input on this specific $10.4 million contract raises procedural questions. The district has scheduled a public hearing on the Contract for Excellence for Thursday, September 11, nearly four months after the May 20 budget vote. The deadline for written comments is August 28. This schedule places the public hearing long after the overall budget, including the total allocation for the Contract for Excellence, will have already been approved by voters. The district’s documents do not explain how public feedback gathered in September can meaningfully influence a spending plan that was finalized and passed the previous spring. ## What to Watch As the May 20 vote approaches, the key details of the Albany school district’s budget remain undefined in public records. The number of staff positions being cut, the specific schools and programs affected, the data behind the projected enrollment decline, and the total value of the expired federal aid have not been released. Residents will vote on a $342.4 million budget without a complete picture of its operational consequences. The subsequent public hearing in September for the $10.4 million Contract for Excellence provides a later opportunity for engagement, but its capacity to alter an already-approved budget is unclear.