About Us
What is BOCES?
BOCES stands for the Board of Cooperative Educational Services, a trusted partner in public education across New York State. Since 1948, BOCES has been helping school districts work together to provide high-quality, cost-effective educational programs and services.
There are 37 BOCES across New York, each designed to meet the unique needs of its local school districts. Orange-Ulster BOCES has proudly supported schools in our region since 1957.
Partnering for Success
BOCES was created with a simple idea in mind: working together is smarter and more efficient. When school districts have similar needs, they can share staff, equipment, programs, and resources through BOCES, saving money and avoiding duplication. This collaboration allows schools to offer more while keeping costs down.
Through OUB, students gain access to exciting programs and learning experiences that might be out of reach for individual districts. Whether it’s career and technical education, special education, adult education, or innovative learning opportunities, OUB helps schools offer more.
BOCES also writes and manages grants to help bring in additional funding, benefiting both students and staff.
Services That Make a Difference
OUB offers a wide range of educational and administrative services, including:
- Special Education
- Career & Technical Education
- Adult & Continuing Education
- Professional Development
- Instructional Support Services
- Educational Technology & Library Services
- Centralized Business & Management Services
Each school district chooses the services that best meet its needs. Aside from a small administrative fee based on student enrollment, districts only pay for what they use, and State Aid helps offset many of those costs. Some BOCES services are directly funded by the state or federal government.
Our Mission
The mission of the Orange-Ulster BOCES is to serve our component districts and community in the development of continuous learners who will be successful in meeting the challenges of living in our society today and in the future. We will accomplish this mission in a cost-effective manner with a dedicated, skilled, caring staff providing quality educational services in a safe, nurturing and accessible environment.
the history of our logo
The Orange-Ulster BOCES logo was created in 1991 by Alyn Krause, a graphic design instructor in what was then referred to as the Vocational-Technical Education Center. Alyn shared his prodigious talent as an accomplished graphic artist with thousands of his graphic design students for more than 30 years.
Alyn was asked by Emanuel Axelrod, District Superintendent, to design a logo capturing the spirit of cooperative education offered to students of all ages at OUB. The logo depicts a hand cradling two students looking toward a path that becomes arrows. OUB (the hand) provides the foundation and knowledge that enables students to venture forth in any direction they choose. The strong font was chosen to complement the dynamic image.
Alyn took great pride in his profession as a graphic design instructor during his tenure at the Vocational Technical Education Center. The essence of cooperative education and the limitless possibilities OUB provides to its students were captured in Alyn’s iconic logo that has remained relevant and powerful since its inception decades ago.