Details

Written by: Wendy MacMillan

Published: 19 November 2025

Created: 19 November 2025

Last Updated: 20 November 2025

Hits: 1225

The Scarsdale School District continued shaping its long-range capital plan this week, unveiling detailed updates on elementary school renovations, districtwide cost estimates, and revised athletic field proposals. Together, the presentations, given by Kevin Walsh and Ken Schupner from BBS and Paul Tozzi and Jonathan Federico from Arris, offered a clear picture of the scope, priorities, and financial structure behind a potential bond that officials aim to keep near or under $100 million.

Edgewood and Fox Meadow: Additions, Learning Spaces, and Reconfigured Programs

The architects presented revised plans for major upgrades at Edgewood and Fox Meadow, emphasizing improved classroom environments, more flexible program spaces, and construction sequencing designed to minimize disruptions.

At Edgewood, the proposed addition, sited within the existing courtyard, preserves open space while creating new, modern kindergarten classrooms with enhanced visibility, restrooms, and dedicated learning zones. Existing classrooms marked for renovation will receive new flooring, lighting, electrical capacity, and updated infrastructure modeled on the flexible learning environments built during the 2018 Greenacres project.

Program rooms would shift to improve functionality: music and art would form a cohesive arts wing, while OT/PT, reading, and speech services would move into purpose-designed spaces. A 3D model highlighted how the addition aligns with current grade-level clusters without obstructing the courtyard.
At Fox Meadow, architects outlined an addition that would house a new first-floor Learning Commons and a new library above it. The existing library and multipurpose spaces would convert into additional classrooms, creating a net gain of four instructional rooms needed to accommodate projected enrollment.

Because the campus sits on a sloped site, architects showed how the three-story structure steps with the terrain and how play areas may be regraded or expanded. A small addition to the multipurpose room would add storage and a restroom for kindergarten classes.

Board members asked about construction logistics. Consultants said temporary classrooms should not be needed, as newly built additions will be used as swing space during interior renovations. Costs for staging, temporary access, and safety measures have been included in project estimates.

You can see all of the architectural plans in the slideshow they presented at the BOE meeting on Monday, November 17th.

Cost Estimators Detail Financial Framework, Rising AC Costs, and “Model Room” Budgeting

The next part of the presentation provided a technical breakdown of how the capital plan is being priced. All budgets begin with “today’s dollars,” based on current market rates for construction, labor, and materials. Additional layers include:

Hazardous materials abatement

Inflation across the seven-year project timeline

Construction contingencies for incomplete design elements

Soft costs, architectural, engineering, construction management, fiscal advising, and bonding, totaling approximately 18%

A major point of discussion was air-conditioning. Earlier community conversations had cited a $12 million figure, but updated calculations place districtwide AC needs at $15.7 million. The increase stems from higher equipment costs due to tariffs, upgraded systems needed for large spaces, and significant electrical work at Heathcote. Some AC expenses are embedded within larger renovation budgets, and estimators reorganized categories to avoid double-counting.

The district’s classroom renovation budget, developed using detailed “model room” pricing for every room type, now stands at just under $60 million. These models include flooring, ceilings, lighting, asbestos removal, casework, technology, and new flexible furniture, informed by building-wide 3D scans.

Board members questioned how costs were allocated in spaces undergoing major reconfiguration. Estimators said line items were structured to reflect the most realistic installation pathways and to maintain transparency as the design evolves.

Revised Athletic Field Plans Reduce Conflicts, Support Softball Relocation

The meeting also included a comprehensive update on proposed athletic field planning. After earlier field layouts were deemed unworkable, consultants introduced a redesigned plan for the Scarsdale Middle School campus.

The new concept removes the previous baseball/softball configuration and instead creates two regulation-size multipurpose fields, one turf and one natural grass, each measuring 180 by 330 feet for soccer and boys’ and girls’ lacrosse. Two basketball courts will be repaved and restriped.

The presentation made clear that the revised layout eliminates conflicts between field lines and maximizes the site’s limited space. Though slightly smaller than high school fields, both meet athletic requirements. No permanent bleachers are planned, but families may use portable seating. Protective fencing and netting will be added, and required stormwater-retention features are included in current cost estimates.

Board members raised concerns about past flooding at district facilities and about pellet migration from older turf fields. The consultants related that the middle school site does not have significant drainage problems and that the new turf would use a modern stone-base system with updated infill materials, not the rubber pellets used at Butler Field.

Potential plans for Greenacres, which would house both varsity and JV softball, were also shared during the presentation. The varsity field would receive new dugouts with storage, a backstop, portable bleachers on concrete pads, a scoreboard, outfield drainage improvements, and a portable fence. The lower field would be upgraded with a new infield, simpler dugouts, and fencing to protect cars on Montrose Avenue.

