District gets $1M for preschool

Four school districts in Sussex County are among 26 districts throughout New Jersey receiving a total of $24.9 million in Preschool Expansion Aid, acting Gov. Tahesha Way said Oct. 18.

Sussex-Wantage Regional School District will begin offering a free all-day pre-kindergarten program in 2024 after it was awarded about $2.2 million by the state.

The Sparta district will receive about $1 million, and Hardyston and Lafayette will receive $654,795 and $378,326, respectively.

The money will go to establish or expand access to high-quality preschool programs in the 2023-24 school year. It will add more than 1,715 seats to the state’s expanding preschool system.

“Providing children with access to preschool programs not only sets our students up for success, but also yields both short- and long-term economic benefits for their families and communities,” Way said.

Angelica Allen-McMillan, acting state commissioner of education, said, “Our vision is to create an educational landscape where every child, regardless of their background, can thrive from the very beginning of their academic journey. This investment not only expands preschool seats but also opens doors to greater educational and life opportunities for our state’s future leaders.”

To include all children

At the Board of Education meeting Oct. 19, Superintendent Matthew Beck said the Preschool Expansion Aid eventually will allow the district to offer pre-k programs to all 3- and 4-year-olds in the community at no charge.

Starting in January, one pre-k class with the next 12 students on the district’s waiting list will be added at Helen Morgan School.

Students paying tuition for pre-k at Alpine Elementary School this year will have that money refunded and will not be charged for the rest of the year.

The second phase of the program expansion, to take place in the 2024-25 school year, will add pre-k classes in leased space or at other preschools in Sparta.

”The pre-k expansion program is a multi-year process designed to grow the program over time,” he said.

The district’s long-range plan calls for continuing to offer pre-k at Alpine, he noted.

On another topic, Beck said district officials have searched for months for a possible location for a new school but have not found one.

He introduced a preliminary plan for an addition to Alpine and significant upgrades at Alpine and Helen Morgan. The proposed addition would eliminate the need for the modular buildings now used as classrooms at Alpine.

The upgrades would include new heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, with air conditioning throughout the buildings; new windows and doors; restroom upgrades; and roofing.

”This preliminary plan would address the facility upgrade and space needs in our district and would do so at a fraction of the cost of building an entirely new elementary school,” he said.

Also at the meeting, the board approved the appointment of Nathali Convery as vice principal of Alpine. She will replace Katie Madsen, who will become principal of Mohawk Avenue School after her maternity leave at the end of February. Principal Mike Gregory is retiring.

Convery, who has taught in the district for six years, was the top recommended candidate among 60 who applied for the position, Beck said.

James Heinegg, former superintendent of the Caldwell-West Caldwell School District, will serve as interim principal at Mohawk Avenue from Jan. 2 to Feb. 23.