Documents › Board of Education, 2026-01-22

resolution 3 pages

WHEREAS research has long shown the benefits of Pre-Kindergarten education and that comprehensive and adequate early childhood supports will better equip students to meet New York State learning standards by the time they are ready for kindergarten; and ​ ​ WHEREAS studies have shown the immense benefits of early intervention for students with high needs. Providing targeted academic and skills-building supports through quality pre-kindergarten programs will better prepare those students to meet New York’s kindergarten standards; and WHEREAS in New York State the current model for Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) is a lottery system funded by the State and federal Title 1 or other funds, for both school districts and participants, where not all districts participate and not all registrants are guaranteed a placement; and WHEREAS the New York State Board of Regents has established the goal of providing all eligible four-year-olds with full-day pre-kindergarten services by 2030, and then expand to full-day for all three-year-olds by 2035; and WHEREAS the funding streams and education laws surrounding the UPK lottery and Statewide Universal Full Day Pre-K (SUFDPK) create a barrier for districts to access funds and allow for the transition to true universal full-day pre-kindergarten services; and WHEREAS when a district opts into the current state-funded UPK program, a per-student amount is set at either half the district’s K-12 Foundation Aid amount or $5,400, whichever is greater, for a determined number of students, and a district’s per-student rate for the original target number of students is frozen at the amount from the year they opted into the program; and WHEREAS the State Education Department’s Office of Early Learning released a report in December 2024, concluding the following recommendations for legislative actions: ​ •​ The Legislature should create one law that merges all universal pre-kindergarten Laws (Education Law §3602-e and §3602-ee) and consolidates funding streams to allow for clear fiscal and program expectations. •​ The Department should complete an analysis of per-student rates for UPK to determine what rates are necessary to preserve existing services and expand services to all eligible students. •​ The enacted budget should provide opportunities for additional funding for districts to annually apply for expansion of the number of available seats; and WHEREAS the Croton Harmon Union Free School District participates in the UPK State funded lottery program by partnering with local community providers and receives the $5,400 per-student allocation; and WHEREAS the $5,400 per student allocation rate falls short of the actual costs borne by many community providers throughout the State, thereby restricting districts’ ability to find and maintain qualified and consistent partners and ensure the stability and sustainability of UPK programs; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Education of the Croton-Harmon School District calls upon ​New York State leaders to take immediate action in the 2026 Budget to provide funds for the 2026-2027 school year for increased per-student allocation for UPK and plan for annual increases in allocation amounts per student thereafter through the Board of Regents targeted 2030 implementation of true Universal Pre-Kindergarten for all students State-wide, which would then be tied to per-student foundation aid. The Board of Education directs the District Clerk to send a copy of this resolution to the following: ·​ ​Dana Levenberg, State Assembly Member ·​ ​Peter Harckham, State Senator ·​ ​Kathy Hochul, the Governor of the State of New York ·​ ​Carl Heastie, the Speaker of the New York State Assembly ·​ ​Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the Majority Leader of the New York State Senate ·​ ​Michael Benedetto, State Assemblyman, Chair, Committee on Education ·​ ​Shelley Mayer, ​State Senate, Chair, Committee on Education ·​ ​Dr. Betty Rosa, NYS Commissioner of Education ·​ ​Dr. Lester W. Young, Jr., Chancellor, NYS Board of Regents · Robert Schneider, Executive Director, New York State School Boards Association ·​ ​Karen Belanger, Executive Director​, Westchester Putnam School Boards Association THE CROTON-HARMON BOARD OF EDUCATION Ana C. Teague, President Anamika Bhatnagar, Vice President Sarah Carrier Neal Haber Omar Mayyasi Theo Oshiro Allison Samuels DATE: 01/22/2026