Board Invites the Community to Share Out Program on November 8, 2023

In a meeting with a packed agenda, here are some additional highlights from the Board of Ed meeting on Monday night October 23, 2023.

Board VP Suzie Hahn reminded those present about the upcoming “Special District Share Out” Program on November 8th at 7:30 pm in the SMS auditorium:

“The PTC, SHS, and SMS Program Committees invite the Scarsdale Community to an informative, two-part program as presented by district administrators. First Dr. Drew Patrick and Dr. Edgar McIntosh will introduce the Belonging Survey. Building on our theme of Connecting our WIDE (well-being, inclusion, diversity, and equity) Community, Dr. Patrick and Dr. McIntosh will outline the District's plan to engage students, parents, faculty, and staff this fall in a survey focused on belonging. They will explain how the survey fits into the district's DEI work, describe the survey measures and elements, and review the timeline for survey administration. They will also discuss how the results will be communicated and utilized to inform next steps in the work. Attendees will have the chance to ask questions during the session.

Next, Jeannie Crowley, Director of Technology and Innovation and William Yang K-12 Coordinator of Digital Learning & Literacy will share a selection of the survey results from the Technology Survey administered in June 2023. The Technology Department solicited survey responses from faculty, parents, SMS students, and SHS students. The anonymous surveys were collaboratively developed by the Technology Department, the PTC, and the STA. In their presentation, Ms. Crowley and Mr. Yang will highlight how the data artifacts can be used by parents, administrators, faculty, and students to learn more about the technology experiences of Scarsdale Public Schools community members.

A short Q & A session will follow the Tech Survey presentation. All are invited to submit questions prior to the presentation via this form:Technology Presentation Question Submission Form”

NYS School Board Recognition Week

Dr. Patrick highlighted that October 16th-20th was New York State School Board Recognition Week. He extended his appreciation for our own BOE members with a gift and by saying, “Our seven Scarsdale School Board Members start their service by taking an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States, and that of the State of New York. But, as they each know, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Above the surface are Board meetings and events, but their service as volunteers who provide thoughtful, responsive governance for the education of our youth extends deep below the surface. They take training, serve on committees, act as liaisons, read contracts, memos, and resumes, learn together in Board retreats, and much, much more. Their service to the public is demanding, and they are dedicated to improving the education we provide to our students. They serve as a vital connection between the community they represent, and the educators who carry out the mission. Tonight, we have a small token of appreciation for your service. On behalf of a grateful school community, thank you for your service!”

Varsity A Girls Tennis Team

Dr. Patrick congratulated the Girls Varsity Tennis team on their recent sectional win and wished good luck to those participating in the upcoming state finals.

SAFE Coalition

Board member Jessica Resnick-Ault spoke about her meeting with the Scarsdale SAFE Coalition. She reported that October is National Domestic Violence Awareness and National Bullying Prevention Month. She also spoke about a program that the Safe Coalition is hosting: “Everyone knows Someone: Financial Abuse and the Dynamics of Domestic Violence.” The virtual program will be held on October 27th at 12pm.

School Visits

Board member Jim Dugan reported on the first of many school visits by our Board of Education. During this first visit, BOE members were invited to tour the grounds, building, and classrooms at Greenacres Elementary and Mr. Dugan was “left marveling at how fabulous things at Greenacres are.”

Social Awakening Program

Mr. Schulhof reported on the Social Awakening Program he attended at SMS on October 16th, calling the presentation very informative. For more information about the presentation click here.

Cabinet Updates

Eric Rauschenbach provided an update on the integrated lockdown system and reported that the system will be fully operational on Tuesday October 24th and drills under the new system will begin the first week of November.

Jeannie Crowley, Director of Technology reported on the upcoming “Share Out” program on November 8th and related that the results for the 2023 Tech Survey can be found online. She also noted that the survey results are intended to be a source of “inquiry instead of conclusions” and looks forward to exploring the meaning of the results in greater detail on November 8th.

Assistant Superintendent for Business, Andrew Lennon happily shared his recommendation to appoint Ms. Linda Pisano as the District’s Internal Claims Auditor. Her appointment was approved later in the meeting.