Athletic Director Cindy Parrot emphasized that the softball move is driven by equity. Softball currently plays at Supply Field, off school grounds, with limited weekday access and no Saturdays. The village does not open its fields until April 1, despite the season starting March 9, forcing softball indoors while the baseball teams practice outdoors. Relocating the program to Greenacres resolves those constraints.

The changes to the athletic scope, largely the removal of overlapping baseball/softball elements at the middle school, generate an estimated $913,000 in savings.

Next Steps Toward a Bond Proposal

The district will present updated infrastructure and Building Conditions Survey data on December 15. Administrators will then outline a full recommended scope for the Board to review.

A second community survey will run from late December through early January to gauge support for the refined plan. Board trustees reiterated their intention to keep any future referendum close to the $100 million range, responding to earlier community feedback.

As design work deepens in the coming months, officials said estimates will continue to be refined before the Board finalizes the bond proposal. The links for the presentations supporting documents can be found in the meetings agenda under Capital Projects Bond Update. 

Details

Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 13 November 2025

Created: 13 November 2025

Last Updated: 13 November 2025

Hits: 904

The night before Thanksgiving, known as Blackout Wednesday, has become a concerning tradition marked by excessive drinking among young people, particularly college students returning home for the holiday. Unfortunately, it is also one of the deadliest nights of the year for drunk driving and alcohol-related emergencies.
Underage drinking remains a major public health issue. In 2023, excessive alcohol use caused 3,900 deaths among people under 21, with males accounting for 75% of those fatalities. Local surveys show alcohol remains the most widely used substance among Scarsdale youth, and binge drinking—five or more standard drinks—accounts for 90% of youth alcohol consumption.

This Thanksgiving, the Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling Service and the Scarsdale Action for Youth (SAY) Coalition urge parents to discuss the risks of underage drinking with their teens and college-aged children. Conversations should address health and legal consequences, including the dangers of alcohol poisoning, sexual assault, and the use of fake IDs.

Together, we can help ensure Thanksgiving is celebrated safely—around the family table, not in the emergency room. For more information, contact Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling Service, Scarsdale Action for Youth, or local Youth Outreach Workers.

Details

Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 05 November 2025

Created: 05 November 2025

Last Updated: 10 November 2025

Hits: 2524

The 2026 School Board Nominating Committee (SBNC) election will take place on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, from 7 – 10 AM and 2 – 9 PM in the Scarsdale Middle School (SMS) Auditorium Lobby at 134 Mamaroneck Road. In the event schools are closed on Election Day, the election will be held on snow day #1 12/8/2025 and snow date #2 12/10/2025. Any Snow Date or Run-off election will be held in the SMS Auditorium Lobby at the same times given above.

A mail-in ballot is available for those who choose not to vote in person. Mail-in ballots and instructions are available to the public available at https://scarsdalesbnc.org/ and in hard copy at the Reference Desk of the Scarsdale Public Library. Hard copies will be available by or before Monday, November 10th, 2025.

Any resident of the School District who is (i) 18 years of age or older; and (ii) a resident of the School District for 30 days prior to the election (November 3, 2025) may vote in the SBNC Election.

Completed mail-in ballots must be sent to: SBNC Administrative Chair, PO Box 116H, Scarsdale, NY 10583H and received in the SBNC PO Box no later than 4 PM on Wednesday, December 3, 2025.

Residents who are unable to access a ballot by either of these methods may contact the SBNC Administrative Committee Election Chair, by email at [email protected] for assistance. For more information about the SBNC, please visit https://scarsdalesbnc.org/.

Listed below are the candidates from each neighborhood along with their biographies:
EDGEWOOD (3 open spots, 6 candidates)

EILEEN M DELUCIA: 6 Forest Ln. Length of Residency: 3 years
Occupation: Attorney
Education: B.A College of Holy Cross, J.D at Columbia Law School
Children’s ages (years): 12, 10, 6 and 3
Civic Activities: HSG Women's Affinity Network (current); Pro bono counsel to various underprivileged litigants (current); Edgewood Buddy Family (2023-2024); candidate for Eastchester Town Council (2021); EYSA soccer coach (2018-2019)
 
JÜRGEN SPIHLMANN FREIBERG: 983 Post Rd. Length of Residency: 3.5 years
Occupation: Attorney
Education: JD (2010, Universidad de Lima, Peru), Master of Laws (LL.M.) (2015, Columbia University,New York)
Children’s ages (years): 5 and 4 weeks old
Civic Activities: Multiple pro-bono legal representation and/or legal advisory matters (averaging 2 per semester) since 2016, and non-legal volunteering with Good+Foundation, Memorial SloanKettering Cancer Research Center and New York Cares during 2025; Regular New York Blood Center donor; Mentor under Unidos (Latino affiliation group at Sumitomo Mitsui BankingCorporation). Cultural Affairs Commission Director/Advisor to Accion Universitaria (pro-bono civil association in charge of organizing volunteer campaigns in different regions of Peru).

