On February 4, 2025, residents of the Green Island Union Free School District will vote on a tuitioning agreement with Watervliet City School District. Under this tuition agreement, Heatly students in grades 9-12 would attend Watervliet High School and have access to educational and extracurricular learning opportunities that are not currently available to them in Green Island, This includes electives, college credit-bearing courses, and Advanced Placement courses, as well as athletics. In addition to benefiting students, the tuition agreement would result in cost-savings for the Green Island community. The following are answers to frequently asked questions. Please use the FAQ form to submit any additional questions you may have.
How would the proposed tuition plan benefit high school students?
The tuition plan would benefit Green Island’s students in several ways. First and foremost, it would offer all students in grades 9-12 meaningful experiences and opportunities not currently available at our Heatly School. This includes programs that will better prepare them for college and careers and support their success beyond high school. Watervliet High School provides a rigorous high school curriculum and a variety of courses, including honors-level and college-credit-bearing classes, a wider choice of electives and access to more extracurricular opportunities and learning experiences. These opportunities also support and contribute to the personal growth and social development of high school peers.
There are current examples of where sharing opportunities between the two districts is already benefiting students. Heatly students currently have opportunities to participate in interscholastic sports with their Watervliet peers, for example. This became possible when Green Island and Watervliet agreed to combine athletic programs at the start of the 2023-24 school year. This partnership allows for a greater number of student athletes from both schools to participate in athletic programs at all levels: varsity, junior varsity and modified.
The Heatly and Watervliet athletic programs were combined in the Fall of 2023. The following sports are currently offered as either modified (7-9), junior varsity and/or varsity (9-12).
- Fall: Football, Girls Soccer, Boys Soccer, Cross Country, Volleyball, Cheerleading
- Winter: Boys Basketball, Girls Basketball, Indoor Track, Cheerleading, Bowling, Wrestling
- Spring: Baseball, Softball, Track
- e-Sports competes in Fall and in Spring
During the 2023-24 school year, approximately 40 Heatly students (grades 7-12) participated in athletics. Approximately 30 percent of those student athletes played more than one sport across the Fall, Winter and Spring Sports seasons. It is anticipated that participation for Green Island students would increase as they attend the Watervliet High School campus.
Is this a merger?
No, it is not. Heatly School will continue to educate our PreK-grade 8 students in Green Island.
Why can’t we simply offer more choices, opportunities for students here in Green Island?
Our priority is to ensure that grades 9-12 students are provided a meaningful high school experience and valuable learning opportunities that put them on a trajectory for success — whether it be the pursuit of a college education or readiness for the workforce. The reality is it has become an ongoing challenge for small school districts, like Green Island, to achieve this goal due to fiscal limitations and lack of appropriate resources. This will continue for the foreseeable future as the demands of a high school diploma continue to evolve — outpacing the staffing and support necessary to provide what our students require and deserve to prepare for — and be successful in — life after high school.
For example, of the state-approved pathways to graduation, right now we offer one: a Career and Technical Education endorsement through the Capital Region BOCES (that comes with a cost of tuition for programming). To provide other pathways — such as Civic Readiness, the Arts, World Languages — for graduates would require significant investments in instructional resources and staffing, which would be fiscally unsustainable for our district and community.
Why tuition students to Watervliet High School, and not other neighboring schools?
In addition to athletics, Green Island and Watervliet school districts currently have existing partnerships that have been successful, which include:
Our two districts have combined efforts to address shortages in instructional and non-instructional positions, when necessary, by sharing teachers and staff. Green Island students also have had opportunities to participate in Watervliet’s summer learning programs to help them meet graduation requirements and New York State standards by making up credits, raising the grades, and strengthening foundational skills.
As New York State increasingly calls for regionalization among neighboring schools — especially those with limited or declining enrollments — it is clear from the partnerships between Watervliet and Green Island that our school districts have been ahead of this curve by working together to develop solutions and share resources that benefit our students and our communities collectively.
Given this, it makes logistical and logical sense to further expand our educational partnership with our Watervliet neighbors.
What educational opportunities would be available to Green Island grades 9-12 students attending Watervliet High School?
Watervliet High School offers students an array of elective courses, including college-credit courses through Hudson Valley Community College, and Advancement Placement (AP) precalculus. In addition, all ninth-grade students participate in a freshman seminar, called the PIVOT program, that is designed to prepare them for the rigors of high school. One-to-one devices are also provided to ensure every student has equal access to learning tools regardless of their socioeconomic background.
The Watervliet High School campus offers a 750-seat auditorium, computer labs, an athletic complex that features a gymnasium with full-size basketball/volleyball court, an upper-level indoor walking track, and adjacent two-story fitness center, and an artificial turf field bordered by a six-lane track.
Another consideration in choosing Watervliet High School is enrollment, which is small enough to allow for personalized learning and authentic connections between teachers and students, but large enough to offer a variety of programs and opportunities for students on an equitable basis.
How would the tuition plan benefit elementary and grades 6-8 students?
The tuition agreement with Watervliet would allow Heatly to focus our resources and continue the work we are doing to optimize instructional programs and academic supports to better meet the needs of elementary and middle school students, and meet state requirements.
What happens to the secondary teachers and non-teaching staff at Heatly? How does this affect them?
