According to Scarsdale Schools Superintendant Michael McGill these are the best of times and the worst of times in his tenure at the helm of the Scarsdale School District. At a League of Women Voters forum on January 10, League members met with School Board President Jill Spieler and Superintendant Michael McGill for an update on the schools as the Board and administration begin their annual budgeting process for the 2011-12 school year.
According to McGill, the good news is that Scarsdale has begun to see the benefits of the administration’s plan to prepare Scarsdale students for a complex, interdependent world, by fostering critical and creative thinking and a passion for learning. McGill was proud to cite examples of how the district has moved away from rote learning and is now focused on working with students to foster critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
McGill shared a few examples of the validation that Scarsdale has received on this novel approach and believed our district’s philosophy would become a standard for other schools.
Both Spieler and McGill recently attended a meeting of the Phi Beta Kappa Society at the Scarsdale Woman’s Club with representatives from leading colleges and universities. In discussions about the state of education in the United States, it was clear that the colleges were seeking students who were critical thinkers and problem solvers, confirming McGill’s philosophical approach.
McGill also provided several examples of how this approach is being integrated at all levels in the school system:
However, Board members and the Administration are fearful that mandates from the federal and state governments and the state’s budget crisis could undermine the District’s success. There are real threats to our independent decision-making process as well as serious budget challenges. Both McGill and Spieler shared the gravity of the situation with League Members and asked the community to lobby legislators on the District’s behalf.
Here are the issues facing Scarsdale:
Governor Andrew Cuomo has proposed a 2% tax cap without providing local communities a mechanism to override the cap or providing relief from fixed costs such as the district’s contribution to the state pension fund. If the school budget goes up 5% due to contractual salary increases, pension costs and health care costs, and the district can only raise taxes by 2%, the Board will need to make tough choices to close the gap … possibly cutting facilities maintenance, raising class sizes, eliminating extra-curricular programs or cutting into the educational program.
N.Y. State won a Race to the Top grant, which will mean more funds for districts in need but no additional revenues for high-performing districts like Scarsdale. Even without funding, Scarsdale will need to conform to Race to the Top mandates. Two new requirements that concern McGill are as follows:
Both McGill and Spieler indicated that they have addressed the tax cap, mandated costs and Race to the Top requirements with lawmakers and education officials to little avail. They urged the League and members of the community to lobby legislators and write letters asking for the ability to override the tax cap, reductions in pension contributions and relief from federal and state mandates for high performing districts like Scarsdale.
As the Board and Administration begin their budget review process this month, they will confront these challenges and review potential scenarios with the community.
Pictured Above: School Board President Jill Spieler, Superintendant Michael McGill and League of Women Voters President Jane Veron. Photo by Angela Manson