Scarsdale School Board Presents Ambitious Agenda for 2013-14
- Details
- Hits: 3400
At their September 9th meeting, the Scarsdale School Board presented an ambitious plan to address the needs of the community and concerns expressed during the budget discussions in the spring of 2013. At meetings during the summer, the Board formulated plans to undertake several major initiatives to assess community views and do long term planning for the district. In addition, as Schools Superintendent Michael McGill will retire at the end of the school year, the Board has retained a search firm and defined the process to identify a new schools superintendent by March 2014.
To open the meeting School Board President Suzanne Seiden welcomed the community and urged wide-scale continued engagement. She invited everyone to air their views but also asked that the tone of the discussions be elevated. She asked people to be respectful and avoid side discussions during meetings.
Superintendent Search:
In order to identify a replacement for Dr. McGill a search firm has been retained to conduct a nationwide search to find a candidate who will provide leadership and enhance the school curriculum. As a first step, the firm will conduct focus groups with various members of the community on September 30 and October 1. In addition, a survey to assess the characteristics of the next superintendent has been posted online and the Board urges everyone to complete it. Click here to access the survey. Using the results of the focus groups and the survey the search firm will compile a profile for the new superintendent and then recruit and identify candidates. Following interviews and site visits, the Board plans to select the next superintendent by March 2014.
Strategic Plan:
In addition to the search, the Board will undertake three major initiatives. The first is a five-year strategic plan. To start the process, the Board will gather input from stakeholders in the community on their vision for the future and hopes to deliver their first report in January, 2014. Utilizing this information, the Board will do a five-year financial projection to allow residents to anticipate District plans and the associated costs.
Facilities Plan:
Also in the works is a facilities plan to explore options for maintaining, updating and improving district schools. Last year, in heated discussions about a proposal to build a new fitness room at the high school, residents asked for a long term plan for all construction projects and the board will now provide one. Architectural firms were interviewed during the summer and the public will have the opportunity to see presentations from the finalists this fall. Once a firm is selected, planning will begin with the goal of holding public discussions about a bond offering in June 2014.This bond offering would be voted on in November 2014. Given low interest rates and the retirement of current debt service the administration believes this would be an opportune time to undertake improvements to the facilities.
Revisions to Budget Process:
After the rancorous discussions last spring and the defeat of the first budget, the board has also decided to re-examine the budgeting process. Calling last year a "watershed year" for the schools, Board member Jonathan Lewis said that "the budget process needs to be more transparent," and that the district should consider "rebuilding the budget from the ground up." Given the constraints posed by the tax cap he believes the Board needs to look for ways to achieve their goals without spending more money. He called for the process to begin earlier, perhaps this fall and to evaluate how it can be improved.
Enrollment:
In other business, Joan Weber provided an analysis of school enrollment, reporting that the district now has 4,789 students and 448.6 faculty members. The district had projected 105 elementary school sections and currently has 103, though two grades in Edgewood and one grade in Greenacres have sections that include more than the maximum number of students. The population at the Middle School declined by 33 students, while high school enrollment is up by 80 students, due to an unusually large 9th grade class. Overall, the district is up 36 students over last year. The district tracked home sales in July and August and reports that during the summer months 127 families moved in and 60 moved out.
Facilities:
Linda Purvis said that the budget defeat in May set the district back on their plans to make improvements and renovate facilities during the summer. As they were not certain that funding would be available, they had to hold off on ordering materials.
Thus, the asbestos abatement was not done in the high school and the installation of new door locks from classroom doors that lock from the inside has not yet been completed. Purvis anticipates that all of the new looks will be installed in the next seven weeks.
The district also planned to relocate the office at the Greenacres School so that visitor traffic could be monitored from the office. That project had to be put on hold as the late bidding resulted in higher pricing. This project may be included in the bond referendum in 2014.
However, bathrooms were renovated at the Middle School and at Heathcote School and asbestos was removed from the Middle School. Roof work and masonry was done throughout the district. The high school cafeteria expansion was completed and another lunchroom for freshman has been set up in a gym.
Security:
The district has retained a security firm to staff three entrances to the high school. All traffic is directed to these three doors and all visitors are now being asked to report to the office. The new personnel are friendly and so far people are happy with the new procedure. There is also a greeter at the Middle School
Curriculum:
Lynne Shain, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, reported that the district continues to work on the Scarsdale Education for the Future and has designed assessments to measure critical thinking and complex problem solving skills. These assessments have been designed by grade and by subject. The project has excited much interest among educators who often request visits to see how their schools can follow Scarsdale.
