Understanding the Complexities of Scarsdale’s Special Education Program
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- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
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With a $2mm budget gap to fill to keep the 2026-27 Scarsdale School budget below the tax cap, and a $101.7mm school bond vote scheduled for May, the district, the Board of Education and the community are actively reviewing Scarsdale’s $199 mm budget for the next school year.
The numbers are hard to wrap your head around. In order to get a fix on just one component of the budget, Special Education, which at approximately $22 mm per year represents about 11% of the total budget, Assistant Superintendent Eric Rauschenbach invited us to pose some questions in an effort to understand this complex piece of the puzzle.
Number of Students Served
First, how many students are served? Data through 2024 shows that in Scarsdale, 14%, or 662 students have a CSE Classification Rate. This rate has almost doubled over the last twenty years, as only 6.8% or 371 students had this classification in 2010. Scarsdale’s classification rate is lower than the NYS Classification Rate which stands at 20% and Westchester County’s at around 17%. As of 2024, 617 students, or 13.2% of the student population had a 504 Identification.
What do these designations mean?
There are 2 laws that govern K-12 disabilities, the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and Section 504 (ADA). All students have one or the other; they cannot have both. Functionally, students with an IEP (through IDEA) are students who need specialized instruction from a special education teacher ie. LRC/ICT/Special Class. Students with a 504 only need accommodation or modification and/or some related services. 504s on the elementary level tend to have related services (OT/PT/Speech) which lessen and disappear (in large part) by middle school, the vast majority of secondary 504s are classroom modifications and testing accommodations.
What does the special education program offer? There are several programs offered and here are some definitions:
Inclusion Classes
The largest number of elementary special education students are in inclusion classes, which are classes that include a mixture of general education and special education students with two teachers, rather than one. There were just six inclusion classes in 2014 and the district is now up to 25 inclusion classes, or about 25% of elementary school classrooms.
Learning Resource Room
Another component of the program is extra help provided by the Learning Resources staff at all grade levels, elementary through high school. LRC is the largest program at the secondary level.
Special Education Classes
The district houses three four self contained special education classes, now with 3 at Edgewood Elementary School and one at SMS. These are referred to as 8:1:2 and 12:1:1 classes. The names of the programs denote the state staffing requirements for the programs (number of kids : number of teachers : number of aides) the 12:1:1 is one teacher and one assistant, the 8:1:2 is one teacher, one assistant, and one aide.
This year the program serves 21 Scarsdale students and 5 out of district students – 2 of the out of district students are in special classes and three are in other programs where there is space.
Rauschenbach has expanded Scarsdale’s in district program because he believes students and parents would prefer to have children educated in their own district – and it is more economical to do so.
Outside Placements
Still another group of students, 23 this year, are attending schools outside the district where Scarsdale pays the tuition. According to Rauschenbach, “Cost for students in outside placements averages $99,000 per student but can range from $75,000 to well over $200,000 per student dependent on needs.” The number of outplacements has decreased from 50 students in 2016 to 23 this year.
Rauschenbach explained, “8 of the students are of high school age and placed out because they need an alternate assessment program (our program has not expanded to SHS yet), 11 students district-wide are at social emotional programs (more intensive than our SSP program - some residential), 3 students are out in need of specialized academic programs, and 1 student is out of District (elementary) for alternate assessment but has very complex medical needs.”
Staffing
We asked Rauschenbach for the numbers surrounding staffing and here are two charts, that when added together, provide a picture of the growth since 2014.
In the coming school year, in order to extend the inclusion class program in the middle school, one position will be added at SMS. For the 2027-28 year. Rauschenbach expects that in coming years, an additional teacher may be needed at SMS and another at the high school.
Budget for Therapy and Services
We asked Rauschenbach how much is budgeted for services like speech, OT etc. per student and he explained, “We don't budget per student as we use our current FTEs and a mix of contractors - there is a cost but it fluctuates widely by student/building. We did add an incurred cost for tuition students at 12K per student per year (purposely generous as most students would be below this and it assumes no tuition students would be served by FTEs). If we were to assume that for all in-district students (which would be too high) then it would be an additional $396,000 - $468,000 depending on the year and the number of students in the programs district-wide. Again, this is wildly high as many of these students are seen by our FTEs where there is no invoiced cost. As the chart shows, the in-district versus out of District savings (without tuition revenue) is between $1.6 and $2.2 million.”
