What are Listening Sessions?
Listening Sessions were adopted by the School Board of Directors on Sept. 27, 2021 during a Regular School Board meeting. Listening Sessions are designed for the community to ask questions and share information with Board members. The intent, as schedules allow, is to have one zone represented, with an At Large member alternating at each session. Listening Sessions will not be recorded or live streamed.
The School Board will host four Listening Sessions in the school year with a time limit of 1 hour per session. The Board may use the first 5-10 minutes of each session to discuss zone or district business. The School Board of Directors may list a topic for a particular Listening Session in their zone if they feel it is appropriate.
Listening Sessions for the 2024-25 academic school year will be held on the following dates from 5:30-6:30 pm:
- September 23, 2024 – North Albany Middle School (Chair Morse and Vice Chair Mattingly)
- December 9, 2024 – Sunrise Elementary (Zone 3 – Director Taylor and Vice Chair Mattingly)
- March 10, 2025 – Periwinkle Elementary (Zone 2 – Director Nyquist and Chair Morse)
- June 9, 2025 – West Albany High School (Zone 1 – Director Wilson and Vice Chair Mattingly)
Listening Session Guidelines
- A sign-up sheet will become available 15 minutes prior to the session start time. All district residents or guardians who have signed up will be allowed to speak prior to a second comment. Information required to be listed for residents or guardians to make a comment is name, affirmation of district residence, school, and topic.
- Comments will be limited to residents or guardians of students who attend school in the district. If a comment or question is being submitted by a guardian who lives outside the district, the guardian will be required to affirm they have a student attending GAPS who they are representing, and list the school where the student attends.
- Each comment will be given an eight-minute time period. During this time, the comment can be delivered and discussed. Number of comments at each listening session will vary depending on length of comments.
- After the eight-minute period, we will move on to the next commenter. With that said, that does not mean the comment is complete. One of the school board directors or district staff may follow up as needed or appropriate.
- If you don’t get your question answered or comment delivered, you are welcome to come to the next session.
- Residents and guardians will have a limited number of comments per month at listening sessions.
- Complaints about staff members will not be heard during listening sessions and must follow KL Concerns and Complaints and KL-AR Concern and Complaint Procedure. Following policy BDDH, speakers may offer objective criticism of district operations and programs, but the Board will not hear any criticism regarding specific student groups, district staff members, and district representatives.
- Listening Sessions with Stakeholders will last a maximum of 1 hour.
- School Board Directors may list a topic for a particular listening session in their zone if they feel it is appropriate.
- First 5-10 minutes of the listening session may be used by the director/s and or district staff to discuss zone/district business.
If you have questions regarding Listening Sessions, contact Chris Green, School Board Secretary (chris.green@albany.k12.or.us) or call 541-967-4511.