UPK Funding & Expansion
Active
24 meetings ·
2024-04-04 to 2026-10-01
Universal Pre-Kindergarten program funding crisis — inadequate state per-pupil funding threatening provider viability (Children's Space North), board resolution urging full $10,000/pupil funding, and parent advocacy for the district to bridge funding gaps.
Timeline (24 meetings)
Apr 4, 2024
Board of Education
Reports
Report: 2.1 President's Report
Board President Sarah Carrier reported on the following topics:
Repair Reserve on tonight's agenda
April 16 (Tuesday) BOCES budget vote and work session with new teachers
April 17 Parent University on picky…
That the Board of Education adopts the 2024-2025 Superintendent's Budget for the Croton-Harmon School District in the amount of $58,798,307.
Motion by Neal Haber, second by Omar Mayyasi.
Final Resolution: Motion Carried
Yes: Sarah Carrier, Joshua …
Ms. Teague asked how would we make up the difference? Ms. Harrington-Cohen responded that we may not need to based on the state's budget. The lottery will open 4/11, close 5/3, and the drawing will be 5/9. Ms. Bhatnagar questioned differences in sta…
May 9, 2024
Board of Education
District Wide Art Show on May 21st
Teacher Appreciation Week this week
Friday, May 10: CET Cultural Night
Report: 4.2 Hearing of the Public
Danny Zeliger spoke about his experience not getting a spot in the UPK for his daughter. He had requests:…
She recommended books and articles.
Leslie Pollak questioned how the BOE trustees respond to inquiries. She is upset about how the low Teacher Aide salary. She asked who determines which students get on the National Honor Society...concerned about g…
Jun 20, 2024
Board of Education
Action: 3.5 2024-2025 Agreement for Services - Universal Pre-K - A Rising Star
That the Board of Education approves the agreement for services between the Croton-Harmon Union Free School District and A Rising Star for Universal Pre-K services for th…
Board Trustee Theo Oshiro asked if this was for families on the waitlist. Ms. DePaul confirmed yes.
Board Trustee Anamika Bhatnagar asked how many spots total? Ms. DePaul responded 70. Board Trustee Joshua Diamond asked how UPK is funded. Ms. DePa…
Oct 10, 2024
Board of Education
Why is that not on today's agenda? Education. Our teachers, our staff, our students need to be educated on what antisemitism is, And it can't just end there. It has to actually be enforced. We need a comprehensive system to improve the climate in our…
Apr 10, 2025
Board of Education
and then I have on here one outstanding to-do item, which is something that we need to follow up with Rachel on historical funding amounts for UPK and UPK formulas. So, we will move back on that question that the committee had. We are we are trying t…
8th grader Avery Gosnell was introduced to speak about her GS silver project to prevent sports involvement drop-off. She developed a Sports Showcase to introduce students to sports offerings, to be held May 28 at CHHS 6-7:30 pm
UPK still accepting …
Advocacy: Advocacy Committee Chair Theo Oshiro reported that the committee met 3/17, discussed state budgets from senate & assembly and cell phone policy updates. He asked about meetings with legislators, in that WPSBA typically puts together these m…
May 8, 2025
Board of Education
Assistant Superintendent for PPS, Rachel DePaul added: 4/30: UPK drawing held, 81 entries, 56 seats to fill, 25 students are on the wait list currently, families have until 5/14 for final decisions.
Report: 4.2 Hearing of the Public
Mr. Ed Riely s…
Highlight of BOE meetings is showcasing students -- Valedictorian Sonia Mukherjee and Salutatorian Ava Andrews were honored
Tiger Points of Pride:
Spring Break Work on Future Facilities Project
Take Back The Night
Science Research Symposium
UPK …
Jun 12, 2025
Board of Education
Launch of Study Groups for Faculty Professional Learning
CHHS MLK Day of Service and Education at Croton Free Library
Class of 2025 Announcement of Valedictorian/Salutatorian
CHHS Young Artists Show
CHHS ELL Students Visit the 2nd Grade
Spring B…
Final Resolution: Motion Carried
Yes: Anamika Bhatnagar, Sarah Carrier, Joshua Diamond, Neal Haber, Theo Oshiro, Ana Teague
Action (Consent): 7.10 Universal Pre-Kindergarten Contract Renewals
Resolution: RESOLVED: That the Board of Education hereb…
Nov 6, 2025
Board of Education
Collaboration needs to continue to make schools distraction free for the benefit of students.
