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South Colonie presents UPK, E and L update as enrollment and early‑intervention needs rise
Summary
District staff reported expansion of five‑hour universal prekindergarten seats, a collaboration classroom with Childtime, rising English and language (E and L) enrollment and continuing gaps in early intervention and integrated classroom capacity.
South Colonie Central School District officials on Oct. 21 told the board about recent expansion and ongoing needs in universal prekindergarten (UPK) and English and language (E and L) supports, including staffing limits and funding constraints.
In a presentation to the board, Supervisor of Special Programs Bill Boardman said the district added a five‑hour UPK program at Saddle and is running a collaboration classroom with Childtime that currently has 13 of 16 seats filled. Boardman said the district’s ENL/EL (referred to in the presentation as “E and L”) enrollment has grown to about 332 students since the September start and that staff expect numbers to rise toward roughly 360 by spring.
Boardman said the program is supported by a state UPK grant and general‑fund dollars. “The district right now pays about $650,000 out of the general fund, in addition to about $650,000 of the state grant,” Boardman said during the presentation. He added that the state reimbursement rate used for planning — $5,400 per child — “is the same since the mid‑1990s,” a constraint the district noted when discussing expansion options.
Why this matters: board members pressed staff on capacity and services for young children who need both language supports and special‑education evaluations. Staff said early screening and additional staffing are the most effective levers to reduce long waits for county evaluation services and to place more students in integrated preschool settings.
Staff and teacher comments and data
Boardman introduced classroom teachers and specialists who outlined implementation details. Aaron Goble (UPK teacher) and Erin (UPK support/early intervention specialist) described day‑to‑day interventions, including social‑emotional learning and small‑group work. Stacy Giverski, identified as CPSC chair and a speech‑language pathologist, described the limits of the regional evaluation pipeline: staff reported that district referrals to county evaluation agencies are booking into December and January, delaying formal assessments for some children.
Staff described current integrated preschool capacity and staffing. According to the presentation, there are 12 South Colonie four‑year‑olds placed in an integrated special‑class preschool setting; staff described typical staffing in such settings as one teacher with two teacher assistants and additional typical‑peer seats. Board members asked whether the district has waived the UPK lottery for any priority groups; staff said the program is universal and the district has not waived the lottery, though collaboration classrooms will be made known in future lotteries.
Funding, space and next steps
Boardman and other staff said space limits are a primary constraint: converting more two‑and‑a‑half‑hour slots to five‑hour programs requires classroom space that the district currently has largely maximized. Staff noted the district continues to pursue grants but said one recent grant application was denied.
Boardman said the district will continue outreach to fill open UPK seats and will refine lottery and collaboration procedures. He asked the board for continued support for staffing to expand integrated and targeted interventions.
Ending: Board members thanked staff for the presentation and asked for follow‑up information on wait times for county evaluations, anticipated budgetary impacts of further expansion and options to increase integrated classroom slots.
