UPK program

Universal Pre-Kindergarten to accommodate more than 100 children for the 2022-23 school year is on the table for consideration at Batavia City Schools.

A recommendation by Molly Corey is on the school board’s agenda for this week’s meeting. It’s set for 6 p.m. Thursday at Batavia High School, Superintendent's Conference Room, 260 State St.

Corey, the district’s executive director of curriculum and instruction, has proposed UPK sites at Imagination Station and GLOW YMCA, in addition to Jackson Primary School, in order to accommodate 112 students. The expected price tag is $672,719, to be paid with federal UPK grant funding, Corey said in a memo to the superintendent. 

In other meeting items, the board is expected to vote on a proposal from Johnson Controls of Rochester for an energy performance contract. Promising a “positive cash flow” from state rebates and energy savings, the contract is for $2,357,531, to be paid off over the course of nearly 18 years at 2.75 percent interest. 

If approved, construction would begin in September of this year with a completion date of August 2023. 

Other votes and discussions include:

• The 2022-23 preliminary $55 million budget, which includes a 1.62 percent tax levy increase. The board had its first budget workshop on Tuesday of this week to discuss a financial plan that left a gap of $315,716 to be paid for by taxpayers.
• Setting the official registration, voting, and public hearing dates for the 2022-23 budget.
• Revising the description of a school social worker to replace an itinerant social worker.
• Approval of several personnel appointments and resignations.
• A shared services agreement between Batavia City School District and the Town of Batavia for shared services and equipment use for a five-year term.
• The purchase of sensory room equipment for Jackson Primary and John Kennedy Intermediate from Fun & Function and School Specialty for $22,031.99.

The meeting includes time for public comments and an executive session to discuss a resolution to “assert paid leave for an employee until further notice,” followed by the vote in open session. 

To view the meeting, go to: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8JI99xyBJt1sGdRzmCW2Kg

There are a few openings left, and so the Batavia City School District has extended the deadline to submit an application for participation in the Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) program for the 2012-2013 school year.

UPK provides an opportunity for 4-year-old children to be involved in half-day, developmentally appropriate educational classes at no cost to their families. The district offers morning and afternoon programs at Jackson Primary School and partners with the Batavia YMCA to provide Pre-Kindergarten at the YMCA.

Children who are residents of the district, are 4 years of age on or before Dec. 1 and who are not enrolled in a special education program with the GV Educational Partnership are eligible to apply.

Letters/applications were mailed to all known eligible families, but also are available for pick-up at the administra­tion building, by calling Julie Tybor at 343-2480, ext. 7516, and requesting that one be mailed, or on the district’s Web site: <http://towww.bataviacsd.org>, use the pull-down menu under “District,” click on the link for Curriculum and Instruction, then the link for Universal Pre-K Information.

Applications for the remaining openings will continue to be processed through early October and students placed in the order that they are received. Please return the completed application to the information/regis­tration office (39 Washington Ave., Batavia, NY, 14020, Atten­tion: Julie Tybor).