Parent raises concerns about UPK lottery, district explains state rules and funding limits

A Mount Sinai parent, John Cardino, addressed the board during public comment to ask why his twin sons were treated differently by the district’s Universal Pre‑K (UPK) lottery and where unspent state funds go when seats are not filled.

Cardino said he was “advocating for my son” after one twin was accepted to the UPK program and the other was not. He told the board he was concerned that the district’s website labels the program “universal” while the district also runs a lottery when demand exceeds seats, and he asked where the “extra money” went when historically not all allotted seats were filled.

A district speaker (not fully identified in the transcript) responded: “So the UPK is a very unique program, and it's called universal pre k, not because we call it that. That's what the state calls it.” The speaker said state rules set a maximum of 18 students per UPK classroom and explained that when demand exceeds seats the district must use a lottery to allocate openings "because that's the only way that it's fair to give seats to students." The speaker added that the state pays $5,400 per student and that the district does not receive the unspent portion for seats that are not filled: “Every dollar goes back to the state. So they say they're giving us that money, but we're not spending that money.”

A separate board/administration speaker acknowledged the problem and said district leaders and other Long Island boards are “advocating” for changes at the state level to make UPK funding and seat allocation more flexible. The speaker described the current structure as “one of those, it sounds great, universal pre k, but when you, the way they instituted the program, it puts so many restraints on the individual districts.”

Cardino also raised tuition cost concerns for families who cannot obtain a seat; the board response did not propose an immediate remedy for his family but said the district recognizes the policy limits and is part of broader advocacy efforts to change state practice.

PERSONS

- John Cardino, Resident/Parent (citizen) - District official (not specified), (government) - Board representative (not specified), (government)

AUTHORITIES

- type:policy; name/description: New York State UPK program rules as described in meeting (class-size limit, per‑pupil allocation); referenced_by:["universal-pre-k-lottery-and-state-funding-constraints"]

CLARIFYING_DETAILS

- {"category":"class_size_limit","detail":"UPK classroom maximum as stated by district","value":18,"units":"students","approximate":false} - {"category":"state_per_pupil_payment","detail":"State per‑student amount cited for UPK","value":5400,"units":"USD","approximate":false} - {"category":"seats_filled_last_year","detail":"Seats reportedly budgeted vs. filled (parent cited)","value":"budgeted 87, filled 53","units":"seats","approximate":false}

COMMUNITY_RELEVANCE

- geographies:["Mount Sinai Union Free School District","Suffolk County, NY"], - funding_sources:["state UPK allocation"], - impact_groups:["preschool families","twins or siblings seeking placement"]

MEETING_CONTEXT

- engagement_level: {"speakers_count":3,"duration_minutes":8,"items_count":1}, - implementation_risk: "low", - history:[{"date":"not specified","note":"Parent cited last year's seat allotment and fill rates; district says the issue is statewide policy."}]

SEARCHABLE_TAGS:["UPK","pre-k lottery","state aid","preschool"]

PROVENANCE

- {"block_id":"block_111","local_start":0,"local_end":220,"evidence_excerpt":"My name is John Cardino... I'm here advocating for my son, Giovanni... I noticed on the site it says universal lottery pre k... I don't think universal and lottery should be put together...","global_start":3436000,"global_end":3546100,"tc_start":"00:57:16","tc_end":"00:59:26","reason_code":"topicintro"} - {"block_id":"block_116","local_start":0,"local_end":260,"evidence_excerpt":"So the UPK is a very unique program... there's a maximum of 18 students per class... We only get it for those number of students. Every dollar goes back to the state...","global_start":3607000,"global_end":3687925,"tc_start":"01:00:07","tc_end":"01:01:27","reason_code":"topicfinish"}