Pre-K enrollment can’t keep up with state funding in northeast Dutchess

As student enrollment declines across the region, local school districts are falling short of using the full amount of state Pre-K funding available to them. But local superintendents say the shortfall reflects fewer children enrolling — not money being left on the table.

A recent NY Focus analysis of State Education Department data compared New York districts’ Pre-K enrollment with the amount of Pre-K funding provided by the state. It found that most districts did not meet their maximum allotment.

During the 2024-25 school year, $1.2 billion was set aside for public pre-K statewide. By the end of the school year, roughly $170 million remained unspent. For the 2025-26 school year, the state estimates another $87 million will go unused.

Deficits exist across the state. In Northern Dutchess, Millbrook Central School District fell $156,600 short of its maximum state allocation, while Pine Plains was $64,801 below its cap.

Data for Webutuck Central School District was not immediately available. Earlier this year, Webutuck announced it would expand its Pre-K offerings to include 3 year olds in addition to 4 year olds.

Superintendents from Millbrook and Pine Plains say the disparity comes from a question of enrollment, rather than the funds allocation. “The state provides a per-pupil allocation of money,” said Millbrook Superintendent Caroline Hernandez-Pidala. “If you do not have enough students enrolled to encumber the total amount available to your school district, it is forfeited. You are not able to use it for other programming.”

Superintendent Dr. Brian Timm of Pine Plains ran into the same problem. “When the initial amount for Pine Plains was given to us, it was based on a projected enrollment of 47 students,” he said. “But when our students actually enrolled, we had 35 students. So what the state is saying is, ‘Here’s the amount if all your students were to enroll, but we’re only going to pay you for the amount that actually shows up.’”

Changes are on the horizon. The state budget passed last month raised the per-pupil reimbursement for pre-K from $5,400 to $10,000.

While that won’t affect enrollment, it will free up local school dollars previously used to support Pre-K. Millbrook and Pine Plains spent $181,989 and $221,739, respectively, from local funds to fund Pre-K.

Pre-K and child care have been a central component of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s 2026-27 budget. The state has earmarked $4.5 billion for the programs, a $1.7 billion increase in funding. Hochul has set a goal of achieving universal Pre-K by the 2028-29 school year.