BCSD: Pre-K options up in the air until annual state budget is finalized

By  JEFF MORRIS

Calling this year “a bit of a moving target heading into the next school year,” assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, Amy Fishkin, on Feb. 25, presented the Board of Education with the first update on the district’s pre-kindergarten program since 2022.

Her “moving target” characterization proved accurate during a subsequent discussion, which resulted in no decision on options for moving forward with the program until more information is available.

Fishkin explained the reasons the pre-K program was started four years ago. She said research suggests as much as half of the achievement gap is already established before students enter kindergarten; high-quality full-day pre-kindergarten programs help to build foundational skills, and produce significant performance improvements in math and literacy by second grade. She said pre-K helps insure students come into kindergarten ready to learn, and reduces costs later for tiered support, ESOL and special education services.

The district was fortunate to receive two different funding streams when it opened the program, said Fishkin: the first, a non-competitive grant, did not have to be applied for. Bedford was awarded $956,235 for a maximum of 177 students. It allocates $5,402 per pupil and must be used first. Fishkin said the low per-pupil allocation limited the ability to expand the program.

The second funding stream was one the district applied for and was awarded. This expansion grant is recurring, and provides $360,000 for 36 students at $10,000 per pupil. 

“It has allowed us to create a full-day pre-K program for 4-year-old students in our residential area,” Fishkin said. 

The grant requires a teacher of record with a New York state teacher certification valid for service in the early childhood grades. Classes can have up to 18 students and must have one teacher and one paraprofessional for each class; more than 18 students require adding more staff. The program must operate for 180 days, or will receive less funding, and it is audited each year by the state. Fishkin said the program has been rated “highly effective” by the state in all four years, and has received very high marks in parent feedback surveys.

The current program has 60 pre-K spots in four locations: 18 at Bedford Hills Elementary School; 18 at Mount Kisco Elementary School; 10 at Country Children’s Center in Bedford Hills; and 14 spots at Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester.

Fishkin shared findings of the universal screening tool the district uses to assess incoming kindergarten students, called DIAL-4. It showed that among current kindergarten students who attended one of the district’s pre-K locations, there was an average score of 71.9% and those who attended other pre-K programs had an average score of 66.9%. But those who did not attend any pre-K program entered kindergarten with an average 17.8% score, which Fishkin called “pretty stark and significant.”

How to move forward?

Board discussion was centered on choosing one of four options presented by Fishkin for moving forward with the program. She said currently, based on requirements of the grant funding stream, they are only able to offer 46 fully grant-funded pre-K spots, in order to “provide our families with a tuition-free pre-K experience.” 

Fishkin said under Option A they would be maintaining three locations, at BHES, MKES, and Country Children’s Center, where all the certified teachers are located, for a total of $460,000. The district has already held its lottery, with about 115 eligible families, and is already going down the list to reward families with the first 46 spots, she said.

“A big moving target here is Gov. Hochul’s budget proposes about $2 million in pre-K funding,” Fishkin said. 

“Should that budget be approved,” she said, that grant funding stream would award, instead of that $5,400 allocation, “funding at a $10,000 per pupil rate, with no maximum.” 

She said they don’t know yet exactly what Bedford would be awarded, but there would be no requirement of certification, and there is talk and hope of having pre-K for all by the 2028-29 school year.

“There’s a lot right now contingent upon this budget,” Fishkin said. While they won’t know until April or possibly early May, “we could see a good chunk of money coming our way for pre-K, and at that $10,000 per pupil allocation gives us a lot more flexibility to open up some additional spots.”

Option B, based upon the budget passing, provides 64 spots by opening up a third classroom on-site, with a third certified teacher and third teacher aide. Option C would also provide 64 spots by awarding an RFP to a new or current community-based organization rather than opening up another classroom. Option D could potentially open 120 spots, with a CBO in addition to a third classroom. “I put us at 120 only because we haven’t seen more than 120 families apply and be eligible for our lottery,” said Fishkin. “What we wouldn’t want to do is run more spots than even our families are interested in. And so, going bigger than 120, while there could be funding for that, may not be realistic at this time.”

Board President Gilian Klein acknowledged it is “a very uncomfortable position to be in, to not know where your student is going to school next year.” She wanted to apologize to families who applied to the lottery thinking there would be 60 slots and are now finding out there are only 46 that can currently be guaranteed, “which means everyone who got a number 47 to 60 probably feels reasonably misled.”

Klein said the partnership with Boys & Girls Club ended because they did not have a certified teacher, and the state, which controls the grant, did not allow that partnership to continue.

With the situation essentially “on hold” until the state budget passes and the district’s allocation is decided upon, Assistant Superintendent for Business and Operations Jose Formoso said they have been consulting with their legal team to determine whether RFPs can be sent out prior to that.

Fishkin confirmed that once the state provides funding, that amount is likely to remain for subsequent years.

Because of all the unknowns about how many slots could open and where they might be located, the board agreed to leave the matter open but be prepared to make a quick decision, once the amount of funding is known.