Albany County schools approve fuel contracts, budget amendment, recreation levy support

Albany County schools locked in the contracts that will keep buses moving, meals served and rural schools heated next year. Trustees approved Dooley Oil for fuel and gasoline, Blakeman Propane for Rock River and Centennial, and an amendment to the Sodexo food service contract, while also approving a fiscal year 2026 budget amendment and a resolution supporting the one-mill recreation levy.

Those decisions go straight to the operating costs families rarely see until something breaks or runs short. Dooley Oil will supply fuel and gasoline for the 2026-2027 school year, and Blakeman Propane will provide propane for the district’s schools in Rock River and Centennial, where heating fuel is not an abstract line item but a basic requirement for keeping buildings open and usable through winter. The $2,720 donation from the Wyoming Hunger Initiative and Hilton Garden Inn will go to the food service program, adding a small but practical cushion to daily breakfast and lunch operations.

The recreation levy vote carries broader countywide implications. The Albany County Recreation Board says the one-mill levy is its primary funding source and has historically supported about $600,000 in projects. A City of Laramie recreation document for fiscal year 2027 listed 18 grant requests totaling $414,650.45, with 15 recommended for funding at $372,273.45. Trustees backed the levy with an eye toward the July 15 budget hearing, when the district said it intended to consider approval again.

Board members also touched the policies and support systems that shape daily life in district schools and offices. They renewed the employee assistance memorandum with Pathways, Inc. through June 30, 2028, extending access to staff support services. On the policy side, trustees approved first-reading changes covering graduation ceremonies and a prohibition on deepfake images and other media, second-reading changes on cellphone and smart device use plus capitalization and inventory, and third-reading adoption of finance and accounting policy.

The June 10 regular business meeting also included recognition for the ACSD#1 Extensions Team, the Snowy Range FFA Chapter and the Laramie High School girls soccer team. Taken together, the votes showed a district focusing on the routine expenses that keep schools running in Albany County, from rural fuel tanks to lunch trays to the next round of local recreation spending.