Handling Hallway, Staircase Crowds at the High School No Small Task

Overcrowding, and its range of associated issues, means different things to different people, but many in the community—parents, students, officials and other residents alike—have an opinion on it. Albany Patch will continue to explore its effects in depth throughout the school year.

But many agree there are just too many bodies at Albany High School to keep circulation moving smoothly, especially between classes. The school has two stairwells and three floors. The building, which many say was built to fit about 1,000 students, has been home to closer to 1,300 in recent years.

Many officials and parents say the district needs to keep the student body this large to offer a variety of electives and advanced classes which otherwise the district could not afford.

Some people, including School Board member David Glasser, dispute this argument, saying such a large population puts more strain on facilities and necessitates expenses such as portable classrooms and $50,000 spent on vending machines because students don't have enough time during lunch to make it through the cafeteria line.

Part of the district's approach to build up its student attendance has been to allow in students from outside the district; as of earlier this month, Superintendent Marla Stephenson estimated there would be about 520, of 3,846 total students, district-wide in 2010-11.

Many people say they're happy with the diversity of experience these students bring; others express concern that these students dilute the effect of Albany's parcel taxes and may not be prepared for the district's academics.

Other than the children of teachers, no new out-of-district transfers will be accepted this fall, Stephenson said, though the district will continue to make space for those who were admitted in the past.

The district has talked about adding a third staircase to ease the flow at the high school, but this likely would necessitate a new bond measure. Superintendent Stephenson said one place this could work is outside the library; an external stairwell would give students a chance to get into the fresh air, she added.

One way the district hopes to create some space at the high school is by building three to eight portable classrooms outside as part of the Albany Pool project. The classrooms are scheduled to be complete for 2011-12. Details for the portables will be determined after the district opens bids for the pool project Aug. 25, and will be based on how much pool construction is projected to cost.

The district also has hired a contractor to check on students who may have provided a false address so they could go to school in Albany. Stephenson said the contractor will work hourly on call, and will make multiple home visits to determine residency. Students found to have provided a false address will be given 30 days to leave the district, which would lead to more space throughout local schools. (There's no telling how much more space, however.)

One of the main challenges in thinking about crowding, Stephenson said, is that there really is no set capacity for Albany school buildings, despite the fact that people often say the high school was "built for 1,000." She said, as far as she knows, this number does not appear anywhere official.

"Nowhere did we say we were building a school for a certain amount of kids," Stephenson said. "The only way you know, is can you fit every kid in the classrooms?"

There are three ways to think about how many students should use each campus, she said: how many children fit in a classroom; how many times that classroom is used daily; and what you want your total enrollment to be regardless of those factors. 

There are 54 classrooms at the high school, not including PE, she said. If each had 30 students, that means there could be up to 1,620 students on campus each day.

"Do we have the capacity? Yes we do," she said. "Would we ever want to house that many children? No we wouldn't."

The Board of Education will hear a report in September about facilities, Stephenson said, which will offer more insight into school capacity and other considerations. The report will include suggestions about future building requirements as well studies and projections about enrollment. 

As of earlier this month, about 1,241 students were slated to attend Albany High. The number changes daily, however, up through the first week of school, Stephenson said.