Hudson Valley BOCES Moving to a New Facility?

One of the Hudson Valley's biggest BOCES programs is looking to move into a new facility.

For many years Ulster BOCES has filled its Career & Technical campus in Port Ewen with students and staff that are looking to learn how to enter the workforce in various trades and careers. The Ulster BOCES Career & Technical Center located at 319 Broadway, Port Ewen, NY has become so popular for students that it appears they have outgrown the facility and could be looking to move to a new bigger space in Ulster County.

Ulster BOCES Career & Technical Center Moving?

Over the last few years overcrowding at the campus has led the organization to look into whether or not it would be possible for them to move some of its programs to a bigger more capable location. Ulster BOCES serves eight school districts across Ulster County and at a recent school board meeting at one of those schools, it was proposed that Ulster BOCES move some of its programs to iPark 87 at the former IBM campus in Kingston.

iPark 87 & Ulster BOCES

A proposal was recently submitted to the 8 school districts that Ulster BOCES serves seeking endorsements to move forward with a plan to lease 100,000+ square feet of space at iPark 87 to help ease the overcrowding issues at the Port Ewen Campus according to the Daily Freeman. The proposal states that BOCES would commit to a 20-year lease for the space and pay $1.9 million in rent the first year with it increasing by a percentage each year after. The proposal is currently under review by the Kingston Board of Education and if approved, could see classes move to iPark 87 in the 2025-26 school year.

Ulster BOCES Superintendent Jonah Schenker told the Rondout Valley Central School District recently that it would be a "once in a lifetime opportunity" for them to be able to shift its career and technology education component to iPark 87 in the future according to the Kingston Wire.

SEE ALSO: New York State Thruway Adds Another Way to Pay Tolls

What Would Happen at Port Ewen Campus?

Under the proposal, the current 90,000 square Ft. Ulster BOCES Career & Technical Center would be converted to a special education campus allowing Ulster BOCES to add a fourth to the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning. This would allow BOCES to increase from the 250 students they serve in three locations to 570 students by adding middle and high school programs.

The move would need to be approved by all the school districts that participate in the BOCES program as the districts would have to pay a share of the costs associated with the move. It's unclear when the final decision will be made about the move but as more information becomes available we will update this article.