Jacob Day, spoke in support of the UPK program and represents concerned parents who want the District to fund UPK. He understands there's a gap between f…
Dec 4, 2025
Board of Education
Acknowledged those here to speak about UPK.
District has spoken to legislators to advocate for more funding.
Induction of Brian Kelly and John Nikotopolous into Hall of Distinguished Graduates
Discussion, Report: 2.2 Hearing of the Public
Sarah F…
They can no longer subsidize the program on their own beyond this school year.
Jacob Day spoke to represent families supporting UPK. He urged the school district to cover the funding gap.
Mike Grubiak spoke to offer a UPK solution from a discussio…
Clare Benoist spoke re: personal electronic devices. She reported that she is sad to learn how much time her young children are spending on the screen at school. She is requesting the results of a study that asked students to track screen time.
Ji…
Walker.
Kelsey Muraoka spoke to support UPK and urged the District to fund UPK.
Jodi Epstein spoke to support UPK, and noted that recent economics, politics and the pandemic have been difficult for families, they need UPK for support.
Jennifer Pes…
She feels that high quality UPK produces lasting benefits and urged district to fund gap in UPK.
Lindsay Lopez reported that she has a daughter at Childrenspace North and she is thriving there and excited to go to Kindergarten. UPK has helped the w…
She urged district to contribute to the program.
Annie Vallo reported that she has a child at UPK and has witnessed firsthand how important UPK is for future success. UPK should not be seen as separate from K-12 and asked for commitment from distri…
The community desires UPK and the district should tell them what it will take to keep it alive.
Ryan Pererson reported that he has a son in Kindergarten who requires special education support. He is doing well and attributes it to his time at Child…
Rachel McGregor spoke to support UPK and noted that the community prioritizes education. Program has agreed to run at 7500/student. District only has to cover $150,000 to cover the gap. BOE must be able to find this shortfall somewhere.
James Nadal …
She urged district to figure out funding.
Edwin Adkins echoed everything said. He has 2 children at Childrenspace North, which is an excellent program. it's a shortfall of the district to not contribute to keep this running. He learned about the e…
Superintendent Stephen Walker addressed the group by stating that he appreciates their collaborative efforts and we all believe in the importance of the quality of pre-Kindergarten. The district was an early adopter of UPK which was detrimental to ou…
Dec 18, 2025
Board of Education
RESOLVED: That the Board of Education hereby approves the agenda.
Motion by Neal Haber, second by Allison Samuels.
Final Resolution: Motion Carried
Yes: Anamika Bhatnagar, Sarah Carrier, Neal Haber, Theo Oshiro, Allison Samuels, Ana Teague
Report…
Board President Ana Teague noted that she will work on a draft resolution supporting UPK funding.
Audit: Assistant Superintendent for Business Denise Harrington-Cohen reported that the Audit Committee will be meeting in January.
Board Development: …
Jan 8, 2026
Board of Education
good evening. My name is Mike Grubiak. I live at 48 Furnace Dock Road in Croton and I'm here tonight to talk about UPK. I first just wanted to thank the board and thank the superintendent and administration for meeting with us, for listening with us.…
And from the meager information we received from the governor's office, it looks like this wouldn't even start until 2028. And I'm not sure if that means 2028 school year, 2028 calendar year. So, I want to end by again asking for any sort of way to b…
Hi. My name's Miake Lorenzen. I live at 229 Grand Street. I was born in Croton and raised in this community, and it's been a huge part in the deciding factor on returning when my husband and I created a family of our own. My son, Liam, who's with me …
I believe all children deserve a transition into school with emotional and confidence, and to feel ready. UPK provides this and so much more. My intention is not to see a precedent set with the financial assistance from the district. I simply want to…
[clears throat] hi, my name is Jacob Fiss-Hobart. I'll be very brief. I live at 17 Thompson Avenue here in Croton, and two young school-age children. and I just wanted to speak to the quality of education at Children's Space North. Both my kids have …
hi, my name is Ian Forschner. I live at Arlington Drive. I unfortunately wasn't available during the meeting last month to discuss the issue on regarding UPK, but I'm here now and wanted to reiterate several points that other parents have made. Hones…
and I think you need to treat this as the same kind of emergency. since the UPK program started in in Croton in 2021, I think approximately 200 Croton students have been enrolled. Most parents I've spoken with have an extremely positive view of UPK, …