Life Skills
In order to extend the life skills program to Scarsdale High School, the 2026-27 school budget includes $330,000 to construct a kitchen and laundry facilities at SHS. Rauschenbach thought the estimate was high but said the equipment is necessary.
2026-27 Special Education Budget
As we staff and build out our in district programs Rauschenbach expects the Special Education budget to level off in the next few years. Accepting out of district tuition students who pay tuition to Scarsdale will help to defray program costs. This year five out of district students are attending the special education classes. At $89,000 per student they have improved the economics of the program and projections show that with that revenue, there is a $2mm plus savings to hosting the SPED programs in-district rather than sending these students out of district.
Last we posed a more general question about the allocation of district resources, We asked “There are always choices to be made when allocating the school budget…. especially now as we are experiencing some challenges. As administrators, how do you evaluate the need for staff and facilities for a small group of Special Education students vs. requests for additional staff for the math/science curriculum or facilities costs for labs etc.?
He said, “First, special education students are due a free and appropriate education as a civil right. Secondly, the in-district program cost is below what the costs would be for out of district (OOD) placements (FYI, OOD placement costs are out-stripping our predictions so the projection is probably low for those). This bond discussion is an example of balancing the needs of many stakeholders and making sure the capitol improvements have benefits for all students. Scarsdale has both extremely successful programs for special ed but also general education students -- the measurable outcomes in achievement, scores, and college admissions are nation leading for the general education students attending Scarsdale Schools -- that doesn't happen without planning for everyone.”
Boys’ Hockey Defeats White Plains 2-1 in Playoffs
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The Raiders celebrate after beating White Plains 2-1 on Thursday to move on in the section one playoffs.
On Thursday, the Scarsdale Raiders ice hockey team played the White Plains Tigers in the first round of the playoffs. The game was played at Murray’s in Yonkers. It was a tight game but the Raiders came out on top 2-1 to advance to the quarterfinals of the section 1 playoffs.
Scarsdale started the game playing not great and the score was 0-0 going into the third period. Scarsdale was out-shooting White Plains 20-6 and certainly getting their scoring opportunities despite the scoreboard not showing it.
Then, Scarsdale had an early man advantage to start the third period. Just after the two minute man advantage expired, Scarsdale sophomore Leon Zhou put one into the back of the net to give the Raiders a 1-0 lead. From this point on, the game was intense, White Plains had opportunities to tie the game up, but Scarsdale goalie Buddy Meiselman stood tall not allowing White Plains to score.
With just under two minutes left in the game, White Plains pulled their goalie and Leon Zhou scored again, this time into the empty net for his second goal of the game giving Scarsdale a 2-0 lead. The game was not done yet as White Plains scored with 25 seconds left to cut the lead to 2-1 but it was too little too late and Scarsdale survived, winning the game 2-1 and moving on to the next round of the playoffs.
The Raiders next playoff game will be this upcoming Monday at 4:15PM against BYSNS* in the quarterfinal round. The game will be played at the Brewster Ice Arena. This will be the fourth year in a row that Scarsdale and BYSNS meet in the playoffs with Scarsdale winning the first two years and BYSNS beating the Raiders in the playoffs last year.
*BYSNS is a combined team with players representing Brewster, Yorktown, Somers and North Salem high schools.
Use this Calculator to Assess the Impact of the $101.7mm Bond on Your Taxes
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Are you wondering how much your school taxes will go up due to the proposed $101.7mm school bond?
In response to requests from residents, the school district has built a property tax calculator to allow homeowners to calculate the impact of the bond on their own property taxes by year.
The calculator is easy to use. It shows you how to look up your home’s assessed value and input that into the model to find out your tax increase – and decrease for the years 2028-2049.
We tested it by inputting an assessed value of $1,400,000 and found that the total tax impact would be $2,474 from 2028-2036 and then decline until 2046.