In addition, there is a review of the K-12 physical education curriculum underway. The district is surveying parents, students and teachers and examining best practices.
Technology:
Technology Director Jerry Crisci reported that Chrome Book, which are pared down laptops, have been purchased for all 5th grade students. They are low cost laptops with no local storage capacity and are ideal for doing internet research and using google docs, google tools and learning circles. Chrome books will also be purchased for some students at the Middle School and teacher training is now underway to determine the best way to integrate the new devices into the curriculum. The Board approved $135,000 for the purchase of the devices. Work continues on many of the projects funded through the Center for Innovation. An e-Journal showing progress on these projects will be posted online for your review.
State Test Results:
During the public comments section, comments were made about class size at Greenacres and state test results. The district said that they would mail out the results of the state tests the week of September 23, pending resolution of a reporting glitch from the state. Lynne Shain told the group that test scores were 30% lower than last year with more students scoring 1's and 2's than in previous years. Once the district is given the information to interpret the test results they will determine if students need extra support.
Candidates Needed for Scarsdale Citizens Nominating Committee
- Details
- Hits: 2482
The Scarsdale Procedure Committee invites eligible Scarsdale residents to run for election to the Scarsdale Citizens Nominating Committee (CNC) on Wednesday, November 13, 2013. The CNC is a non-partisan group of residents that each year nominates candidates for Village office (i.e., Mayor, Trustees, and Village Justice) where an incumbent office holder's term will end the following year. The CNC is one of two venues for citizens to participate in the non-partisan electoral process in Scarsdale (the other being the School Board Nominating Committee election).
There are 30 voting members of the CNC. Ten CNC members retire and are replaced each year. So there will be 10 new voting members elected in November.
CNC members are expected to attend four or five meetings, to serve for three years and to serve on the Procedure Committee for one year after their retirement from the CNC. The meeting dates for 2013-2014 will be Sunday, Dec. 8; Sunday, Jan. 12; Sunday, Jan. 19, Wednesday, Jan. 22 and, if necessary, Sunday, Jan. 26.
Eligible CNC candidates have to be registered voters and to have lived in Scarsdale for at least two years. In addition, CNC candidates cannot be currently on the School Board Nominating or Administrative committees, the Scarsdale Board of Education, the Scarsdale Village Board of Trustees or the Procedure Committee.
Candidates run for one of two CNC positions in their respective elementary school districts. A minimum of two candidates are needed per position, four candidates for each of the five elementary school neighborhoods and a minimum total of 20 candidates to run for the ten CNC positions to be filled this year.
To run, candidates must file a nominating petition with 10 signatures of registered voters from their elementary school area, as well as a short biographical sketch. Forms for both are available as downloads from the Procedure Committee website: http://scarsdaleprocedurecommittee.org/forms.php. They may also be obtained at the Scarsdale Library, Village Hall, and from the Procedure Committee's chair (Eli Mattioli, [email protected], 472-6558) and vice-chair (Howard Nadel, [email protected], 722-6608).
The deadline for filing both forms is Sept. 30; after this date, candidates for any school area will only be accepted if there are fewer than two candidates for that district. The nominating petitions must be filed as hard copy with original signatures, while the biographical sketches must be filed as MS Word or text files, preferably as email attachments.
Volunteers Busy Sorting Books for the Scarsdale Library Book Sale
- Details
- Written by Marie Ceske and Carly Glickenhaus
- Hits: 3687
As many of you may know, The Friends of the Scarsdale Library holds an annual book sale to benefit the library. The sale has become a well-known tradition in Scarsdale. Every year, just after the 4th of July, the Friends start collecting donations from people throughout Westchester County. In recent years, they have collected almost 50,000 books in total. Donated books are sorted into categories like Trade Fiction, Classics, World History, Biography, How To and Children's Books to name a few. However, the Friends do not only collect books; they also sell CDs, DVDs, audio-books, cassettes, and VCRs.
Needless to say, the preparation for the book sale is a lot of hard work! And the library is grateful to have almost 30 active volunteers who help to make the sale preparation process move along faster. Volunteers start with sorting bags and boxes of donated books. These bags and boxes are all brought downstairs to the basement where their contents are loaded onto carts. From these carts, each book is deposited into a cardboard box based upon its category. When a box is full, it is folded up and a new one is stacked on top. In August, all of the boxes are moved to the Scott Room, where they are laid out and further organized in preparation for the sale. Volunteer Phyllis Heine reflected: "Book sorting involves an understanding that everyone makes mistakes and the sorting process can take time to get used to and perfect, but the end result is a successful book sale." The dedication and knowledge of Kathy Steves, head of the book sale and a librarian herself, is greatly appreciated by her fellow volunteers; she always knows where to sort an odd book that could belong in three or four different genres.