Hi. My name is Jean Claude Daine. I live on I live in Croton. Thank you for the opportunity to speak this evening. My family moved to Croton in 2023. My oldest of two boys benefited from UPK in Brooklyn in 2022, preparing him for kindergarten here at…
[clears throat] Hi, good evening. My name is Liberty McAteer. First, I'd like to thank you all for your efforts. I understand that the board is, by and large, a labor of love, notwithstanding the fact you have to get elected. It's volunteer, not comp…
I also understand that this board would have the ability to raise a tax levy on the town, which by my math, which please correct me if I'm wrong, would amount to somewhere between 80 and 120 dollars of additional tax per year per household to fund th…
[snorts] Good evening, everyone. It's good to see some familiar faces. my name is Alison Malone. Went to school with Neal's son, Alex. He's doing well. I'm here today as a parent. I have a daughter who's seven and I have a son who's four. But since m…
And that's just one of the many reasons our community here is so lucky to have Children's Space North running the UPK program. As I'm sure you're aware, I don't know if it's been mentioned by others, but today Governor Hochul announced a plan that in…
There are many good child care options in Croton, but they're not always affordable for everybody as we know. So, the investment in UPK will really improve the economic well-being and the overall health not just of Croton's kids, but of our families …
Hello. My name is Natalie Gershtein. I live at 27 Old Croton. I have three kids, all of them at Children's Space North currently. We are the first family to have three kids enrolled at the same time. It is literally almost 70K annually. And with all …
[clears throat] Hi everyone. My name is Dan McNamee. I live at 22 Young Avenue. I just moved to Croton a few months ago. around September. And I have a 3-year-old who would obviously stand to benefit from this. A big part of the reason why we chose C…
Hi everyone. My name is Jodi Epstein, and I live at 1 Sunset Drive in Croton. Thank you, Superintendent Walker and board trustees, for again addressing UPK in Croton. I have a 4 and 1/2-year-old and a 19-month-old. I chose not to put my son in UPK no…
Hi. My name is Jill Onorato. I live at 8 Fenwick Street. I spoke last time when I had laryngitis, but I'm much better now. I didn't write anything down because I just came right from work to here. My husband is putting my two children to bed. My son …
my name is Jacob Day. I live at 91 Road. I just want to thank Superintendent Walker for listening to us tonight and giving us an update on UPK. We really look forward to what he has to say and for the transparency that you've given us in having these…
Thank you, Ana. Good evening. Thank you to everyone who's here tonight. We promised you we will talk about UPK and we will. I do ask though just to beg your indulgence, let us talk about a couple of other things first. beginning with we've over the p…
Thank you, Neal. I just again wanted to thank the board, the thoughtful way that this has been administered by the leadership and by the faculty at the high school derives from a board's policy committee and a full board that approached this from a a…
This is something that we agree on and that is urgent and that is important. All right, there is no intent from anyone who's seated at this table to allow UPK to flounder, to fail, or to be paused in the system. That simply will not happen. We will n…
and so, we've had conversations with Kerri Bianchi and Craig Campanaro, who are the administration at CET, looking at what I think is a really viable possibility in terms of being able to allocate space at CET for a community-based organization to po…
Hi, everyone. some of you I know, so I am the face of UPK. [laughter] we host an annual preschool tea which is an event that we invite local preschools to to have conversations with them about kindergarten readiness skills. You know, expectations for…
So, some of the efforts and these efforts really were, due to the hard work of Lauren Carroll and, our team to since our last meeting when we, we really heard you and as Steve had mentioned, we value the relationship with, our UPK providers and we do…
As Steve had mentioned, we are, considering allocating classroom at CET to support this program and to ensure that there are seats available in the upcoming school year. We're also considering and having conversations with adjacent neighboring distri…
And then and something that I found interesting and I'm not even sure how many people actually, you know, how much of the public knew this but by the end of what they at the fiscal year 2025, so essentially last month, NYSED was scheduled to complete…
So, as far as, the information that was released by Governor Hochul as well, expanding access to universal pre-kindergarten. This is just a snippet from a UPK consolidation report that NYSED had published in the early or mid fall. Just stating that d…
So, it's still not universal pre-K. It's still a lottery.
