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Saugerties parents, UPK provider say district pulled pre-K partnership at last minute; board says investigation ongoing
Summary
Speakers at the Saugerties Central School District meeting said a UPK applicant, Speckled Frog, met state requirements but was told Sunday night the district would not proceed; the board said an investigator is working and offered no firm timeline. Families urged the board to act before a state deadline.
Angie Paone, founder of Respectful Rock Clay Care, told the Saugerties Central School District Board of Education that her center completed required paperwork, hired certified teachers and renovated space to offer Universal Pre-K (UPK) slots, but was informed at 5:30 p.m. on a Sunday that the district would not move forward with the partnership. "We met every requirement," Paone said, and described difficulties she and staff faced while completing state requirements.
Bill Stokes, director of Speckled Frog Play Care, said his program had planned for 44 families to enroll and that the late notice left staff and parents "dumbfounded." Stokes said his call with district staff included statements that the district was "waiting on documents from our attorney" and that "we are not moving forward at this time." He urged the board to resolve the matter before a state filing deadline he cited as Friday the 28th.
Board members did not announce a final decision at the meeting. The board president (unnamed in the transcript) said an outside investigator assigned to a separate, ongoing review is progressing faster than anticipated and is regularly on campus but declined to give a completion date. "It's done when it's done," the president told the room, and said staff have given the investigator broad access.
Parents at the meeting described what losing the UPK slots would mean for working families. Kristen Lane, a parent, said losing the program would make it impossible for her to keep her $7 a.m.–3 p.m. hospital schedule and still transport her daughter to school.
District staff did not offer specific explanations for why the Speckled Frog partnership was halted beyond the references offered to the speaker (attorney review, missing documents). Several speakers asked for immediate, specific next steps and contact points to resolve outstanding paperwork and contractual issues.
The board did not record a roll-call vote on the UPK matter during the public meeting. Officials told speakers they would follow up via email and direct contact; a board member asked those with questions to use the established chain of response so the district can escalate unresolved issues.
Next steps: Parents and providers asked the district to clarify what documents remain outstanding and whether the attorney review could be accelerated ahead of the state deadline.