Since the Village is also issuing $70mm in bonds to finance the indoor/outdoor pool, it would be great if they could combine their tax impact with the school bond, so that taxpayers could get an overall estimate of the impact of the two initiatives together.
Check out the school tax calculator here – and input your comments below.
Scarsdale School District Staffing: ICT Faculty Continues to Grow, Retirements Announced
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The district is recommending an additional 4.3 FTE's for the 2026-27 school year.The District unveiled its staffing recommendations for the 2026-27 school year during a detailed budget presentation that highlighted enrollment trends, instructional priorities, and the growing complexity of student needs across all grade levels Board of Education meeting on February 2, 2026.
Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources and Leadership, Meghan Troy, emphasized that every staffing request undergoes a rigorous review process, including written rationales from principals and district leaders and multiple rounds of discussion within the Administrative Council.
“We ask our leaders to think deeply about what they are requesting and what the impacts are, both financially and programmatically,” Troy said. “These rationales are an important part of ensuring that our recommendations are thoughtful and aligned with the district’s mission.”
Elementary Staffing: Slight Section Reduction, Continued ICT Growth
Enrollment projections indicate the district will need 104 elementary class sections next year, one fewer than the current year. Integrated Co-Teaching (ICT) and special class staffing is expected to remain steady at 25 classes, with three ICT kindergarten sections anticipated based on early registration.
The district also plans to budget two contingency positions to address unexpected enrollment shifts. “These positions give us flexibility if a grade level suddenly exceeds class‑size guidelines,” Troy explained. “They ensure we can maintain the norms that are so important to our instructional model.”
Middle School: ICT Expansion Drives Special Education Request
At the middle school, the district is recommending one additional special education teacher to support the expansion of ICT into 7th‑grade English and math. “Right now, sixth graders have ICT in all four core subjects,” Megan said. “This addition allows us to maintain continuity as they move into seventh grade.” No additional staffing is expected for eighth‑grade ICT expansion next year.
High School: Math Enrollment Surges, Free Periods Shrink
One of the most significant staffing needs is at the high school, where administrators are requesting one additional math teacher.
Over the past six years, the math and STEAM departments have added popular electives such as Financial Literacy, Linear Algebra, and Digital Logic, while enrollment in AP Physics has grown from 64 to 84 students. “We’re seeing more students take more than one math class, sometimes up to three at the same time,” high school principal Ken Bonamo said. “That’s a wonderful reflection of student interest, but it creates real scheduling challenges.”
Bonamo also pointed out that the data shows that students now average 4.54 free periods, down from 5.37 in 2018-19. Juniors have been hit hardest, dropping from 5.35 free periods to 3.92. “What this means is students are in classrooms more frequently than ever before,” Bonamo said. “Some math classes have exceeded our target class size of 25, and that impacts the quality of instruction.”
Student board representative Lucy Eisenberg echoed these concerns. “My AP Statistics class has 27 students,” Eisenberg shared. “We often run out of time to ask questions, and office hours don’t always line up with our schedules because we’re taking so many classes.”
Another student representative Anish Mehta added that larger classes undermine the collaborative, discussion‑based approach that defines Scarsdale’s advanced math courses. “One of the most beautiful things about these classes is the Socratic style of learning,” he said. “When classes get too big, teachers are forced to lecture more, and that experience starts to fade.”
Elementary Social Work Support to Expand
The district is also proposing a 1.5‑position increase in contracted social work services through the Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling Center. The goal is to ensure daily social worker coverage in every elementary school.
“The impact of our current social workers has been tremendous,” Troy explained. “But with only two serving five schools, their availability is limited. This expansion would allow every building to have consistent support.”
Unlike teaching positions, these roles are contracted services and do not add FTEs with benefits.
Requests Deferred for Future Years
Troy also made clear that several staffing requests were considered but postponed, including:
-A high school special education teacher for LRC expansion
-Reinstatement of the high school head computer teacher
-A special education office assistant
Administrators said these areas require further study, including workload analysis and civil service title review.
Board Members Praise Transparency, Raise Questions About Class Sizes
After Troy’s presentation, board members expressed appreciation for the clarity of the presentation and the district’s commitment to maintaining class‑size norms.