No. No. It's just labeled pre-K as it is in New York City. It's just labeled that here. Correct. Correct. And that is stated. I just relay the information that Right. [clears throat] So, this timeline has remained the same for the past 2 years. This …
No, I will circle back to that in January. But yes, so to Anamika's point, we enter into a contract with a provider for a term of 1 year and we have an option to extend. Both they can opt to extend and us and or after the 12-month period we could say…
So, the RFP has specs or specifications that align both with what our needs are as well as what New York State requires of a pre-K provider. So, we worked very hard, Denise's department and our our representatives that supervise the UPK program to re…
I I'm just saying it because it's on line and it's nearby and they could bid and we would have that I will note that during the pandemic when we were dealing with having to provide the UPK spaces for for pre-kindergarten as I actually spaces for our …
[laughter] So on or about the mid to end of March into April we'll be hosting a lottery drawing families are notified waitlisted families will be notified of their status on the waitlist and or if someone rejects an accepted seat that would move peop…
All right. So, as I mentioned earlier, the advocacy committee will be meeting next week on January 12th at 5:00 p.m. we will be discussing during that meeting a resolution in support of expanded UPK funding as we as mentioned earlier, I think we also…
Discussion: 2.2 Hearing of the Public
Mike Grubiak spoke regarding UPK, thanked BOE /Admin for meeting & listening to the group and for their work on a resolution to ask for more funding from the state. Lobbying efforts have begun, local elected off…
Jacob Fiss-Hobart spoke of the quality of education at Childrenspace North. His family moved to Croton because of the quality of the public education.
Ian Forschner spoke to support UPK and noted that we all agree UPK is essential, as well as provid…
Liberty McAteer spoke to support UPK as a critical feature of choosing to live here as well as the fabric of the community. The district has the discretion and means to fill the shortfall, not funding UPK will have a disastrous impact on the communit…
Ed Riely spoke about Marc Cheshire (village historian) putting out a brochure about prior Croton teachers. March for Life bus leaving from 1/23 Briarcliff. He feels schools need a variety of clubs like pro-conservative, especially at PVC/CHHS. Veter…
Dan McNamee stated that UPK was a big part of why his family chose to live in Croton, it's a good investment for the town, important for families.
Jodi Epstein spoke to support continued UPK, she and others would advocate raising tax cap if needed.
…
like at other schools. Students are finding Croton's approach more respectful.
Superintendent Walker spoke to give a 2026-2027 Universal Pre-Kindergarten Update
UPK Provider Outreach
Efforts
NYS Funding
NYS Regents Legislative Priorities
Timeli…
Jan 22, 2026
Board of Education
Sure. Yeah. as part of our commitment to on an ongoing basis keeping our community up to date with regard to a university pre kindergarten and u the district's work to continue to administer this program in a robust way. we saw some potentially signi…
We will also be pushing back the submission deadline until early in February to allow for the potential providers to consider their proposals. Additionally, we've previously shared publicly that as part of a good faith effort to make the state's fund…
I am looking at the operative language there now. Therefore, being a result of the board of education calls upon New York State leaders to take immediate action in the 26 budget to provide funds for the 2627 school year for increase per student alloc…
So, but I do think they can actually be tying it to the board of regents recommendations that we that we know in the beginning and the end and in the board of regents recommendations and and goal is to set forth universal pre kindergarten for all fou…
Yeah. Okay. No, that makes sense. I I I think what you're reminding us is that the resolution is actually that portion correct between the resolution and the whereases are the background. So I think that's a that's a helpful reminder. I'm very please…
Advocacy: Committee Chair Sarah Carrier reported that they met last Monday and did work on the UPK resolution and discussed upcoming advocacy efforts and priorities from WPSBA, NYSSBA, and LHEC. The LHEC legislative forum is going to be on 1/29, all…
RESOLVED: That the Board of Education hereby approves the side letter of agreement between the Croton-Harmon Union Free School District and the Croton Teachers' Association bargaining unit and authorizes the Superintendent of Schools to take all acti…
On the question: Superintendent Stephen Walker noted that increased activity came out of Albany this week. District State Aid runs indicated $10K/student, bringing our district in line with other districts. We will be issuing an amendment to our RFP …
Feb 12, 2026
Board of Education
There's no more on the question. All in favor? I opposed abstain. I motion carries. Congratulations. We'll take a brief pause for anybody who wants That's what Oh, sorry. You're okay. I will keep it brief because we have a robust agenda after this. g…
