Join us for the Questar III BOCES Career and Technical Education (CTE) Open House on Thursday, October 15, 2026 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.! Students interested in attending one of our programs next fall are encouraged to attend with their families. It’s an opportunity to tour our schools, explore our programs, meet with administrators and teachers, and speak with current students. Learn more about CTE, the enrollment process, and our programs at www.Questar.org/CTE.

Donald R. Kline Technical School
131 Union Turnpike, Hudson, NY

Two-Year Programs for Juniors (Class of 2029)

• Automotive Services*
• Automotive Technology
• Building Trades*
• Construction Technology
• Criminal Justice
• Culinary Arts
• HVAC
• Introduction to Foods*
• Welding

One-Year Programs for Juniors (’29) or Seniors (’28)

• Introduction to Aviation (juniors)
• Aviation Technology (seniors)
• EMT (seniors)
• Fire Science (juniors or seniors)
• Nursing Assistant (seniors)

Marilyn A. Noonan School at Durham
4099 State Route 145, Durham, NY

Two-Year Program for Juniors (Class of 2029)

• Heavy Equipment

Robert H. Gibson Technical School
35 Colleen Road, Troy, NY

Two-Year Programs for Juniors (Class of 2029)

• Automotive Services*
• Automotive Technology
• Construction Technology
• Cosmetology
• Criminal Justice
• Culinary Arts
• Electrical Trades
• Gaming and Multimedia
• HVAC
• Heavy Equipment
• Welding

One-Year Program for Seniors (Class of 2028)

• Nursing Assistant

*Career Studies: supportive, small learning environments with a more customized learning pace. 

New Visions: Visual and Performing Arts students performing Dolly Parton’s “9-5.”

• Carter Cantara, East Greenbush Central School District
• Emma Cody, Hoosic Valley Central School District
• Kaylee Couitt, Chatham Central School District
• Nathan Goodermote, Berlin Central School District
• Julia Mastromarchi, Hoosic Valley Central School District
• Storm Newkirk, Cairo-Durham Central School District
• Matthew Pallone, East Greenbush Central School District
• Ellia Payette-Bate, Catskill Central School District
• Vivian Savage, Averill Park Central School District
• Makaya Wheeler, Troy City School District

New Visions: Pathways in Education, Medical at Samaritan Hospital, and Emergency Preparedness, Informatics, Cyber, and Homeland Security (EPICH) students also paid tribute to Dolly Parton. Earlier this week, students from the three programs became CPR certified, an essential skill for each of their fields. Students showcased how Dolly’s “9-5” is the perfect song to keep them in beat when performing CPR.

 

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CPE/CTLE
CPE Attendance Form
PowerPoint 

Workshop Flyer 

In our daily conversations and communications with districts around the state, one of the frequent concerns encountered is the tightening of district finances.  Due to these concerns, the State Aid Planning Fall Workshop will focus on what you can do to help yourself as far as district reporting and communicating with the board, managing finances throughout the year, and ideas to help plan for district finances in the future.  

If you require CTLE or CPE credit, you will need to also register in Frontline. Use this page to select the location that you will be attending. The following attendance form will need to be completed to receive CPE credit and emailed to our Operations Associate: gavin.barker@questar.org.    

CPE Attendance Form 

We look forward to seeing you at the workshops. 

Based on statutory changes enacted with the Laws of 2007, prospective projects eligible for initial Building Aid payments in the current year will have their initial year of payment deferred to July of the following aid year if a complete and accurate Building Contract (SA-139) form did not have Superintendent approval in time to be included in the frozen data file created in November of the prior year. Projects for which Building Contract (SA-139) forms do not have Superintendent approval in time to be included in the November 2026 frozen data file will not generate any 2027-2028 Building Aid, even if all other requirements have been met. 

As a reminder, this form must be submitted electronically through the Building Projects area of the State Aid Management System (SAMS) Rebuild. 

Workshop Flyer

In our daily conversations and communications with districts around the state, one of the frequent concerns encountered is the tightening of district finances. Due to these concerns, the State Aid Planning Fall Workshop will focus on what you can do to help yourself as far as district reporting and communicating with the board, managing finances throughout the year, and ideas to help plan for district finances in the future.

If you require CTLE or CPE credit, you will need to also register in Frontline. Use this page to select the location that you will be attending. The following attendance form will need to be completed to receive CPE credit and emailed to our Operations Associate: gavin.barker@questar.org.

CPE Attendance Form

New York City Public Schools recently announced a one-year pause on artificial intelligence (AI) tools for elementary and middle school students.

The school system is also tightening screen-time expectations and reviewing educational technology based on safety, privacy, transparency and instructional value. Teachers may continue using approved AI tools, while high schools will continue piloting vetted programs.

The decision raises an important question for schools across New York: how should they balance caution around emerging technology with the responsibility to prepare students for a world increasingly shaped by AI?

The concerns behind NYC’s decision are understandable. Schools should not introduce AI simply because it is new or readily available. Districts have a responsibility to protect student privacy, preserve student-teacher engagement, consider age appropriateness and ensure technology strengthens learning.

In that sense, slowing down can be reasonable. But there is an important distinction between limiting inappropriate uses of AI and preventing students from learning about it responsibly.

AI is already embedded in the technology many students use every day, including phones, social media, search engines and creative applications. For schools, simply avoiding AI is not a realistic long-term strategy.

Schools have faced similar challenges before. Calculators required students to learn when to use technology and when to show their own work. The internet brought lessons in research, source credibility, privacy, copyright and digital citizenship. Smartphones and social media have likewise required schools to help students navigate both benefits and risks.

Schools need the same thoughtful approach to AI. Students are going to encounter it whether schools teach them about it or not. The question is how schools can help them understand and use it responsibly.

That is why AI literacy matters. With guidance from educators who know them, students can learn to recognize AI-generated content, protect personal or sensitive information and understand that AI can produce inaccurate, biased or fabricated information. They also need to know the difference between using AI to support their thinking and letting it do the thinking for them.

Most importantly, AI literacy does not mean giving every student access to a chatbot.

Responsible AI education should evolve with age. Elementary students can learn that AI-generated images, video and information are not always accurate or real. Middle school students can explore privacy, bias and verification, while high school students can consider ethics, intellectual property, employment and misinformation.

Greenville Central School District, for example, introduced an AI Framework informed by best practices and developed with input from the school community. It establishes shared expectations around AI use, academic integrity and responsibility while remaining adaptable as the technology changes.

Other countries are taking different approaches. Norway has restricted generative AI tools for young students, while Italy has established parental-consent requirements for certain AI tools. Portugal is integrating AI into education through national recommendations, and Poland plans to equip thousands of schools with AI labs.

The New York State Education Department has not issued a comprehensive statewide K-12 AI framework or policy mandate, though the topic has been discussed by the Board of Regents. In the meantime, districts do not need policies that try to anticipate every new AI tool, but they do need clear expectations that can evolve as technology changes.

For schools, the conversation cannot stop at whether AI is allowed. We also have to ask what students need to understand about AI at each stage of their development and how we can teach that safely and responsibly.

That question is particularly relevant as New York rethinks the student experience through its Portrait of a Graduate and NY Inspires. The state is placing greater emphasis on critical thinking, communication, problem-solving and global citizenship –skills that will become more important as AI becomes more common.

Schools have always had a responsibility to prepare students for a changing world. That means helping them understand not simply how to use new technologies, but when to use them, when to question them and when to rely on their own judgment. As AI continues to evolve, that responsibility will only become more important.