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Goshen district to expand UPK after state budget secures $10,000 per pupil
Summary
Assistant Superintendent Jason Gardner told the board the district will receive $10,000 per UPK pupil under the recently enacted state budget, allowing immediate expansion (estimated 48 additional seats) via a contract with an out-of-district provider in Middletown pending board approval.
Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum Jason Gardner told the board June 15 that New York State’s recently enacted budget will provide $10,000 per Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) pupil, enabling the Goshen Central School District to expand its full-day UPK program for four-year-olds.
Gardner said the district currently placed 54 students at Scotchtown Avenue through a lottery and that, after some families declined, eight applicants remained on the waiting list. With the new funding, the district expects to open as many as 48 additional seats immediately and could expand further depending on provider capacity. Gardner said the expansion would be provided at a partner site in Middletown operated by the same provider the district previously considered; any expansion would require board approval of a contract.
Gardner outlined the immediate enrollment steps: the district will re-offer seats to families who previously declined, contact the eight on the wait list, and then run a new lottery if openings remain. He said the district would advertise new enrollment opportunities and use the same lottery process currently in place.
Gardner also cautioned that the exact increase in seats is uncertain because other districts are expanding under the same grant and that seat availability with local providers can change; he described the 48-seat figure as the district’s current estimate. The assistant superintendent said the district will keep the board informed as agreements are finalized and recommended returning to the board for contract approval before placing students offsite.
The board did not take a vote on the UPK contract at this meeting; Gardner said further board action would be requested once a provider contract is negotiated.