Hello, my name is Rebecca Turnbull. I live at 17 Thompson Avenue. I'm here again to advocate for the UPK program in Croin. Thank you to the to the board for voting on a resolution calling on our state legislators to fully fund the program. There's op…
I want to be all on the same team, even if we don't always have the same priorities. When our UPK program hopefully gets funding from the state, I'd like us to feel like we all won together. I look forward to being active in our schools for the next …
Good evening. my name is Lianne Rice. I live on High Street. I really appreciate the efforts to advocate for UPK that the board and the district have made. The efforts to keep us informed and to manage the program. It's a lot of work. I want to raise…
Disappointing as that news was, it was important information to have. That said, the district's policy manual states at section 6100 that quote, "The budget will be designed to reflect the board's objectives for the education of the children of this …
Next year, we're looking at costs per student for full-time prek. $18,000 minimum. $18 to $20,000 minimum. That's for one kid. My wife and I have our own reasons for having one kid. man, for the parents with two kids, $36,000, $40,000, it's crushing.…
Hi, good evening everybody. My name is Jacob Day. I live at 9wood Road in Croton. I want to thank you guys first of all for passing the resolution calling on Albany to fully fund universal prek. that was the right move. It mattered. Obviously, there'…
Hi, good evening. Sorry my readers here. my name is Rachel McGregor. I live at 12 Road in Bowden. thank you to the board and the administration for your time and attention. just to I wanted to do a quick summary of all the activities that the parents…
in addition, early early February, we put together a petition to send to Albany calling on Albany to keep this proposed funding in the budget. We have more than 550 signatures on that petition. It's only been out for a little over a week. the vast ma…
On the point of continuity and retention that was mentioned in a different matter earlier, I would just like to say I do hope the board considers that when looking at the RFPs knowing that we have an incredibly excellent provider of UPK right now and…
Hi, I'm Samantha Harvey. I live on Mount Area Road East. I have a first grader at CCT and I have a younger child who will be four in the summer, so would be eligible for UPK. So, I'm here to speak in support of of UPK. And I've been following this co…
But the reason I mention this is to name that it's it's probable there's a large number of parents who need UPK the most who are not able to come and voice support in person because of child care issues and not having UPK essentially would make Croin…
Hi, my name is Edmund Atkins, 95 Treeand Drive. I spoke I think in December about the issue of UPK and I'd like to bring it back to that. I I don't at least from what I've heard, sorry I'm kind of doing this impromptu, but from what I've heard direct…
Hi. my name is Michelle. I live at four Wells Avenue. So I have two young daughters. they are three and one and currently my daughter Sarah who is going to be four would be eligible for UPK. it's obviously CAD with young kids. I have not come to a sc…
Though the trends in education are showing many school districts now have UPK, the city has 3K. Maybe in the future we'll have two school for 2-year-olds. We're just asking to continue a UPK program that was already established and is very I think cr…
Thank you very much. thank you for indulging me for just a moment. I knew we were coming up to board reports. while the advocacy committee need to actually reschedule our meeting, we will be meeting again next week. I did as as advocacy chair have th…
Sarah, I actually have a question because I think if this would also sort of like benefit the community and it sort of touches on some of what what we talked about actually when the board had the opportunity to visit Children's Space. So, one of the …
So that and then just going through some of the upcoming budget communications, the fact that the UPK FAQ was added to the website and that was our meeting. There was also just a highlight of the the panel on technology the high school students moder…
So, expense based aids. there have been no changes to those formulas which is great. They are based on they're expenditure driven though our aid ratios will change from year to year. there's no change to that formula. universal free meals will be fun…
so in addition to that godly tax cap provisions the property tax cap which I'll talk a little bit more about later is another constraint for districts like like Croin because we receive so little state aid that our entire budget needs to be funded th…
Yes: Anamika Bhatnagar, Sarah Carrier, Neal Haber, Ana Teague
Abstain: Allison Samuels
2. Reports
Presentation, Report: 2.1 President's Report
Board President Ana Teague reported on the following topics:
FAQ document was sent out to the communit…
Rebecca Turnbull spoke to advocate for the UPK program. She appreciates the District's involvement. The state budget won't be voted on until the UPK lottery is over, so she is questions how the process will work.
Lianne Rice spoke to show appreciat…
James Nadeau spoke about the timeline of the state budget. How can UPKs plan for next year when we don't know the state decision? UPK impacts so many aspects of life, such as budgeting and preparing for kindergarten.
