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Amherst board hears UPK expansion at Windermere and plans to end UPK bus service in 2026-27
Summary
Director of curriculum Amy Stager told the Amherst board the district will expand UPK classrooms at Windermere, maintain total UPK capacity at 144 students, and discontinue UPK transportation in the 2026-27 school year because transportation is not a grant-eligible expense and costs about $227,000 this year.
Amy Stager, the district—s director of curriculum and instruction, told the Amherst Central School District board that the universal prekindergarten program will keep its total capacity at 144 students but shift from four sites to three next year by expanding Windermere to four UPK classrooms.
"We are going into our second year partnering with PEDLS," Stager said, describing a social-emotional curriculum rollout and classroom coaching that will now cover all eight UPK classrooms. She also highlighted a new collaborative arrangement with ECMC to provide preschool special-education services and in-class behavior coaching.
Stager said Windermere—s addition will include four UPK classrooms serving about 72 students there, an indoor gross-motor room and an outdoor playground with a trike track. The design includes a one-way traffic loop for drop-off and pick-up.
The district currently operates 144 UPK seats across eight classrooms at four sites and plans to preserve the 144-seat cohort while consolidating to three sites next year by increasing Windermere—s rooms and adjusting partner-site contracts. Stager said Amherst Nursery School will no longer be a partner because it lacks licensing for full-day programming after district shifts to primarily full-day UPK.
On transportation, Stager said the district will discontinue UPK transportation in the 2026-27 school year. "This year, it's estimated we'll be spending $227,000 to transport our students," she said, and added that transportation is not an allowable cost under the state UPK grant and can reduce aid the program receives.
Stager reviewed recent family engagement work, including a UPK Night at the Explore More Children's Museum that drew more than 70 families and was structured to improve accessibility (the program included Metrorail directions on the flyer). She outlined the registration timeline for next year: registration opens in January, families will have two weeks to verify documents in person, and a digital random lottery is scheduled for March 18.
The board asked about historical application volumes; Stager said the district saw about 180 applicants two years ago, with a return to typical levels more recently. She said program and facility changes are driven both by family demand for full-day seats and by research favoring full-day early childhood programs.
The presentation concluded with staff noting next steps: finalize construction plans for Windermere, complete contract negotiations with partner sites, publish registration details in January and conduct the lottery in March.
