Albany County · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Albany County public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
School-based truancy prevention in Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk
Chronic school absenteeism is back on the county's radar with a revived truancy program pairing DCYF caseworkers with Albany police and schools. Legislators want daily attendance checks so problems surface immediately, not weeks later.
Preschool and Early Intervention Special Education Pay Rates
Albany County spends about $21 million a year on evaluations and therapies for more than 800 kids ages 3 to 5 with disabilities. Evaluations take about a month, and speech therapists are in short supply.
Middle-school substance use prevention
The Addictions Care Center of Albany will bring a Stanford-developed cannabis awareness curriculum into three middle schools, filling a gap between elementary and high school prevention efforts. Legislator Pedo pushed for future programs to target schools by need, and staff noted rural districts often lack access to treatment services.
Transportation for children with special needs
The county must provide transportation for children with special needs to get to preschool. The Rajan Group won the contract as the only bidder on the request for proposals.