Jacob Day thanks the Board for p…
Samantha Harvey stated that she has a 1st grader and a 4-year-old who is eligible for UPK. Many parents who need UPK the most can't come to advocate at Board meetings due to childcare expenses. It's an equity and feminist issue not to fund UPK. She…
Edmund Atkins asked what will the District do about UPK and what will they commit to it? State news is wonderful but there is problematic running of the program by this district. 1/4 of 1% of the total budget should be considered for UPK. Why is dist…
Gabby Stok National Merit Finalist
PVC Electives
Redesign Math Electives at PVC
2nd Grade Class Puppet Show
UPK FAQ webpage
CET Student Variety Show
Tiger Sports Showcase
CET Tiger Cub Theater: Spongebob Musical
Report: 2.4 Student Trustee Ex…
Feb 26, 2026
Board of Education
Motion by Neal Haber, second by Allison Samuels.
On the question: Mr. Haber noted that this agreement illustrates what Brad was talking about in his presentation. Facilities/Business Office/Architect/Construction Manager should be commended for fini…
RESOLVED: That the Board of Education hereby approves the resolution approving selection of Childrenspace North and A Rising Star Children's Center, Inc. to administer Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program.
RESOLUTION APPROVING SELECTION OF
CHILDRENSP…
WHEREAS, Childrenspace North and A Rising Star Children’s Center, Inc., submitted the
only responsive proposals pursuant to the requirements set forth in the RFP and addendum
thereto;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the Board of Education of the C…
Mar 12, 2026
Board of Education
Shifting Gregie to UPK on Monday, March 2nd, I along with Anamika and Sarah from the board and Denise and Rachel from the administrative team had an opportunity to take part in a press conference with State Senator Harckham, Assembly Member Levenberg…
Through the expectation that appropriate funding is forthcoming from the state for next year, we've let the interested community- based organizations know that they will need to provide space themselves and both providers are prepared to do so. But i…
If you have additional feedback to give us, so most of what we discussed in our meeting, we did we did have our meeting finally this week after being rescheduled, I think twice for so we met on the 4th. and what you will see in later on in tonight's …
Yes, absolutely. so, the communications committee u met on March 2nd. we discussed some of the UPK coverage following the press conference. we also discussed some of the ongoing work that we're doing with regard to updating the website the the VOE se…
Ben Faber spoke to comment on the athletic department's use of ParentSquare, he can't find items in PS due to overabundance of athletic department postings. No reason for everyone to receive all of these. It is not a social media platform. Consolidat…
Audit Committee: Committee Chair Omar Mayyasi reported that the committee is scheduled to meet on April 9 to discuss internal audit and to report at that evening's board meeting.
Board Development Committee: Committee Chair Anamika Bhatnagar report…
Apr 21, 2026
Board of Education
At this time UPK enroll continues to follow the established process outlined on the district's FAQ page. In recent years, the lottery has typically taken place in the spring and it is anticipated to occur late April or May for the upcoming school yea…
So the advocacy committee when we have our next meeting which we need to schedule, we will be looking to prepare a letter of support for that PSC petition filing for the board to consider at our next meeting. Unless you said that directly impacts our…
A parent of a kindergartner spoke regarding what her daughter has been watching in school every single day -- videos of books read by celebrities, low-quality, high stimulation videos, not educational tools. Corporate TV show is being used as math cu…
Advocacy: Committee Chair Sarah Carrier reported that the State budget is on the 5th extender. LHEC/NYSSBA and others are advocating to legislators re: the need to finalize the budget. LHEC met today and reviewed some of the bills going through leg…
Commended district on cell phone policy, but it has come in too late.
A parent of a kindergartner spoke regarding what her daughter has been watching in school every single day -- videos of books read by celebrities, low-quality, high stimulation vi…
Advocacy: Committee Chair Sarah Carrier reported that the State budget is on the 5th extender. LHEC/NYSSBA and others are advocating to legislators re: the need to finalize the budget. LHEC met today and reviewed some of the bills going through leg…
May 7, 2026
Board of Education
Jill Anderson spoke to advocate re: smaller class sizes for rising 4th graders. Thanked district for keeping sections consistent at 6. Parents are concerned in the District about maintaining 1:1 devices in elementary school.