“These norms are more important today than ever,” one board member said. “With more hands‑on learning and performance‑based assessments, reasonable class sizes are essential.”
Another board member highlighted the uniqueness of Scarsdale’s high school scheduling model. “In many districts, if a class fills up, students are simply turned away,” she said. “Here, students can build schedules around their interests and academic goals. That’s something we should protect.”
Board members also took the time to ask questions about custodial staffing, ICT expansion timelines, and the distribution of psychologists, nurses, and social workers.
Overall, the district is recommending a budget‑to‑budget increase of 4.3 FTEs, including:
4.0 certified FTEs (elementary, middle, and high school)
0.3 districtwide special education FTE
This brings projected certified staffing to 488.8 FTEs and total districtwide staffing to 669.7 FTEs.
The budget process continues with additional study sessions, culminating in:
-March 23 Community Budget Forum
-April 13 Board adoption of the final budget
-May 19 Community budget vote
“We’re committed to delivering a fiscally responsible budget that reflects community values and supports our students,” Superintendent Dr. Patrick said. “We look forward to continued engagement throughout this process.”
The slideshow presentation is available for viewing here 1. Budget Development & Staffing - Jan 26 2026
District Expands Technology Guardrails and Warns of AI Risks
Later in the meeting, board members presented cabinet updates and Director of Technology and Innovation Jeannie Crowley was invited to share a presentation about technology use in the schools. More specifically, Crowley described how the district is tightening its approach to artificial intelligence and digital tools and unveiling new technology guardrails for faculty.
Crowley outlined the guidelines, developed with Digital Learning Coordinator William Yang, to help staff navigate rapidly evolving technologies while protecting student privacy and well‑being. “We don’t expect everyone to stay on top of every new tool,” Crowley said. “Part of our role is to condense the information and communicate it in a way that’s purposeful for the community.”
Crowley emphasized that any tool collecting student data must have a district‑approved Data Protection Agreement. Staff are encouraged to use Google Gemini for documents containing student information, as the district has a formal agreement with Google.
She noted that many AI‑related behaviors are already covered under existing policies, including academic integrity, responsible use, and the student code of conduct.
Crowley went on to warn that AI tools can change quickly, sometimes in inappropriate ways. She cited a tool marketed to schools last spring that allowed students to chat with historical figures. “Within a few months, the site shifted almost entirely to dating or intimacy chatbots,” she said. “It’s a reminder to revisit sites before using them with students.”
She also highlighted a growing trend of students turning to AI chatbots for emotional support. “Chatbots are designed to be highly agreeable, which becomes concerning when students seek advice about mental health or risky behaviors,” Crowley explained. “Just because students aren’t coming to us doesn’t mean the need has decreased.”
Crowley urged educators to focus on learning goals rather than pressure from tech companies to adopt new AI tools. “Student learning is the goal, not the technology itself,” she said.
The district continues to support thoughtful experimentation through AI inquiry groups, Community for Inquiry and Innovation grants, and building‑level study groups.
As Data Protection Officer, Crowley also reported an incident involving student data where 11 students entered passwords into a fake job‑posting link in a A phishing attack on Nov. 11. Crowley also warned of a recent wave of fraudulent Google Docs with urgent subject lines and encouraged the community to report suspicious messages. “We’re here to help,” she said. “If you accidentally click a link, let us know right away.”
Crowley’s presentation, including an outline of technology guardrails, can be viewed here Scarsdale Technology Guardrails - Google Slides
Math Workshop for Parents
Other highlights from the meeting include that the district will host an elementary math fluency parent workshop at Quaker Ridge on Thursday, February 26 from 9:00 to 10:15, with school leaders, math curriculum leaders, and teachers presenting and sharing at-home support tips.
School Calendar
The Board also voted to adopt the proposed school calendar for the 2026-27 school year: 2026-2027 School Calendar
Retirements
During her cabinet update, Meghan Troy announced the retirement of 19 faculty members from the Scarsdale school district, including 17 teachers and two administrators. Troy noted that “Retirees are celebrated for their long-standing service, with tenures ranging from 18 to 33 years”. The retirees include:
At the elementary level, special education teacher Julie Abbe from Edgewood is retiring after 18 years, and Jeanette Pierro is retiring after 28 years.
