Pre-K spots on LI are below the statewide average

Daily Point

Pre-K politics

Nassau and Suffolk school districts are high scoring in many categories, but they are underperforming in one key metric.

In the 2024-25 school year, 65.9% of eligible 4-year-olds on Long Island got state-funded pre-K spots, below the statewide average of 74.6%, according to recently released numbers from the state Education Department's Office of Early Learning. This landed LI in the bottom five of the state's 10 regions. In comparison, 90% of New York City 4-year-olds were enrolled in state programs last school year, followed by Western New York at 72%. Below Long Island are the Capital District at 54% and the Hudson Valley at 57.6%.

While enrollment of 4-year-olds is growing, pre-K is not nearly universal on Long Island. In the 2023-24 school year, 63% of eligible 4-year-olds on LI got spots, up from 58% in 2022-23 and 31% in 2020. More of LI's 4-year-old population are enrolled in early education programs, but those are private and parents pay out of pocket. State programs are free of charge.

Universal prekindergarten is a state and federally funded program that provides free, half- or full-day pre-K education. However, the funding and execution is — in the state's words — "complicated." The state Education Department now administers four separate pre-K programs.

"Each of the four dedicated Prekindergarten funding sources has varying requirements for quality standards and different mechanisms for data collection and reporting," the Office of Early Learning said in a report released last school year. The 2024-25 state budget called for this study to figure out ways to streamline pre-K funding and give recommendations for legislative action. Its roadmap sees all eligible 4-year-olds with full-day pre-K by 2030, and an expansion to full-day for all 3-year-olds by 2035, goals of the New York State Board of Regents.

"For UPK to reach universality, several changes need to be considered within the realms of funding and education law," the report said. "Although the number of prekindergarten students served has grown over the past five years, districts, providers, and the Department have identified challenges to the program, such as availability of appropriate space, insufficient per pupil reimbursement, complex and duplicative laws that govern the same program, as well as incongruent timelines and processes that determine payment and funding."

The study recommends that the State Legislature:

• Merge all universal prekindergarten laws and consolidate funding streams.
• Enact a budget that provides opportunities for additional funding for local school districts, so they can add more slots each year, with a priority given to districts that serve the highest amounts of students in poverty and English language learners.
• Use ongoing analysis of per pupil costs and funding requirements to expand services to all eligible students and ensure the blended lottery doesn't leave out students with disabilities.
• All have deadlines of this school year, 2025-2026.

"Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association welcomes and supports some of the recommendations in this report," said executive director Bob Vecchio. "We would support any easing of restrictions on funding allocations to districts to deal with the challenge of finding adequate space to provide these programs. The lack of increases to the per pupil allocations and the lack of flexibility on how funds are to be used has resulted in many UPK grant funds to go unspent by districts on Long Island."

Vecchio pointed out that New York City's geography and separate funding makes it easier to execute universal pre-K, but he's hopeful Long Island’s numbers will continue to go up each year.

"We look forward to the outcome of the analysis by the Department on what the per pupil allocation for universal prekindergarten services should be to meet the needs of today's 3- and 4-year-olds. The current rate hasn't been updated in nearly two decades for Long Island school districts."

— Amanda Fiscina-Wells amanda.fiscina-wells@newsday.com

Pencil Point

That's not right

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Final Point

Eleven months out, does Tennessee's House election mean anything for LI?

Is the result in Tuesday's special election for a House seat in Tennessee a harbinger for what might happen nationally and on Long Island in 2026?

In the closely watched race, the outcome was as expected — highly regarded combat veteran Matt Van Epps won — holding the seat for Republicans. But the victory margin in a solidly red rural area that includes parts of Nashville was only 9 percentage points. President Donald Trump carried the 7th Congressional District by 22% just a year ago and the turnout was about the same.

"This is one of the biggest flashing red light warning signs we've seen yet for Republicans," Matt Whitlock, a Republican strategist, wrote on social media. If there were similar numbers across the country next year, "we would be looking at a blue wave far worse than 2018." Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said on Fox News that it was time to sound the alarm for next year. It's "going to be a turnout election and the left will show up."

A 10-15 percentage point swing in House districts now held by Democrats could signal a big blue wave next year and change the dynamics in the contests for Long Island's four House seats. If that spread is in play this next year, it could upset Rep. Nick LaLota in CD1 who won by 6 percentage points in 2024 and possibly Rep. Andrew Garbarino who won by 16 percentage points in CD2.

The midterm effect may also play into the recruitment of GOP top draw candidates to run against Rep. Tom Suozzi in CD3 and Rep. Laura Gillen in CD4, local campaign strategists told The Point. Former House member Anthony D'Esposito, who was upset by Gillen in 2024, has yet to decide whether he wants to run again for his old seat. The great unknown for the two Nassau seats is what will happen in New York City under the mayoralty of Zohran Mamdani and whether Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is the GOP nominee for governor. 

LaLota, seeking a third term, isn't worried. "Given Republicans' quadrupling of SALT compared to Hochul's worst-in-nation taxes, there's a greater chance of NY-3 and NY-4 flipping than NY-1 or NY-2," he told The Point Wednesday referring to the hard-fought effort by blue state Republicans to restore a partial deduction of state and local taxes on federal income tax.

Garbarino's spokeswoman in a statement to the Point on Monday dismissed Democratic challenger Pat Halpin, the former Suffolk County executive. Annie McCarthy, a spokeswoman for the CD2 representative wrote, "Chairman Garbarino is focused on serving Long Island families and delivering results. He is confident voters will continue to support his record of effective, bipartisan leadership."

As the race in Tennessee's CD7 got tighter in the last few weeks, a huge GOP huge effort kicked in and millions of dollars were raised to strengthen the GOP majority. House Speaker Mike Johnson was in Tennessee Tuesday morning visiting breakfast spots along with Van Epps, and in one instance Johnson put Trump on speaker phone for the assembled patrons. Trump was consistently drumming up support for Van Epps, especially on social media.

And Democrat Aftyn Behn had a good showing with her focus on affordability, despite being considered too liberal for the district. An audio of the state representative saying on a podcast a few years ago that she hated country music and the "bachelorette party mood of Nashville" didn't help her win votes, nor did her past statement in support of defunding the police. The day-after quarterbacking from Democrats Wednesday is that a more moderate candidate would have come a lot closer to beating Van Epps.

The next House special elections will be in Texas in January and in April in New Jersey, where the weather vane of politics will spin again.

— Rita Ciolli rita.ciollii@newsday.com

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Correction: The Point originally misidentified Bob Vecchio's title.