Community Update: November 2023

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Communications
Community Update: November 2023

Listening and learning

Listening and learning. It’s what we do in education – students and adults alike!

This continues to be a primary focus for me as I get to the halfway point of my first full year in 91��.

Since I started in June, I’ve met with students, employees and families. I’ve met with elected officials (some multiple times!), including Mayor Sheehan, Police Chief Hawkins, many Common Council members individually and as a full group, County Executive McCoy, County Legislature Chairman Joyce, District Attorney Soares, and our state Senate and Assembly representatives, Neil Breslin and Pat Fahy, respectively.

I’ve also met with presidents of several institutions of higher learning in our city and region, as well as business, community and religious leaders.

I have learned that the City School District of 91�� has a wealth of outstanding partners throughout our community, and that they are, without exception, invested in successful outcomes for all of our students.

I hope to learn more about what we as an organization believe we are doing well, and what we believe we must improve, during discussions with faculty and staff in every building this fall and winter. I deeply value the perspectives of the dedicated employees in our school district who have been doing this work far longer than me.

I’m also looking forward to following up on my meetings with parent-teacher organization leaders earlier this year with visits to individual PTA/PTSA meetings. If we’re at an event together, please feel free to introduce yourself, and if you’d like to share a comment, question or invitation, send me a note at superintendent@albany.k12.ny.us.

My door is open – literally and figuratively – and my schedule is busy as I am listening, watching and learning. That is how I operate.

I pledge to continue to work with all of you to celebrate our successes, confront the issues we face honestly and forthrightly, and iron out our differences respectfully, with our kids at the forefront of all we do.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support.

Sincerely,

Joseph Hochreiter
Superintendent

Marching Falcons returning to France

The City School District of 91�� Marching Falcons once again have been invited to France to help commemorate an important anniversary of the D-Day invasion of World War II.

Under the direction of marching band director Bryan Cady, the Marching Falcons are scheduled to be one of only two bands from around the world to perform on Omaha Beach in Normandy next June 6. The performance will be part of France’s events marking the 80^th anniversary of the historic battle that changed the course of World War II in Europe. The Marching Falcons also participated in the 75^th anniversary D-Day events in 2019.

If you would like to help support the Marching Falcons’ trip to France, donations can be made through the 91�� Fund for Education. Visit for more information.

You also can catch the Marching Falcons live in the city's Nov. 11 Veterans Day Parade. The parade begins at 11 a.m. at Central Avenue and Ontario Street, and concludes in front of the State Education Building on Washington Avenue.

Our legislative priorities for 2024-25

Funding equity that takes into account the unique needs of individual school districts and communities will be the City School District of 91��’s top legislative advocacy priority for the 2024-25 school year.

Developed this fall by the board’s Government Relations Committee, the district’s 2024-25 legistlative priorities begin with the critical need for funding equity now that the state has followed through on its commitment to fully fund Foundation Aid for all districts statewide. Our district strongly believes that, moving forward, school funding formulas must take into account the unique needs of individual districts and communities in a more intentional way than the current Foundation Aid formula does.

Additional legislative priorities for the 2024-25 budget-development cycle are:

Equitable prekindergarten funding
Expanding and diversifying the recruitment and retention of new teachers
Investments in social-emotional and mental health supports
Regulatory and fiscal relief from the oversaturation of charter schools

You can follow this link to learn more about these priorities.

Short Play Fest coming up at 91�� High

The 91�� High School Theater Ensemble will present three performances of the 2023 Short Play Festival from Nov. 17-19.

The festival will feature world premieres of five original plays written and directed by 91�� High students that explore the good and bad aspects of social media.

Please note, some of the plays contain strong language and may not be appropriate for very young audiences.

Shows are Friday, Nov. 17 and Saturday, Nov. 18 at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 19 at 2 p.m. Tickets will be sold at the door and cost $15 each for general admission and $5 each for students and seniors.

District physician recognized

Hudson Valley Magazine once again has recognized City School District of 91�� physician Dr. Laura Staff as one of the top doctors in the region.

Dr. Staff was among 90 physicians in the 91�� Med Health System recognized on the annual list, which is published in the magazine’s November edition. She is one of only three physicians in the 91�� Med system recognized in the family medicine practice area.

Dr. Staff is a regular on Hudson Valley Magazine’s annual list, and we congratulate her on this noteworthy recognition.

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