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Resident presses board on UPK wait list and community-provider requirement; district pledges data and an RFP
Summary
At public participation, Evelyn Hundel asked for specifics about UPK wait lists, the 10% community-provider requirement and bond timelines; administrators said they will provide wait-list counts by email, will pursue a fall RFP for UPK providers, and will conduct a building utilization and demographic study.
During the public participation portion of the July 7 meeting, resident Evelyn Hundel used her allocated time to ask a series of detailed questions about universal prekindergarten (UPK) and related district planning.
Hundel asked whether the district’s bond threshold for passage remains at roughly 74 percent, what ‘‘zero tax impact’’ means in practice, how many students are currently on the UPK wait list, and whether the district is meeting the state’s 10 percent community-partner requirement for UPK grants.
Administrators and trustees responded that grant-writing and UPK oversight remain in the curriculum and instruction office; the district has been using an external grant writer as a consultant and will continue that support. Officials said Cross of Christ is the district’s current community-based UPK partner and that 12 students attend there; administrators said they will issue another RFP this fall to seek additional community partners. The superintendent said he did not have the current UPK wait-list number during the meeting but promised to send it by email.
Board members and staff also said a building utilization and demographic study (with BOCES involvement) will be scheduled and shared with the community; that study will inform whether the district needs to add classrooms to meet UPK expansion. The board did not commit to a particular solution at the meeting but described next steps for data collection and community outreach.
The public exchange included concerns about the performance of past field projects; trustees acknowledged some remediation was required on certain projects and said they would incorporate lessons learned into planning.
