About Us

The Southern Westchester Board of Cooperative Educational Services (SWBOCES) was established in 1948 by the New York State Commissioner of Education and the Board of Regents to provide shared educational and management services to schools and school districts in our geographic region. From those beginnings, SWBOCES has grown to offer hundreds of cooperative, cost-efficient services to school districts in the region, encompassing 187 different schools, 104,000 students, and more than 650,000 adults who live and work here.

SWBOCES prides itself on providing high quality resources ranging from technology assistance to special education and occupational education programs. It specifically assists school districts by:

  • Introducing and responding to program requests and initiatives both from local districts and from the state Education Department.
  • Providing services, facilities and personnel to meet mutual needs identified on a regional cooperative basis.
  • Determining ongoing educational trends and challenges, and preparing districts for what lies ahead.
  • Receiving and administering grants for a broad array of services for students, staff members, and community residents.

Our 32 component school districts participate in specific SWBOCES programs and services on a cost-sharing basis. They receive partial reimbursement for those costs through state aid. School districts that contract with SWBOCES for services know that we are committed to accomplishing specific outcomes and will assist in any way to help meet the educational challenges of the 21st Century.

The SWBOCES central administrative office, including the District Superintendent’s office, is located at 17 Berkley Drive in Rye Brook, N.Y. The Center for Career Services is located at our Career and Technical Education campus on Grasslands Road in Valhalla, N.Y. Our Special Services programs are coordinated from our Rye Lake campus in North White Plains, N.Y., with additional programs operating in multiple Southern Westchester County communities, including Tarrytown, White Plains, Valhalla and Irvington.

Our 450 Mamaroneck Avenue, Harrison, campus houses the Lower Hudson Regional Information Center, the Center for Professional Learning and Curriculum Support, and the Center for  Interscholastic Athletics/Section 1. The Center for Adult and Community Services main offices are also housed at our Harrison location with programs offered at locations our Valhalla campus and in New Rochelle. The SWBOCES Transportation garage is located on the Rye Lake campus.

The SWBOCES Board of Education, a policy-making board, consists of seven distinguished members who serve three-year terms. Administrative and management decisions for SWBOCES are made by the District Superintendent and an executive team comprising a Chief Operating Officer/Deputy District Superintendent and two Assistant Superintendents.

The District Superintendent serves in an advisory capacity to all school districts in Southern Westchester and facilitates communication between districts and the New York State Education Department.

Our Centers provide more than 70 services to help school districts, teaching and administrative professionals, students, and the public with needs in the areas of special education, career and technical education, transportation, interscholastic athletics, adult and community services, technology, and professional learning. In addition, our Human Resources department provides a Regional Certification Service. Services not offered by SWBOCES can be obtained through Cross-Contracts with other BOCES.