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Happy New Year! I hope you are enjoying a productive start to 2025. In an effort to keep our community informed about what is happening in the school district, below is a brief update.
PreKindergarten 2025-26
We have started planning for PreKindergarten 2025-26 with the YMCA and provided information to the community via the Pville Press over the holiday break and when we returned in January. If you missed it, please click here. If you know someone with a child ready for Prek in September 2025, please share it with them.
PreKindergarten funding is largely from the federal and state government so the age, residency and medical information requirements are inflexible.
Spring Theatrical Performances
The March calendar is packed with three shows: BRS, MS 7th and 8th, and the HS. The performers and crews are hard at work preparing for their respective spring shows.
We are taking the time between the end of the winter concert season and the high school performance to conduct the second phase of our lighting project in the high school auditorium. We hope to have those improvements completed before the high school performance of The Music Man.
Section 1 Spring Season Competition Start Times
As anticipated, in December Section 1 Athletics changed the standard start time for games to 5 p.m. for the spring season. This will exacerbate some of the challenges we have been discussing regarding our athletic program, specifically completing games during daylight hours. We anticipate needing portable lights for some of our spring games to accommodate the change. As soon as I have more information, including the finalized spring schedule and the information on using portable lights, I will be sure to share it with the community.
Future Capital Projects
I know many of you are curious about what the next steps will be with the scope of work included in the Pleasantville Forward Capital Project that was voted on in December. Budget planning and the status of the capital project go hand in hand. As the administrative team prepares the 2025-26 budget, we are reevaluating and gathering additional information. We are:
- Looking at each component that was included in the Project and evaluating the respective details including scope and costs;
- Evaluating the annual capital improvement requests that accompany budget planning;
- Monitoring capital improvements currently underway at different stages; and
- Always assessing the evolving needs of the district.
In this stage of reassessing needs and gathering additional information, we are aware of the need to involve the community and the Board of Education as well as provide ongoing and frequent communication. We will use all of this information and ultimately make a recommendation for how best to proceed. It is my hope that with representative feedback from the community, we will be able to move forward and meet the needs of our students in a fiscally responsible way.
Maintenance Positions Available
There are positions available in the Pleasantville UFSD maintenance department. If interested, please contact the Director of Facilities, Stephen Chamberlain at chamberlains@pleasantvilleschools.org.
Thank you for your continued support of the students and staff.
For the youth,
Dr. Tina DeSa
Superintendent
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