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Parent urges review of UPK lottery after 43‑day notification delay; district says outside vendor and classroom capacity drove timing
Summary
A Sachem parent told the board May 7 that Universal Prekindergarten lottery results were not mailed until May 7 despite a Feb. 28 application deadline; district staff said an outside vendor randomizes the list and notifications wait until staffing and room availability are confirmed.
A parent told the Sachem Central School District board May 7 that she and other families experienced a lengthy delay between the close of the Universal Prekindergarten (UPK) lottery and notification, and asked the district to improve transparency.
Jessica Avallos said the UPK lottery closed Feb. 28 at 3 p.m. but she and other families did not receive notification packets until May 7 — a gap she described as “a delay of 43 school days” that left families scrambling to find fall placements.
"Why is this process not live or visible to families in real time? Why aren't results posted promptly so parents can plan accordingly?" Avallos asked the board.
A district staff member who identified themselves as the UPK administrator explained that the district uses an outside agency to randomize the applicant list and that the district receives only the randomized numbers back from that vendor. The administrator said notifications are issued in waves and the timing of acceptances depends on staffing and room availability.
“We used the same system we did last year, released the same number of initial acceptances as last year… those letters go out immediately as soon as we can get that information,” the staff member said, adding that the district had more than 500 applicants and expected to accept roughly in the “ballpark” of 360 students based on current projections.
The UPK administrator also said the district will look into whether the outside vendor could provide live-number results or host the drawing in a way that is visible to the public, but noted that knowing an applicant's number alone does not tell families whether that number will be reached when acceptance thresholds depend on final room counts, staff availability and the number of classrooms the district operates.
The parent asked the board to review the lottery procedures for greater transparency and safeguards; the district said it would explore potential changes, including whether an audit firm or vendor could perform the randomization visibly in the boardroom or online and whether notification timing could be improved without risking offers the district cannot support.
No formal action was taken at the meeting; district staff committed to look into vendor procedures and to continue sending acceptance letters as classroom and staffing confirmations allow.