In addition, there is a lot that volunteers gain from helping. As Mrs. Steves stated: "[Volunteering] is addictive. There is always one more box to 
open to see if that treasure's inside." Ms Heine also remarked: "You can come across books that you have never even heard of and wind up with a great summer read!" The library is also a great place to get community service hours. Tenth graders Virja Metha and Chris Teresa are among a few teens who volunteer everyday for about three to four hours. Their jobs include carrying boxes of books from the basement up into the Scott Room. Virja noted: "You see what different books there are. It also teaches you valuable life lessons like how to work." And Chris included he likes coming to the library because of "the joy of helping people out." For some people, volunteering is really like a summer job: they spend hours working each day. Others stop by to help a few times a week.
The book sale has grown over time. The first year Mrs. Steves worked the sale, which was about 10 years ago, volunteers could fit all of the books on the sale tables and there were no books stacked below. Now, books are not only stacked underneath the tables, but they are also presorted and stored in boxes in the back rooms. In addition to the growing quantity of books, there are also more volunteers. Mrs. Steves noted that this increase is most likely because of the growing awareness of the sale.
As one volunteer stated, "the book sale is mass recycling." Every donated book finds its way into another hand by the end of the sale. Because of the enormity of the collection, not everything can be displayed at once, and each day new books are put out as others are purchased. Therefore, many people return to the sale day after day and still come home with new surprises each time. Hard covers cost $3 each and paperbacks sell for $1 or $2, depending on size. There are also specially priced books, such as those that are autographed. There are actually quite a few autographed books and, this year, this collection includes one signed by Al Gore and another by Isaac Bashevis Singer. About 90% of the books sell, and what is left is donated to charity.
In the past, the funds raised through the book sale have allowed the library to redo the Children's section, fund children's programs like the Writer's Conference, and purchase tables and chairs for outside the entrance. Many years ago, the funds were used to help the library's collection of books itself. Leni Glauber, Assistant Director of the Scarsdale Library, indicated that the book sale was very important to the library: "We really do appreciate the generosity."
August 24th is the last day the library will accept donations, so please drop off your donations soon.
The Friends Preview will be held Friday, Sept. 6 | 7pm-9pm. The Regular Sale will begin Sept. 7 | 9am-4:30pm; Sept. 8 | 10am-4pm; Sept. 9 | 11am-8pm; Sept. 10 | 11am-8pm. The Half-price sale begins Wednesday, Sept. 11 | 11am-8pm; Sept. 12 | 11am-5pm; Sept. 13 | 10am-4:30pm. The Blow-Out Sale will be Sunday, Sept. 15 from 11am to 4pm. If you have any questions, visit www.scarsdalelibrary.org/friends or call (914) 722-1300.
Marie Ceske and Carly Glickenhaus will be sophomores at Scarsdale High School this fall.
Scarsdale Library Book Sale Begins Tonight
- Details
- Hits: 2991
The Friends of the Scarsdale Library Book Sale begins tonight with a preview – for Friends only -- on Friday, September 6th from 7pm to 9pm. Friends who have not yet renewed for this year are welcome to do so at the door for a contribution of $25 or more, beginning at 6pm.
The book sale boasts more than 60,000 almost-new and out-of-print books, including bestsellers, classics, biographies, fiction, parenting, cooking, art and antiques, computers, humor, self-help, drama, religion, business and poetry. All books are presorted into categories for the buyer's convenience. There is also a large selection of books for children, as well as DVDs, CDs, books on tape, and sheet music. Nearly $50,000 was raised last year. All proceeds from the sale support library programs and projects.
During the preview, no scanners are allowed and there is a limit of 20 books per buyer.
Here is the schedule for the balance of the book sale:
Regular Sale Hours
Saturday, Sept. 7 9am - 4:30pm
Sunday, Sept. 8 10am - 4pm
Monday, Sept. 9 11am - 8pm
Tuesday Sept. 10 11am - 8pm
Half-Price Sale
Wednesday, Sept. 11 11am - 8pm
Thursday, Sept. 12 11am - 5pm
Friday, Sept. 13 10am - 4:30pm
Blow-Out Sale
Sunday, Sept. 15 11am - 4pm
Inventory will be refreshed daily.