The Middle School congratulates PE teacher and coach Cecilia Berger, who has served for 24 years, and special education teacher and coach Chris Pierro, retiring after 30 years alongside his wife.
English teacher John Van Cott, who taught at Quaker Ridge for 19 years, and music teacher Nick Lieto, who served for 21 years, are also retiring.
At Fox Meadow, elementary classroom teachers Sarah Berger (30 years) and Kate Marshall (28 years) are retiring.
Heathcote congratulates assistant principal Kathy De La Garza for her 20 years of service and elementary teacher Glenn Weill, retiring after 28 years.
Greenacres teacher Cathy Manin is retiring after 27 years, and Enrique Orengo, a music teacher at Quaker Ridge, is retiring after 19 years.
World Language teacher Amy Laffey and ENL teacher Meredith Nowak, both with 20 years of service, are also retiring.
Fifth grade teacher and social studies coordinator Amy Kenney is retiring after 32 years.
English teacher Josh Gaylord is retiring after five years at Scarsdale High School.
Dina Hofstetter, a teacher for 33 years, is also retiring.
Oren Iosepovici, Dean and Director of Counseling, is retiring after 19 years of service.
Troy concluded the announcement with a heartfelt, “Congratulations to all of our retirees on really amazing and impressive careers in Scarsdale. We can't thank them enough for their dedication to the Scarsdale community, and we look forward to hearing about their amazing next phases of life.” Troy also announced that the retirees will be celebrated at a ceremony later this spring.
For other board highlights you can watch a recording of the meeting here.
A Victory for the Wrestlers on Senior Night
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Senior WrestlersOn a night of celebration for the seniors, the boys wrestling team had a very strong performance against New Rochelle, beating them 43-25 in Gyms 1 and 2.
Ethan FingerTo kick off the Senior Night activities, each senior was called one by one to walk through a white, blow-up tunnel accompanied by the cheers of the SHS cheerleaders and fans, friends and family in the completely packed bleachers. The applause continued as they made their way across the mat where they received flowers and stood for photos with their families.
For the 2025-2026 season, the wrestling team will graduate 12 seniors; Benjamin Chase, Andre Duval*, Ethan Finger, Jacqueline Goldberg, Tate Grewal, Jack Harrison*, Grace Liebman, Asher Millman, Alex Oliveri, Henry Sperling*, Emma Steggall and Benjamin Xiao*
Ben Chase
*Captain
Once the individual recognition of every senior took place, they lined up to take a group photo. It was truly a beautiful ceremony. The Senior Night festivities wrapped up and the team was ready to wrestle. The action on the mat certainly did not disappoint.
To start, the Raiders struggled as 4 of the first 6 wrestlers from Scarsdale lost. The two victorious Scarsdales wrestlers were Ben Xiao winning easily in the 175lb weight class and Adam Segal in the 215 LB class. Segal's match was very exciting and it came down to the final move where it looked like Segal had lost, but came up with a nail-biting victory. The already loud and rambunctious crowd, went crazy when Segal escaped from his opponent to earn a 8-7 victory.
Senior Captains: Jack Harrison, Henry Sperling, Andre Duval, Ben Xiao
Max Geer in action.
Despite this 2-4 start by the Raiders, they were able to bounce back in a big way. The Raiders next six wrestlers won their respective matches which propelled them to an overall team victory.
Adam Segal after his exciting victory in the 215 weight class match.
Sophomore Max Geer started Scarsdale's rally with an epic comeback and emerged victorious after a final move. Luke Iaisello followed an exciting win of his own. To cap things off, Scarsdale’s most important wrestlers and senior leaders Jack Harrison, Ethan Finger, Andre Duval and Henry Sperling all won their matches in an intimidating fashion with each wrestler winning by 10+ points.
Luke Iaisello
These results rounded out a strong Senior Night win for the wrestling team, who now gets to rest up as they prepare for Sectionals on Saturday February 7th at the Westchester County Center. On a night where there was a lot to cheer for on the mat, it was only fitting that off the mat the senior class was honored and celebrated for their hard work and dedication.
Henry Sperling