There are potentially seven (7) teachers at the secondary level who could be partially or wholly affected by the tuition plan. To minimize the impact, Watervliet will review its needs for educators at the high school level for next year and would welcome the opportunity to hire affected educators where possible. If positions are not available, affected teachers would be placed on a preferred eligible list for a period of seven years in both districts. The expectation is that all Pre-K-8 Heatly teaching and non-teaching staff would be retained.
What is tuitioning? How does it work?
As the demands on education grow and graduation requirements become more complex, smaller school districts must consider options that will best meet the needs of students. That is why Green Island is exploring the option to tuition our grades 9-12 students to Watervliet High School.
Under the New York Education Law, for a school district to send students to be educated in another district — often referred to as “tuitioning” — it must first receive approval from the eligible voters of the district. In a referendum to be held on February 4, 2025, residents of Green Island will have an opportunity to vote on a proposition that would authorize the Board of Education to have students in grades 9-12 attend school in the Watervliet City School District, effective September 2025.
Together the districts negotiate a tuition rate — based on the state’s non-resident tuition (NRT) formula — that is designed to cover the expense of adding between 50-55 Green Island students to Watervliet High School’s enrollment. This initiative would help support critical programs and services for students.
The tuition agreement would be for the next five school years, with an estimated initial tuition rate of $4,683 per student and $19,155 estimated per special education student, if approved by Green Island voters.
It is important to note that families do not pay tuition, that is the school district’s responsibility.
How will the tuition agreement be cost effective for Green Island?
Although Green Island will incur the tuition expense, we anticipate cost-savings and efficiencies because of the reduction in grades 9-12 staffing. At this moment, likely changes to the state aid formula and the uncertainty surrounding the state’s ‘Save Harmless’ provision make it difficult to predict with specificity the exact amount of savings. We do know the financial impact on our district will be reduced overall because we will have fewer employees on our payroll and will not be responsible for the costs of benefits that increase annually far more than the tax increase. Health insurance alone, for example, increased 11 percent last year. The tuition agreement would help keep our costs more predictable or fixed over time.
How would transportation work for families of Green Island’s 9-12 grade students?
For students in grades 9-12 attending Watervliet High School on a full-time basis, Green Island would provide transportation to and from Watervliet at the start and the end of the school day in accordance with New York State Education Law. More details on bus routes and timing will be determined in the Spring.
What is the expected impact on state aid to Green Island UFSD from the tuition plan?
For the 2025-26 school year at least, Green Island would continue to receive state aid based on our K-12 enrollment. Once our Green Island 9-12 students are fully matriculated to Watervliet’s enrollment, our state aid would be based on K-8 enrollment numbers. We anticipate, however, that any potential fluctuation in state aid would be balanced to some degree by revenue from classroom rentals and the reduction in payroll at the high school level.
In the meantime, it is important to note that New York is currently at a crossroads with regard to how public school’s in the state are funded. The New York State Education Department and the Rockefeller Institute are currently conducting a review of the state aid formula to determine if changes are needed. It is unknown how a new formula would impact our district, but one concern is the possible elimination of the ‘Save Harmless provision. Under ‘Save Harmless’, district’s like Green Island are assured that state funding will not decrease regardless of whether there is a decrease in the student population. If this were to happen, it would be devastating to small school districts such as ours, which is just one reason why the administration and Board of Education have started to look for creative solutions to sustain a robust education for our students. The time is now to be creative and plan ahead, rather than be reactive when changes are imposed at the state level.
How would the district utilize the free space in the building?
Unoccupied classrooms or learning spaces in the Heatly School could yield revenue for the district through rentals. For example, the Capital Region BOCES could rent space for some of its special education services and/or other districts including Watervliet City School District could lease space.
How will class sizes be impacted at Watervliet High School (the receiving school)?
The average class size for Watervliet High School currently ranges from 16-24 students. The addition of approximately 55 Green Island students would result in a slight increase in class sizes at the high school level, by an average of one to three students across sections per grade level (9-12). Efforts are made to try and limit the number of students to no more than 25 per class, which allows for lively discussions, encourages active participation, and promotes engagement among high school peers and educators.
In addition, we expect that athletics and extracurricular opportunities would experience increased student participation, which would have a positive impact on those programs.
Will there be opportunities for students and families to visit Watervliet High School and learn more about the high school courses and programs offered?
Yes, there would be several opportunities throughout the spring and over the summer for Heatly students and families to tour Watervliet Jr.-Sr. High School, meet with building principals, teachers and school counselors to gather information about academic programs and register for classes.
Will the community have opportunities to ask questions and share their thoughts?
Yes. Parents/guardians, students, teachers, staff and community members are invited to a “Town Hall” meeting with the Board of Education at Heatly on Monday, Dec. 9 at 5 p.m. to learn more about the tuition plan, hear our recommendations, ask questions and express opinions. The Watervliet Superintendent of Schools will also attend the meeting and be available to answer questions about the academic programs, services and learning opportunities that would be available to high school students in Watervliet.
You may submit questions ahead of the December 9 “Town Hall” and upcoming Board of Education meetings through our online FAQ form. Questions and answers will be added to the FAQ web page.
It is anticipated that the Board of Education will adopt a resolution on the tuition plan at its meeting on Monday, Dec. 16. A public hearing would then be scheduled for Monday, Jan. 27, 2025 at 5 p.m. for the community to provide comments and ask questions prior to the February vote. The Green Island community will vote on the proposed tuition plan from 2-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025 at the Heatly School.