Mike Grubiak spoke re: U…
May 12, 2026
CHUFSD Board of Education Candidate Forum 5/12/26
Really more so just just to build on this than to rebut. But I think that one of the ways we can really hold the superintendent more accountable is by increasing responsiveness. So we talk a lot about communication. There's a communication committee …
Yeah, I would agree with everything Sarah just said. As I kind of alluded to earlier, I don't think the question is how do we better communicate? It's more of how do we respond, right? There's a lot of channels for parents to communicate. You can go …
We had to push really hard to get, frequently asked questions section about UPK on the website and that was a big win for us. But it shouldn't have taken months and months of dozens of people going to board meetings. So I think the board has an oblig…
I would agree with you on the FAQ on UPK, Jake, because it shouldn't also take board trustees weeks and weeks of advocating for an FAQ to be put up on the website for that to happen, but that was the reality. The quality is the question was the quest…
May 21, 2026
Board of Education
Special Meeting (Thursday, May 21, 2026)
Generated by Denise Bisaccia on Wednesday, May 27, 2026
Members present
Anamika Bhatnagar, Sarah Carrier, Neal Haber, Theo Oshiro, Allison Samuels, Ana Teague
Meeting called to order at 6:09 PM
1. Opening…
RESOLVED: That the Board of Education hereby approves the agreement for services between the Croton-Harmon Union Free School District and Childrenspace North for Universal Pre-Kindergarten services for the 2026-2027 school year.
Motion by Neal Haber…
Jun 4, 2026
Board of Education
>> I want to ask I do. This isn't typically something that we include in board reports, but I do just want to take a moment and acknowledge um the fact that the kindergarten lottery went off. Uh I'm sorry, UPK lottery went off um and that it has clos…
>> I know somebody's going to write about this on the internet. Incoming four-year-old UPK lottery acceptance. Thank you so much for the attention on all of that. We will now go into business.
Jul 16, 2026
Board of Education
RESOLVED: That the Board of Education hereby approved the fixed asset disposition from Carrie E. Tompkins Elementary School as presented.
FIXED ASSET DISPOSITION FORM
6/16/2026
Building
Room
Asset Tag #
Asset Description
Manufacturer
Mod…
Aug 27, 2026
Board of Education
I attended the NISPA advocacy meeting on Monday evening, and And so the first part of it, we basically just looked at what the advocacy priorities were last year, and it seems like most of them are going to be continuing forward. And then there was s…
Board may distribute work to Policy, etc. The next meeting will be on September 8. They will meet monthly. They are also looking at what other districts similar to CHUFSD are doing.
Board Trustee Allison Samuels attended the NYSSBA advocacy committe…
Sep 17, 2026
Board of Education
Yeah. Thank you. So just to elaborate a little bit on this, Allison, Samuels and I, trustee Samuels, attended the West Putt advocacy meeting Monday night over Zoom. There were about 30 representatives from school districts throughout West Chester Put…
So that was a big topic of conversation when you're looking at the resolutions in the workbook. AI was discussed at length, especially in terms of ability to opt out of AI features in various software and educational settings. And there was a strong …
Audit: Committee Chair Omar Mayyasi reported that the audit committee will meet in January.
Board Governance: Committee Chair Anamika Bhatnagar reported that there is no additional update.
Policy: Committee Chair Ana Teague reported that the commit…
Oct 1, 2026
Board of Education
Then with respect to UPK, there was a resolution supporting new state bond act to improve facility needs because with these additional UPK classrooms, you need additional classrooms and spaces, so some of that. I don't know if anybody has anything el…
and I... This is also just a... I didn't I didn't get eligible for all, so I have a problem with these double negatives in in this thing. But... And so on '27. Okay. So... Say what I had a question about. So thank you. Yeah. So it says proposed resol…
just not the timing. Right. So I'll chime in and say, I'm strongly opposed to us voting against this. I mean, voting for this. I'm sorry. Because deposit or voting I I don't... I mean, like, with all the advocacy and discussion we've had in our commu…
was. I just... To go back to when we were discussing this in the fall and in the spring, there was kind of a universal consensus that there was no meeting of the minds regarding the allocated amount, the entry point into UPK, and the feasibility. Rig…
That's my personal opinion, but I'm not speaking for the board. So Well I I don't know enough. You know? So We'll use our thumbs to speak for the board. The last thing I'll read is off of the resolutions committee recommendation, which is, again, bec…
But I also don't wanna come from a position where we're going to oppose actually gathering information back to this because last year when I did a deep dive as an individual trust... All of this, there was a gap. There was a huge gap in understanding…