District readies UPK lottery as state budget could fund 72 seats

Superintendent Jerry Poole updated the Shoreham‑Wading River Board of Education on the district'9s Universal Prekindergarten (UPK) planning on March 24, saying the program and seats are contingent on the final New York State budget.

Poole said the district solicited proposals from 25 local pre‑K providers and received three responses — Saint Ansel's, Saint David's and Kiddie Academy — sufficient to offer 72 full‑day seats if the state budget passes as proposed. Under the governor'9s proposal the state would provide $10,000 per UPK seat.

What families need to know

- Enrollment mechanics: The district will mail postcards about UPK by April 1 and open an online registration form. Families chosen in the lottery (scheduled for April 30) must confirm enrollment by June 1.

- Assignment process: Applicants will rank preferred UPK locations. If a chosen site is full, lottery results proceed to a family'9s next preference on their application.

- Cost and funding: Based on vendor pricing, if all 72 seats fill the total vendor cost would be approximately $687,000; Poole said that if the governor'9s proposal is included in the enacted state budget the district expects $720,000 in state aid for those seats and that administrative costs could be covered by the per‑pupil allocation.

- Site visits and outreach: The administration plans an open house at Saint David'9s on April 13 and said contracts with the three providers have been finalized and will be included in family outreach.

Why it matters

If the state budget adopts the governor'9s proposal, the expansion would create seats intended to reduce early‑childhood cost pressure for district families and shift recurring early‑childhood costs to state aid. Poole warned the program is contingent on budget enactment and that the district will use a wait list if interest exceeds available seats.

Next steps

The district will proceed with family outreach and the April 30 lottery if the state budget allows; administrators said they will publish the full application and lottery details on the district website and include provider open‑house information in the postcard outreach.