AISD principals’ contracts renewed
By Melinda L. Lucas
One-year contract extensions were approved for principals Glen Hill at Albany Junior/Senior High School and John Gallagher at Nancy Smith Elementary School, with any salary increases contingent on the 2023-2024 budget and relevant action taken during the upcoming state legislative session.
District level positions will be discussed next month and the rest of the staff in April, according to AISD superintendent Jonathan Scott.
Hill is in his third year with Albany ISD, while Gallagher will complete his fourth year at NSES this spring. The agreements unanimously approved this week extend their duties through June of 2024.
The meeting was closed after regular business at 9:06 p.m., reopened briefly with contract action about 10:50 p.m., and adjourned a few minutes later.
Staff Resignations
Although one of them is not yet official, Scott informed the board about four staff resignations. The board accepted resignations, with regrets, from Sunny Parker, Kelly Windham, and Roxanne Raymond.
Raymond, who has taught at the elementary school here for 24 years, is retiring at the end of the school year. The other two have already left the district for other positions.
In addition, Scott said that Jamie Wilson plans to leave education after the spring semester, although she has not yet submitted her resignation.
School Safety Update
Scott reported some of the information he has gathered about fencing the elementary campus for security purposes, as well as placing special “film” on certain windows at both campuses.
About 2,200 linear feet of chain link fencing is estimated for the exterior of the playground areas at Nancy Smith Elementary, with quotes expected to be well over $100,000.
Trustees discussed placement of fencing on the south side of the property, possibly leaving the existing backstops open to the public, but no decisions were made.
“Whatever we establish needs to be secure with limited access and locked gates,” said Scott.
He stated that window film “makes more sense on the secondary campus,” where it would be difficult to add adequate fencing.
Elementary Gym
Scott gave a update on the status of the elementary gym, with trustees agreeing that it is past time to make repairs.
A facilities assessment several years ago determined that the “high ceiling” part of the building is relatively solid, but the “low ceiling areas,” such as the coaches office and old kitchen, are not in good shape. There is also some asbestos that will need to be abated.
No definitive plans were made, but Scott said he would “bring more data as I get quotes.”
Other Business
•A 2023-2024 school calendar was adopted, as recommended by the District Improvement Committee. Scott said the calendar is very similar to this year’s.
•The superintendent reported that the new stage floor had to be stripped, stained, and refinished, but is now complete.
