FY13 Universal PreKindergarten (UPK) Grant Amendment – Discussion and Vote

1. FY13 Universal PreKindergarten (UPK) Grant Amendment – Discussion and Vote June 12, 2012

2. Issue and Proposed Resolution Issue: • At the Board of Early Education and Care meeting on February, 14, 2012, the Board discussed and approved the Universal PreKindergarten (UPK) grant requirements for FY2013. • The Board approved an exemption in the FY13 grant to allow existing UPK grantees with previously established UPK classrooms with educators who have obtained Bachelor’s degrees, to apply for up to level funding in FY2013 if the full grant is to be used for existing educators’ compensation only. • In order to be eligible for this exemption, the Board set a criterion that the classroom teacher(s) must have a Bachelor’s degree and at least a two-year tenure at the program. • EEC learned that the two year tenure requirement for teachers was negatively impacting programs as many programs have lost tenured staff to the public school system and have replaced these educators with new staff who hold a Bachelor’s degree but were still deemed ineligible for the funding exemption under the terms of the February 14, 2012 Board vote. • The intent of the original requirement was to ensure that degreed teachers had been regularly employed in the UPK classrooms and to provide retention. However, this intent was not clearly translated when the amendments to the Board vote were approved and it has penalized existing UPK programs.

3. Issue and Proposed Resolution Proposed Resolution: • As a result, EEC proposes that the Board adopt the following amendment to the guidelines and policy objectives for FY2013 UPK renewal grants by deleting the provision “the teacher(s) implicated must have at least a two year tenure at the program” and replacing it with: A Bachelor’s teacher must have taught in the preschool classroom for at least two years but the same staff member is not required to be in the position at the time of the FY2013 renewal application. A substituted teacher with a Bachelor’s degree may replace the Bachelor’s teacher and be counted in the existing UPK program’s funding request for FY2013. • EEC will post an amendment to the FY2013 Universal Pre-Kindergarten renewal grant to allow existing grantees to revise their applications for a funding exemption and/or to submit an application and request a funding exemption under the amended criteria. All other guidelines and policy objectives previously approved by the Board on February 14, 2012 remain unchanged.