Frustrated Resident Tells Trustees, "You Are Chasing Us Out of Town"
- Details
- Hits: 6806
Fed up with the overdevelopment of their neighborhoods, about 20 residents came to Village Hall on Tuesday night August 13 to attend a meeting of the Law and Land Use Committees of the Scarsdale Village Board. The meeting had been convened to review the current Village code regulating development and to listen to residents who are frustrated with the Village's lack of control over the construction of large new homes on existing lots.
Before the public spoke, Village Planner Elizabeth Marrinan reviewed the zoning tools that the Village now has at its disposal to regulate development. She explained that Scarsdale is divided into 19 zoning districts, but only 7 of these districts comprise 99% of the Village.
She explained that Floor Area Ratios (FAR) regulate the size of a home permitted on a given lot, regulations that were adopted in 2002 after a two-year study. The goal of this regulation is to control the perception of the bulk of a home when viewed from the street. Since its implementation, Marrinan reports that the FAR guidelines have not been challenged and few variances have been requested. However, builders have used the guidelines as justification to build the largest house permitted on the property, resulting in new homes that neighbor original homes that are often half the size.
A set of guidelines that were also implemented at the time were later rescinded, because because, according to Marrinan, "they were drawn by planners and they were difficult to use and understand."
Lot coverage requirements regulate the maximum coverage permitted for all buildings on a lot, as well as impervious surfaces. She noted that of late, in order to build more 
on less, residents have begun to convert impervious asphalt driveways to gravel driveways to give them more space to build a pool or a pool house. Wetlands properties are allowed 30% less lot coverage that non-wetlands properties and no construction is permitted within 25 feet of a wetland.
Marrinan warned that if we change these regulations to control future development, many of the existing homes could become non-conforming, an issue that poses problems for the village.
Setback requirements are yet another zoning tool that dictate how a home can be built on a lot. Depending on the zoning district, these regulations define the required distance from the street, sidelines and rear property line.
The residents waited over an hour to speak, and when they did get the chance to do so their frustration was evident. Most came from two areas of Quaker Ridge where it has become commonplace to tear down a 2,500 square foot home and replace it with a "gargantuan" palace, as one man said.
The residents aired a variety of concerns including:
- Bulk of the new homes
- Builder's disregard for building sites
- Changes in elevation requiring high retaining walls to flatten yards
- Subdivision of properties where two home replaced one
- Infrastructure needs
- Neighborhood character
A Dell Road neighbor complained about "humongous bulky homes" on her street. She said, when homes go up for sale, they are never even put on the market. Instead realtors, in partnerships with builders, sell the homes to the builder to knock down. In her words, "they are ruining our street."
Phil Moscowitz of Herkimer Road, which is a private road off Hutchinson Avenue said these new homes are "changing our neighborhoods and cheapening Scarsdale." He also said that these large new homes "strain the sewage system," and added, "we are very unhappy with the new structures."
Also from Herkimer Road, Susan Safter told the trustees two years ago the neighbors pitched in $65,000 to repave their street and now find that the builders have no respect for the street. They "dump soil," and "all the mud from the construction drains down onto our properties." She also said that the current storm drains cannot accommodate these larger homes.
Dick Wolf of Rock Creek Lane told trustees to consider changes in topography of existing land. He reported that in order to create flat yards for the new homes, builders backfill sloped properties, resulting in "an 11 foot retaining wall" in a yard that backs onto Dell Road. He said, "In order to create a picture perfect property you end up with massive changes in elevation and retaining walls. He raised the issue of subdivision of properties as well and asked the Village Trustees to make the developers pay for infrastructure improvements such as storm sewers to accommodate the run off from these large new homes.
Richard Schiffer, a resident of Dell Road for 45 years told the Trustees that the original homes were built in the 1950's, and many were just 2,000 square feet. Bemoaning the gargantuan homes being built on Dell Road he said, "We came here to live in a Village in park. We should try to preserve our homes the way they used to be. I should not have to live 10 feet away from a 5,000 square foot house. You are chasing us out of town by allowing this to happen. Most of us will move away."
Another neighbor brought up the condition of the work sites, saying, "Is there monitoring of work in process? The street looks like a war zone. There are tree trunks sticking up and dirt is tracked into the street. Is there a timeframe for completion of the project?
Due to time constraints, the meeting was called to a close. Mayor Steves vowed to set another meeting date to finish the conversation.
