Bruce Pritchett, a middle school social studies teacher, holds a sign demanding a fair contract for Albion teachers. About 30 teachers attended Monday’s board meeting, with several holding signs and most wearing T-shirts in support of the teachers’ union.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Two members of the negotiating team for the Albion Teachers Association, Josh Green at left at podium and Chris Keller, address the Board of Education during Monday’s board meeting.

The teachers have been without a contract since June 30, 2025. An impasse has been declared and a mediator will have his first session on Oct. 20 with the negotiating team of the ATA and district officials.

Green and Keller were limited to a 3-minute comment period during the board meeting. They said the district has been underspending its budget by about 25 percent the last three years or by about $10 million a year.

They said the teachers’ request for higher pay could easily be accommodated by the district if it spent the budgeted amounts for teachers.

Keller is a middle school English teacher and Green works in the high school as a social studies teacher. Green noted a 2022 report from the state comptroller that said the district had amassed reserves that were too high. AT that time the district’s reserves were about $17 million. Green and Keller said the reserves now top $50 million.

The two sides are $1.4 million apart in a five-year contract or about $300,000 a year.

Albion teachers are seeking raises that the ATA said reflects the cost-of-living increases and also the extra workload as the district demands more time each day for teachers to be in the classroom. (The first year of the contract would be an extra 10 minutes, and then 20 minutes from years 2 to 5.)

Mickey Edwards, the district superintendent, told the Orleans Hub in a  recent interview that the needs to allow the district to stay within the state-imposed tax cap of about 2 percent annually. The new contract will set the floor for future contracts and the commitment from local taxpayers, Edwards said.

“My hope is we reach a conclusion that is fair and fiscally responsible for both parties and the community,” he said. “It’s about sustainability and being fair to the community.”

Bruce Pritchett, a middle school social studies teacher, holds a sign demanding a fair contract for Albion teachers. About 30 teachers attended Monday’s board meeting, with several holding signs and most wearing T-shirts in support of the teachers’ union.

Albion hasn’t increased what it collects in property taxes in 18 of the last 20 years. The district has benefitted from steady increases in state aid, but Edwards said there is no guarantee that will continue in the future with the state.

The teachers have been without a contract for over a year. They still get their regular step increases and all other benefits while there isn’t a contract except teachers on the highest step of 24 because there isn’t a step increase for them. The district said the steps are an average of 3.8 percent (ranging from 2.6 to 10.6 percent).

The district is proposing in the new contract the regular pay hikes with step increases, plus additional raises of 6.9 percent in the first year, 3.3 percent in the second year, 3.5 percent the third year, 3.3 percent the fourth year and 3.4 percent in the fifth year. The total increase over the 5 years would be 22.1 percent or $2,742,032.

The ATA is seeking a contract that would be about $1.4 million over what the district is offering. The ATA is seeking the usual salary steps plus a 4.8 percent increase the first year, and then 10 percent the second year, 5.7 percent the third year, 4.7 percent the fourth year and 4.7 percent the fifth year.

The district wants teachers to work more instructional time because the district currently is close to the 990-hour minimum for the elementary school and 900-hour minimum for secondary levels, Edwards said. If there is a snow day or other emergency, Albion is cutting it very close to meet the minimum standard, Edwards said.

That added time represents 4.7 percent more time in the classroom for teachers. The ATA said the contract should reflect that additional workload, as well as the cost-of-living increases that the ATA is putting at 3.5 percent annually.

Board of Education will decide on scope of project on Oct. 26 with 3 options ranging from $33.4 million to $47.3 million

Photos by Tom Rivers: This slide presented at the Albion Board of Education meeting on Monday shows a conceptual rendering of a new greenhouse and renovated ag shop at the high school. Rick Recckio II, the district’s assistant superintendent for finance, is at lower right in the photo.

ALBION – The school district plans to put a capital project to a public referendum in mid-December, with the project ranging from $33.4 million to $47.3 million.

The Board of Education will meet at 6 p.m. on Oct. 26 to determine the scope of the project. It could go to a public vote on either Dec. 15 or Dec. 17.

During Monday’s board meeting, four representatives from Campus Construction Management Group went over options for the project after meeting with district stakeholders in recent months. The Campus Construction team included Jason Benfante, vice president; Kevin Donoghue, executive vice president; Kory Hunsinger, principal; Michael Ferreri, senior project manager.

Campus Construction assisted Albion with the recent $26.7 million capital project that was approved by voters December 2021, with construction starting in 2023. Part of that project included the new turf fields for the football field, softball and soccer. That project also included work on all three schools, as well as the bus garage.

The new project also includes work at all three school buildings as well as the bus garage. The price varies depending on the scope of work in the elementary school.

School districts in New York State are required to do a Building Condition Survey every five years for all normally occupied student buildings. The survey identified areas for a new capital project with state aid covering the majority of the expense. The local share from Albion already would be covered in the district’s capital reserve fund, Board of Education member John Kast said during Monday’s meeting.

“Throughout our meetings with stakeholders, these are the things that rose to top,” said Kory Hunsinger, a principal with Campus Construction.

The new project includes some elements that were considered for the previous project, but were removed, Hunsinger said.

The project could include the following:

High School

This slide was presented during the Board of Education meeting and shows the concept of turning the art foyer at the high school int a fitness center.

• Renovate Ag, IT and wood shop – $6.1 million
• Greenhouse addition – $1 million
• Renovate LGI – $3 million
• Renovate counseling suite – $1.2 million
• Renovate art foyer into fitness center – $1.6 million
• Digital athletics/arts wall of fame – $200,000
• Replace areas of damaged roofing – $100,000
• Remediate sewer odor in athletics vestibule – $100,000

Middle School

The auditorium in the middle school would be renovated while preserving its Art Deco character.

• Renovate auditorium, including seating, lighting, rigging and sound – $7.5 million
• Replace areas of damaged roofing – $600,000
• Replace exterior window sills – $300,000
• Provide security film on at-grade windows – $200,000

Elementary School

The scope of work for new ventilation systems, cabinets and windows would vary in the elementary school, ranging from $6.2 million to $20.1 million

• Replace east playground at $2 million
• Replace west playground surfacing at $800,000
• Renovate main entrance courtyard at $300,000, with $200,000 to add snow melt
• Provide security film on at-grade windows at $200,000
• Replace classroom ventilation system, adjacent cabinets and windows; replace classroom flooring, ceilings, caseworks, lighting and upgrade classroom toilet rooms wings A, B, D, G, I, J. This option would be $20.1 million.

Limiting the work to wings A, B, I, and J would reduce the cost to an estimated $12.1 million for Option 2.

Option 3 would be $6.2 million to replace classroom ventilation system, adjacent cabinets and windows in wings A, B, D, G, I and J.

Transportation building

• Replace trench drain in storage and service bays at $200,000
• Replace areas of damaged roofing, $30,000

If the project is approved by voters, Campus Construction would need to finalize the design and get State Department of Education approval. Once State Ed gives the final OK for the project, bid specifications would be prepared with bids likely to be sought in the winter of 2028.

Construction could start in the summer of 2028, and it could take three summers to get all the work done, Campus Construction officials told the Board of Education.

The cost estimates represent about a 21 percent increase from the current construction prices. Campus Construction is estimating a 7 percent price increase in construction each year. If the work is done in two to three years, the company is estimating a 21 percent escalation in construction costs.