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BOCES leaders outline shared services, CTE and tech supports for Hastings
Summary
Southern Westchester BOCES officials told the ACES on Hudson Board that BOCES provides shared services—CTE, managed IT, data reporting and regional instructional supports—and explained a voluntary state regionalization reflection the commissioner requested to examine shared strengths without forced consolidation.
Southern Westchester BOCES officials presented to the ACES on Hudson Board on Nov. 6, giving a compact tour of regional services that the district currently uses and might expand. The presentation, led by district superintendents and center directors, covered career and technical education (CTE), managed IT and data services, interscholastic athletics support, school communications and professional learning.
The case for shared services: why it matters
"BOCES was created so that school districts that could not provide programming for themselves could join in a form of a consortium to be able to come up with a cost‑effective and efficient way to work and service the children," said Harold Coles of Southern Westchester BOCES, noting the system dates to 1948 and that 37 BOCES now operate in New York State. James Grama, assistant superintendent for educational services, said Hastings currently has 10 students participating in Valhalla CTE programs and described pathways that include college credit, apprenticeships and direct workforce entry.
Dr. Ellen McDonald, executive director of the Lower Hudson Regional Information Center, described the district’s managed IT services: the wide area network, centralized data center and backups, vendor procurement that can be state‑aidable, and the district’s student‑information and state reporting tunnel. "We are your off‑site place where your servers are," she said, explaining how eSchoolData, ClassLink and Frontline integrations are managed on behalf of districts.
Questions about regionalization and state aid
Board members pressed BOCES leaders on a statewide regionalization effort the commissioner requested. Presenters framed the initiative as voluntary and bottoms‑up: superintendents and boards are asked to reflect on strengths and joint opportunities, not to consolidate. "Districts aren't being forced to join a group or consolidate," a BOCES official said, adding that the commissioner sought a quick study window that many districts have asked to extend.
Officials also highlighted finance tools BOCES offers, including cooperative bidding and cross‑contracting, and pointed board members to a packet with a five‑year summary of district purchases and an illustration of approximate state aid generated per service.
What comes next
BOCES staff said they will provide more detailed cost and product materials on request and offered technical support for districts completing the state’s reflection instrument. The board was told the packet and slides will remain in the public record and that follow‑up meetings are planned to dig into specific topics such as the state aid formula review and items flagged in the district’s building condition survey.
