New Teacher's Contract Requires More Classroom Time
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The Board of Education and the Scarsdale Teacher's Association announced a new four-year contract at the BOE meeting on Monday night June 20. The agreement calls for raises of 1.5% for the first two years, 1.3% in year three and 1.2% in year four. It also calls for employees to increase their contributions to their health insurance from 7.5% to 8.5% over the life of the four year contract.
Another interesting element of the contract is a provision which requires teachers to do more teaching. The contract calls for teachers to provide additional classroom instructional time for students at all levels with 80 more minutes per week at the elementary and middle schools and 75 minutes more per week at the high school.
According to the agreement, a committee will be assigned to study how best to use this additional time, but if the board does not agree to the committee's recommendation, the contract stipulates the following:
Elementary Schools – 8 minutes more class time at the beginning and end of each day.
Middle School: An additional 2 minutes to each class
High School: An additional 2 minutes to periods 2,3,4,6 and 7 and an additional 3 minutes to period five.
So watch for changes in your child's school schedule next year.
Here is the press release on the agreement from the Scarsdale School District
After five months of negotiations, the Scarsdale Board of Education and Scarsdale Teachers Association (STA) have reached an agreement on a four-year contract extending from July 1, 2016 - June 30, 2020, which was unanimously approved at a Board of Education meeting on June 20, 2016.
"This new contract represents an extremely collaborative and thoughtful effort, one of the major goals we set out to achieve at the beginning of the process" said Superintendent of Schools Dr..Thomas Hagerman in announcing the agreement. "The approved changes are responsive to the needs of our students, teachers, and District, and will allow us to continue focusing on our shared work of educational excellence."
Board of Education President, Leila Maude, noted: "The Board is extremely pleased with our agreement which provides for additional learning time for our students, restructured healthcare benefits, and salary adjustments. The Board believes this contract provides a sustainable financial foundation for our District over the next four years."
Board Vice President, Bill Natbony added: "The agreement reflects the culmination of a respectful process through which a mutually acceptable contract was achieved that will enhance learning and maintain the economic integrity of the District's self-insured health care program and overall budget."
Highlights of the new agreement include:
Salary
● The contract provides a four-year average annual salary increase of 1.38%. Year one has a 1.5% increase; year two contains a 1.5% increase; year three contains a 1.3% increase; and year four contains a 1.2% percent increase.
Health Insurance
● Health insurance contributions for current employees are increased over the life of the contract to 7.5% in 2017-18; 8% in 2018-19; and 8.5% in 2019-20.
● Contributions for all retirees eligible for District paid health care insurance will also begin for those retiring after July 1, 2018, with 3% contribution for service of 30 years or more, 5% for service of 20 years or more, and full employee contribution for service between 12-19 years.
● A number of provisions in the Health Care Plan were also significantly adjusted to create substantial, long-term savings, including increases in minimum prescription drug co-pays and out of network deductibles.
APPR (Annual Professional Performance Review)
● New language was agreed on that conforms to the law and is included in the contract.
Instructional Time
● Effective with the 2017-18 school year, teachers will provide students with additional classroom instructional time as follows: Elementary schools, 80 minutes per week; Middle School, 80 minutes per week; and High School, 75 minutes per week.
David Wixted, STA President, summed up the process by noting, "The new agreement between the Scarsdale Teacher Association and the Board of Education represents a continuation of the constructive dialogue between the faculty and the school district. Though the conversations that led to this settlement were at times contentious, they were nonetheless conducted in a manner where both sides demonstrated their mutual respect for each other. In the end, we reached a settlement that addressed the needs the two sides brought to the table, and which will ensure the stability of the District so we can all continue to focus on the education and advancement of Scarsdale's students."
Carly Glickenhaus and Elliot Graham Named to the SHS Scholar Athlete Honor Society.
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Two SHS seniors were recognized for their sportsmanship and academic achievements with the Scarsdale High School Scholar Athlete Honor Society Award. One female athlete and one male athlete are chosen each year. Elliot Graham and Carly Glickenhaus received the awards, and their names were engraved on plaques which will be hung on the wall outside the main gym.
The student-athletes who are selected must have a GPA higher than 3.5 and demonstrate sportsmanship, dedication to a sport and to academics, leadership, honor, integrity- not only for talent on the field but also for character. Deans Thompson and Gibbs, both gave speeches at a ceremony on Friday morning June 17 in the gyms, presented by Ray Pappalardi who directs athletics. Elliot lead his team in goals and assists, and gained everyone's respect as a quiet leader. Glickehaus recorded over a hundred saves in net for the Raiders Soccer team this year and was All-League and All-Section.
Congratulations to Carly and Elliot.
Village May Stop the Pick-Up of Grass Clippings at Curbside
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The Scarsdale Board of Trustees will consider a resolution to stop the pick-up of grass clippings at their meeting on June 14th. See below for the rationale behind the move as well as venues to comment. You can either attend the meeting and speak or email your comments to: clerk@scarsdale.com.
The resolution was suggested by the Village's Sustainability Committee who favors grasscycling. Read more about grasscyclycing here and read the note from Scarsdale Village below:
Potential Discontinuation of Grass Clipping Pick-up Scarsdale's Commitment to the Environment: Grasscycling
The Village of Scarsdale is supportive of lawn care maintenance and improvement strategies that benefit residents and the environment. Grasscycling, also known as grass mulching, is the process of leaving grass clippings on the lawn during and after mowing instead of the practice of bagging and removal. This organic lawn material quickly decomposes, improving soil structure and providing fertilizer and moisture for turf. Grass clippings are a valuable natural resource that provide numerous benefits to the environment. In addition to leaving clippings on the lawn, they can also be used in plant beds as a mulch layer or in home compost piles.
