Albany Academy Interim Strategic Plan 2025-2026

2025–2026

INTERIM STRATEGIC PLAN

APPROVED JUNE 10, 2025

CONTENTS INTRODUCTION

2

OVERVIEW OF CHANGES

3

INTERIM STRATEGIC GOALS

6

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

17

LEADERSHIP

18

INTRODUCTION This interim strategic plan serves as an extension and revision of The Albany Academies' 2019 Strategic Plan. It is designed to guide institutional priorities and decision-making during the leadership transition set for July 2026.

Recognizing that a newly appointed Head of School will likely launch a comprehensive strategic planning process in collaboration with the Board of Trustees, this interim plan ensures continuity, provides focus, and establishes a foundation for continued progress in key areas.

The goals and subgoals outlined here have been updated to reflect initiatives undertaken since 2019, current institutional realities, and areas requiring further development. The plan was reviewed by the Senior Leadership Team, the Governance Committee, and was approved by the Board of Trustees in June 2025.

INTERIM STRATEGIC PLAN | 2025-2026

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OVERVIEW OF CHANGES FROM THE 2019 STRATEGIC PLAN The following strategic goals from the School’s 2019 plan were considered to be completed to satisfaction.

They have become operational goals and were removed from the 2025 Interim Strategic Plan:

Better coordinate our programs and community across Albany Academy for Girls, The Albany Academy, and Lower, Middle, and Upper School divisions.

Tell our story more compellingly to attract mission-appropriate students, faculty, and staff.

Two new strategic goals were added to the 2025 Interim Strategic Plan:

Continue work that ensures financial viability.

Pursue physical plant upgrades and campus preservation.

The four remaining goals from the 2019 Strategic Plan have been updated to reflect the progress made on them and new priorities that have emerged since their original formulation.

With these changes, the goals of the 2025 Interim Strategic Plan are as follows: GOAL 1: Continue our tradition of academic excellence as we prepare students for a rapidly changing world.

GOAL 2: Attract, retain, and engage a highly qualified faculty and staff with the skills and competencies necessary to meet the mission of Albany Academy.

GOAL 3: Nurture an intentionally inclusive learning community that promotes academic excellence, enriches the school, and enhances the experience of every learner.

GOAL 4: Create healthy, vibrant, and full enrollment.

GOAL 5: Continue work that ensures financial viability.

GOAL 6: Pursue physical plant upgrades and campus preservation.

Given the number of goals, the objectives for each goal in the interim plan have been prioritized from highest to lowest, with one being the highest-priority objective.

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CONFIDENCE BUILT. CURIOUSITY ENCOURAGED.

INTERIM STRATEGIC GOAL 1 Continue our tradition of academic excellence as we prepare students for a rapidly changing world.

As we continue to progress toward this goal, we will: 1.Develop community partnerships to create opportunities and pathways to strengthen curriculum and outcomes.

2.Evaluate the integration of academic, athletic, and arts programs to affirm the primacy of the academic program and demonstrate how athletics and the arts enrich and extend student learning.

3.Enhance students' STEAM experiences by creating centralized spaces that support interdisciplinary learning.

4.Strengthen our support of non-traditional learners by expanding differentiated instruction while maintaining academic rigor.

5.Gain clarity regarding the scope and sequence of our curriculum by defining desired learning outcomes across divisions and disciplines.

6.Map the curriculum by grade level and subject area.

7.Establish a shared teaching and learning framework to better coordinate our collective work.

8.Evaluate the role of instructional and assistive technology to determine where enhancements are needed.

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INTERIM STRATEGIC GOAL 2 Attract, retain, and engage a highly qualified faculty and staff with the skills and competencies necessary to meet the mission of Albany Academy.

As we continue to progress toward this goal, we will: 1.Focus on employee satisfaction and engagement through structured feedback loops, surveys, and timely communication from leadership.

2.Build and empower a professional culture of recognition to enhance engagement and retention.

3.Evaluate the remission policy and clarify its application to alleviate concerns and address perceptions of school’s employees.

4.Educate employees on the scope and value of their benefits through improved communication and consultation.

5.Explore compensation strategy to evaluate current models and develop clear rationales for any changes.

6.Consider updating employee contracting to allow greater planning and stability.

7.Enhance performance management systems for greater consistency, with a focus on ongoing employee professional development.

8.Increase stipend oversight to monitor use and ensure sustainability.

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INTERIM STRATEGIC GOAL 3 Nurture an intentionally inclusive learning community that promotes academic excellence, enriches the school, and enhances the experience of every learner.

As we continue to progress toward this goal, we will: 1.Implement intrinsic bias training for all employees to reinforce our commitment to ongoing growth and accountability. Measure and reassess progress to identify areas of growth and new opportunities for targeted action.

