News

Staff are returning to get ready for the 2017-18 school year. On Friday, new teachers joined GAPS administrators for an orientation session.

Seventy-four new teachers have joined the GAPS team in schools around the District this year, bringing the total number of teachers to 475.

The new teacher group includes 52 new teachers who are starting this fall and 22 teachers who were hired during the school year. Nineteen of these teachers are first-year teachers.

The District recently sold the bonds approved by voters for school construction projects. There was very good news: they were able to get more for the money through premium bonds, a higher cost bond for investors. For GAPS taxpayers, this means that an additional $28 million will be available for projects at no additional cost to them.

The District also qualified for $6.9 million in state matching funds that became available after other districts with higher priority for the funds failed to pass their measures. These funds will ensure that the tax rate stays at the level that was estimated prior to the election.

Planning for the projects is on a fast track. Design drawings, timelines and project details will be published this fall. We’ll publish the news as we get it.

Read the story in the Democrat-Herald.

People around the country anticipated today’s eclipse, and it didn’t disappoint. Here is a recap[ of the event.

Thank you to Albany Options teacher Tassay Gillispie and counselor Anna Harryman for the photos.

Welcome, Bob Daugherty, Sunrise Elementary School Principal.

I am very excited to begin my 31st year in education and my first year at Sunrise Elementary School. I have been in the GAPS system for the past 13 years, serving as assistant principal at West Albany High School for eight years and principal at Periwinkle Elementary the past five years. It is my belief that all students are learners, and I bring with me a core belief that students need an environment that is loving and caring to develop their learning. My motto is, “What’s best for kids.”

It is in my nature to be a servant leader. I believe that teachers are key to the development of our future and that their work is demanding and difficult. School support staff play a vital role in the nurturing and care to ensure our students’ safety and well-being. For these reasons, I believe my job is to support these professionals so that they are at their best for students.

I am ready to forge new relationships in the Sunrise Community, especially connecting with a new group of students! I am blessed with the commission to change lives.

The start of the new school year is around the corner. Find information to help get ready for on the Back-to-School Resource page, including:

• Registration Dates
• School Supply List
• Start Times
• School Calendar