Board debates ALES campus options and UPK delivery as district issues RFI

The Katonah-Lewisboro board spent a substantial portion of its June 18 meeting on possible futures for the ALES campus in Lewisboro and on planning for universal prekindergarten (UPK) amid new state funding.

Background and status: Administrators reminded the board that the ALES campus was closed years ago after prior committee review and that leasing had been judged by an earlier finance committee to be non-viable for long-term building preservation. District staff said changes in state funding for UPK and program design requirements have altered the options available.

RFI and delivery choices: District staff issued a request for information to local and regional pre-K providers to evaluate two basic delivery scenarios: district-provided facilities with contracted providers or provider-operated sites where the district contributes program funding. Lisa (district administration) said the RFI asked providers to estimate two scenarios—if they provided the space or if the district provided space—and emphasized a state UPK requirement to allocate a minimum 10% for collaboration with community-based organizations (CBOs). "We sent it to everyone," Lisa said of outreach to private childcare and CBO lists, and she warned that many providers reported no spare classroom capacity in the region.

Space, cost and program challenges: Trustees and H2M/district architects discussed the high cost and disruption of converting existing buildings. Architects cautioned that renovating occupied school space (for example, moving fifth-graders into the middle school to free elementary rooms) would be highly disruptive and likely more costly than new construction, because renovations can reveal unforeseen conditions and require significant temporary closures. District staff noted that certified staffing and minimum square-footage rules affect per-classroom capacity and reimbursement; in some cases, smaller community providers can host fewer children and still be unable to scale to the number sought.

Special-education needs: District administrators said roughly 60 preschool-aged students in the district receive special-education supports and that some currently travel out of the area to center-based programs. Centralizing certain UPK seats at a district site could reduce travel burdens and simplify delivery of related services (OT/PT/speech) while allowing third-party providers to continue delivering required therapy on site.

Next steps and timeline: Administration said RFI responses, fiscal and facility analyses, and community survey/focus-group results will be delivered to the board ahead of a July 30 working session. That session is intended to present "lego pieces" of cost options (for example, with or without particular additions) so trustees can compare phased scenarios and tax/write-down implications. Any decommissioning of ALES would also be analyzed for mothballing costs and demolition alternatives.

Public fiscal concern: A public commenter urged the board to pair future proposals with a reconciled multi-year financial plan that addresses unfunded long-term liabilities such as OPEB; she asked whether recent settlement or reserve actions change OPEB exposure and demanded reconciled, sourced multi-year numbers before another public bond vote.

What the board asked for: Trustees asked administration to return with detailed, source‑checked numbers on mothballing vs demolition costs, RFI results summarizing provider capacity and certification levels, and a fiscal plan showing how the local share would interact with state aid and long-term liabilities.

Speakers quoted: Lisa (district administration), Mike Lavoy (facilities/operations), H2M representatives (on cost and feasibility), Sasha Bett (public commenter).