2.Reconstitute a standing committee on inclusion and belonging to evaluate progress and make recommendations related to this strategic priority.

3.Strengthen the sense of belonging to cultivate a culture where every student feels seen, heard, and supported.

4.Ensure consistent leadership and ownership by identifying a dedicated leader or team responsible for advancing inclusion and belonging work.

5.Continue to diversify faculty and leadership through reviewing and refining hiring practices and outreach platforms, and by communicating our inclusive identity more clearly to potential applicants.

6.Engage families and the broader community in conversations and events that promote equity and shared values.

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INTERIM STRATEGIC GOAL 4 Create healthy, vibrant, and full enrollment.

As we continue to progress toward this goal, we will: 1.Sustain full enrollment success in Lower School and ensure new investments are justified by market demand and long-term sustainability.

2.Strengthen Middle School and Upper School enrollment through a targeted enrollment growth strategy and marketing the divisions’ distinctive values.

3.Support transitions for new students by providing intentional academic and social support.

4.Enhance social and emotional learning with a consistent approach across divisions.

5.Align pedagogical and learner needs by continuing to employ teaching methods and learning accommodations that best meet the needs of non-traditional learners.

6.Explore whether additional specialists in targeted subject areas would improve academic outcomes.

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BIG SUPPORT. BIG EXPECTATIONS.

INTERIM STRATEGIC GOAL 5 Continue work that ensures financial viability.

As we continue to progress toward this goal, we will: 1.Track programs and opportunities that impact revenue and make adjustments as necessary.

2.Gain efficiencies in costs wherever possible by reviewing programming approach/models.

3.Monitor employment and enrollment alignment to prevent imbalances.

4.Launch a capital campaign focused on campus improvements.

5.Regularly evaluate tuition rates and make the strategic adjustments necessary to optimize affordability and sustainability.

6.Consider diversifying the international program to better manage the inherent risks in recruiting students exclusively from China.

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INTERIM STRATEGIC GOAL 6 Pursue physical plant upgrades and campus preservation.

As we continue to progress toward this goal, we will: 1.Design and construct an Upper School Innovation Center for innovation-focused learning, integrating engineering, robotics, coding, and entrepreneurship.

2.Modernize Upper School science labs and update electrical systems to support advanced coursework, laboratory research, and interdisciplinary STEM learning.

3.Create a dedicated Lower School STEAM Center that introduces students to foundational concepts in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics at the elementary level.

4.Address space constraints in the Lower School and Middle School building by improving spaces in a fiscally responsible manner.

5.Consider Picotte Fieldhouse improvements to enhance both student-athlete experience and spectator engagement.

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2025-26 BOARD OF TRUSTEES Eric Lewis ’83, P’17, President Neerav Patel ’96, P’31, Vice President Michael Lasch P’20, ’22, Treasurer Caron O’Brien Crummey ’77, P’04, Secretary Carl Becker ’04, P’35 Nicole Borisenok Krasodomski ’08 Fran’Cee Brown-McClure P’27 Kyle Flik P’18, ’20, ’23, ’26 Robert Higgins ’77 David Hollander P’19 Laura Hotaling P’36, ’38 Peter Kim ’87 Cara Milde P’26, ’29, ’32 Geoffrey Plante P’20, ’22 Andrew Safranko ’91, P’23, ’26 Elissa Smith P’23, ’25, ’26 Eileen Tucker Spiro ’05 Sara Strope ’96 Anthony Tracey ’00, P’32, ’36 Richard Ward ’85 Nancy Wekselbaum ’69

SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM

GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE

Christopher Lauricella P’20, ’22, Head of School

Carl Becker ’04, P’35, Chair

Trent Bennett, Director of Facility

Michael Lasch P’20, ’22

Vivian Benton, Chief Financial Officer

Cara Milde P’26, ’29, ’32

Jak Bestle, Director of College Counseling

Geoffrey Plante P’20, ’22

Bradley Bodmer, Director of Institutional Advancement

Sara Strope ’96

Jenna Bongermino, Chief Human Resources Officer

Eric Lewis ’83, P’17

Jessica Chen P’32, ’33, Director of International

Christopher Lauricella P’20, ’22, Head of School

Suzanne Clarkson, Head of Lower School

Shelly Reid P’12, ’23, Executive Assistant to Head of School and Board of Trustees

Adam Collett P’32, Head of Middle School Paul Gallucci, Director of Athletics Kayla Germain, Director of Marketing & Communications Richard Johnson P’35, Director of Visual & Performing Arts Jen Poole P’35, ’38, Director of College Counseling Richard Puccio, Director of Admissions & Enrollment Shelly Reid P’12, ’23, Executive Assistant to Head of School and Board of Trustees Angela Sears P’19, ’24, Lead Nurse Christine Vaughan P’32, Head of Upper School

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