In order to encourage grasscycling throughout the community, the Scarsdale Village Board will be considering local law amendments to exclude grass clippings from the organic yard waste materials eligible for curbside pick-up by Scarsdale Sanitation staff. With discontinuation of curbside grass clipping pick-up, residents could then elect to either grasscycle or transport their grass clippings to the Recycling Center at 110 Secor Road, where they can deposit up to 200 pounds per day at no charge. Any contractor working for a resident would be charged $125 per ton to deposit grass clippings at our facility, which is the same rate they are presently charged.
Public Discussion Opportunities
The Scarsdale Village Board's June 14, 2016, agenda will include a Resolution Calling for a Public Hearing on June 28, 2016, for purposes of discussing approval of a local law amendment to exclude grass clippings from the organic waste eligible for curbside pick-up by Scarsdale Sanitation Department staff.
If you wish to comment at the June 14th Village Board meeting, which will be held at 8:00 p.m. in Rutherford Hall, 1001 Post Road, Scarsdale, NY, you may do so during the public comment segment of the meeting, which takes place near the beginning of the meeting. You may also send written comments by email to the Village Clerk at clerk@scarsdale.com.
If you are unable to attend the June 14th meeting, you will have another opportunity to voice your comments when the Public Hearing is held on June 28th, 2016. Again, you may also submit written comments at any time ahead of the public hearing by email to the Village Clerk at clerk@scarsdale.com.
Please contact Robert Cole, Deputy Village Manager, at (914) 722-1100 with any questions.
Creative SHS Senior Creates Custom Made Shoes
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Scarsdale High School Senior Zoe Frishberg is now creating custom made sneakers that make great gifts for everyone on your list. She started to paint the shoes as gifts when her friends were admitted to college during the school year. "My friends were really excited about getting into their dream schools and I wanted to give them something to celebrate", explained Zoe. They were thrilled to receive custom made sneakers adorned with their school's logos and colors. She quickly realized that the idea could extend beyond just college logos, however. Little kids love them too. When her 3 year old cousin, Maddie, visited her house and saw the colorful painted sneakers on Zoe's desk, she wanted a pair for herself. "She was fascinated by all the colors and designs on each shoe", she explained. Zoe created a personalized pair to include Maddie's name, her favorite hobby, ballet, and her love for NYC. She even painted a picture of Maddie's dog on the shoe (pictured below).
Zoe now paints shoes for kids, grads, and grown ups, with sizes ranging from infant to adult and would be happy to create a pair for you. "I really enjoy designing shoes that people will love" she explained. Your shoes can be adorned with college logos, sports teams, camp logos, emojis, symbols, favorite characters and any other personal attribute or interest all in your favorite colors. Local buyers can provide their own shoes or she can purchase them for you. Designs can be painted on any canvas shoe, like vans or converse. The shoes are a great present for graduation season. To order your pair, email shoesbyzoe@gmail.com and describe the shoes desired.
Scarsdale Man Files Water Quality Claim .... But Who Will Pay the Damages?
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While some Scarsdale residents are alarmed enough about our water supply to drink only bottled water, one Scarsdale man is taking his concerns much further.
Steven Blau, an attorney for Jeffrey Levin of Scarsdale, has filed a federal complaint charging that Westchester's Water District #1 violated a 2006 EPA ruling requiring them to treat this area's water supply with ultra-violet light by 2012. The treatment would prevent contamination of the water supply by cryptosporidium. He also claims that the water district misled customers by failing to disclose the full terms of a 2015 consent order with the EPA over its failure to meet federal drinking water standards. According to Blau his client may have gotten sick from the water when he "experienced symptoms consistent with these organisms."
Since the county failed to build the plant, the EPA settlement now requires the water district to include notifications in water bills advising users that the water supply could contain high levels of cryptosporidium that may cause a threat to the elderly, children and those with compromised immune systems.
There's no question that the county failed to comply with the EPA order. However, there is also no proof that the water supply is dangerous. According to the Scarsdale Village website, the Annual Drinking Water Quality Report for 2015 shows that, "Importantly, although the water supply is not presently subject to ultra-violet treatment, ongoing routine testing has not detected any Cryptosporidium exceedance in Scarsdale drinking water. Such testing will continue through completion of the necessary treatment facility upgrades."
Westchester County has implemented a Cryptosporidium action plan, which includes weekly monitoring of water taken from the Kensico Reservoir for the presence of cryptosporidium. The results are posted on the County's website weekly, and can be found here:
In addition, the EPA settlement requires notification in water bills, so all affected customers should be aware of the issue.
We spoke to Blau to ask what he hoped to accomplish with the lawsuit and he said, "Several things ... Avoid another Flint Michigan or Milwaukee, achieve recognition of the problem and try to get relief in the water bill while the water is not in compliance. We want to get a discount to the consumer."
However, it should be noted that one of the reasons that the County failed to comply with the original order was that they claimed that they did not have the funds.
In order to pay for the treatment plant and extensive upgrades to Scarsdale's sanitary sewer lines, the Village of Scarsdale now bills residents a sewer rent fee on their water bills. These funds, along with the fees for water usage are being used to fund the new treatment plant. According to Scarsdale's Deputy Village Manager Robert Cole, "Fees collected by Scarsdale fund both local and county infrastructure needs. Whenever the county pays a penalty associated with compliance or facility construction, the fee/penalty is passed on to water users through rates or taxes."
So even if Blau and Levin were successful with their lawsuit, the cost of the penalty would, in the end, be paid by these same water customers.
