Comments From Mayra Kirkendall Rodriguez and Bob Harrison

Here are comments From Mayra Kirkendall-Rodriguez delivered during public comment at the Board of Education, June 1, 2020

Multiculturalism, Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives of the Scarsdale School District Are Important

In the first couple of Zoom Board meetings, I shared you with my analysis and forecast for the national and NY State economy. Unfortunately, I still not even the beginning of a recovery next year. I also stated that I was and am very concerned about Scarsdale residents’ ability to absorb tax increases. I very much appreciate Messrs. Mattey’s and Martin’s analysis of key stress factors such as very low interest rates, declining sales tax revenue, and the low probability of more state aid. In my professional experience, your stress analysis was sound and detailed. Your process helped me come to support this budget and to vote yes on it. I encourage my fellow residents to please review the incredible amount of material on the website, and if nothing else, please look at the very good tables and graphs in the District’s publication Insight.

For the next budget process, I would encourage the administration and board to detail to the community what the learning objectives are for your established multicultural, diversity, and inclusion initiatives which you have from K-12 and what funding is being allocated to meet those objectives.

Today the Dean of the Wharton School wrote an email to alumni stating “Words cannot express how profoundly saddened I am that African-Americans, and people from other racial, ethnic, and religious groups, are systematically marginalized and routinely subjected to racism, all the more so when this threatens their lives and their livelihoods.”

And you Dr Hagerman, in your holiday greeting letter wrote “We recognize that embracing inclusivity and the diversity within Scarsdale takes a concerted effort. It requires awareness of our similarities and differences, specific and accurate knowledge of others’ values and beliefs, along with the skills to individually negotiate various types of multicultural relationships. There are certainly structural changes that can support that work, and we are committed to doing that. It is important as an institution that we consistently state and model our beliefs.”

I encourage you to let us know what guidance and curricular development you will have for our students to understand, what is a riot? What are the historical, economic, psychological, racial, climate change, or religious causes of riots? How have riots unfolded in Russia and South Africa, as opposed to here in the US? Are the people who participate in riots thugs? Or are the ‘riots the language of the unheard’ as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr said in 1968? What should be Scarsdale school’s role in producing future leaders who will be looking for solutions to racism and marginalization, long after we are gone? Good night and be well.

Letter from Bob Harrison

To the Editor: Mr. Klein is "not" one of the two best candidates for the Scarsdale School Board. Bob, where have you been for 36 years in Scarsdale? We have never seen you at a public Board of Education meeting or a Village Board meeting. Have you ever volunteered and served on any Scarsdale Forum Education Committee or any other Forum Committees? To our knowledge the answer is NO.

Have you ever studied the Scarsdale School Budget as we have over 25 years? Have you ever participated in any School Budget Study Sessions? We think the answer is NO. Do you know what the size of the School District's unassigned Fund Balance is and that it can be used to lower any tax rate increases - a very important decision for the BOE. Bob you say you represent the empty nesters but based on your property taxes you have  no skin in the game. You have lived in Scarsdale with a very little contribution to the community for years. There is an indication that have property in the mountains.

With regard to your nomination for the School Board by the secret SBNC nominating committee we do not know how many candidates were considered. There are comments in the community that there was only one other candidate considered for the second open Board position which is not very representative for over 12,000 registered voters. For voters you should know that the SBNC has not always been good in their nominations.  Recently the SBNC FAILED to re-nominate Pam Fuehrer to a second three-year term for no good reason.

There was a political group within the SBNC who wanted a new school at Greenacres. Who says the secret SBNC is a great system? Pam ran independently like Mayra Kirkendall-Rodriguez is doing now and won the election. Pam is now President of the School Board and doing a great job as Mayra will do,

We strongly recommend that Scarsdale Taxpayer Voters vote for the two best candidates with the best resumes and volunteerism and children in Scarsdale Schools who are:

Mayra Kirkendall-Rodriguez who is a significant volunteer in the schools and community including the Co-chair of the Fox Meadow School Multicultural Committee, and the Young Writers' Workshop, Co-chair of the Scarsdale Forum's Education Committee with understanding of the school budget and educational needs of the District.

Mayra's professional and educational background are extensive as a bank and capital markets risk consultant and trainer with international clients as the owner of MRV Associates and she has holds degrees from Harvard/Radcliffe, the Lauder Institute and the Wharton School MBA at Penn and has studied at Hebrew University in Israel. Her analytical abilities would be helpful and important to the Board with the economy in a depression.

Amber Yusuf who is a proven volunteer for Scarsdale as a PTA leader and seasoned professional to serve on the School Board. Her education training as an electrical engineer from Washington U in St. Louis and MBA from California Berkeley make her an analytical thinker to problem solve on the Board.

Amber has served within the schools as Heathcote PTA president and PT Council president. She served as After-School Clubs Chair and serves as a hockey mom with her family.

Please put your X on the ballot for Mayra Kirkendall-Rodriguez and if you chose a second candidate make it Amber Yusuf and mail it in the pre stamped envelope immediately to be received by the School District by 5 PM on Tuesday, June 9th.

If you have any questions, please contact us at 914 646-4054 (cell) or by email at [email protected].

Bob Harrison
Fox Meadow Road
Scarsdale Taxpayer Alert