MARTIN KANG: 168 Bradley Rd. Length of Residency: 7 years
Occupation: Finance Professional
Education: MBA from Columbia Business School, BS from Columbia University
Children’s ages (years): 11, 6 and 1
Civic Activities: Volunteer at Feeding Westchester; Alumni interviewer at Columbia

SARAH RUBENSTIEN POLAK: 145 Lyons Rd. Length of Residency: 1 year
Occupation: Lawyer
Education: Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law – Juris Doctor; Florida Atlantic University - BA
Children’s ages (years): 4.5 and 2.5
Civic Activities: Provide pro bono services in the legal profession (currently 50 hours for 2025, 30 hours in 2024); Volunteer as a Class Parent for Preschool; Fundraise for Equal Rights Advocates (nonprofit legal organization); and Donate to various charities.

AMY SOFIA: 46 Hamilton Rd. Length of Residency: 24 years
Occupation: Real Estate
Education: B.A University of Dayton
Children’s ages (years): 11 and 6
Civic Activities: Edgewood Capital Planning Committee (current); Edgewood Spiritwear Co-Chair 2023-now; Edgewood Fair Committee (2024-now), Edgewood Fifth Grade Committee 2024-2025; Scarsdale Girl Scout Cookie Chair 2022-2025; Class parent for several years

DOUG STONE: 268 Nelson Rd., Length of Residency: 10 years
Occupation: Software Engineer
Education: BA in Economics from Cornell University
Children’s ages (years): 10, 9, 6 and 4
Civic Activities: Scarsdale Little League Coach (2021-2024)

FOX MEADOW (3 open spots, 7 candidates)

YASMIN ALHASSANI: 4 Lorraine Place., Length of Residency: 1.5 years
Occupation: Life Science
Education: MIT Sloan School of Management – MBA
Children’s ages (years): 7 and 4
Civic Activities: PTA Secretary at Fox Meadow

CLAUDIA FREEDMAN: 9 Paddington Road. Length of Residency: 4 years
Occupation: Pure Barre instructor; stay-at-home-mom; former elementary school teacher
Education: MS - Education; BA - Journalism, Strategic Communications, Radio/TV/Film
Children’s ages (years): 1.5
Civic Activities: President - Fox Meadow Neighborhood Association; Mazel Tots Class Parent; Event Planning Committee - Stardust Fertility Foundation
ZACHARY JACOBS: 5 Highland Way. Length of Residency: 6 years
Occupation: Corporate Attorney
Education: B.A (Cornell) J.D(Columbia)
Children’s ages (years): 6 and 11
Civic Activities: N/A

JENNIFER KAHAN: 54 Butler Road. Length of Residency: 12+ years
Occupation: Stay home mom, community volunteer
Education: J.D. Fordham University; B.A. Emory University
Children’s ages (years): 17, 15, 13
Civic Activities: Upper School V.P. for the Leffell School P.T.O. (August 2025-Present); Volunteered as Co-Executive Director for Westchester Resettlement Coalition for 2.5 years up through January 2024;Volunteered as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate for Children in Foster Care) through Greater Mental Health of New York (formerly The Mental Health Association of Westchester) for 5 plus years ; involved in numerous PTA volunteer roles while kids at Fox Meadow Elementary

MINJIE (ELAINE) KANG: 231 Fox Meadow Rd. Length of Residency: 8 years
Occupation: Finance
Education: Graduate Degree (Master's Degree at Columbia University)
Children’s ages (years): 6 and 2
Civic Activities: Fox Meadow Classical Café co-chair; Fox Meadow Sustainability Chair; Fox Meadow Multicultural China Table; Fox Meadow Book Fair
 
AMANDA ZAITCHIK: 8 Tory Lane. Length of Residency: 13 years
Occupation: Summer Camp Advisor for Summer365
Education: Undergraduate at University of Pennsylvania, Masters from Columbia Teachers College
Children’s ages (years): 14 and 17
Civic Activities: SHS PTA Hospitality Chair/Teacher Appreciation Committee; Member of the SBA; Actively involved in Sunrise & UJA, SMS PTA (2 years); FM PTA (2 terms - 4 years)
KEVIN ZIEGLER: 24 Fenimore Rd. Length of Residency: 2.5 years
Occupation: VP, Global Distribution, Hyatt Hotels Corporation
Education: BS Journalism, Ohio University. MBA, Northwestern-Kellogg School of Management
Children’s ages (years): 7, 4 and 2
Civic Activities: Scarsdale Little League coach; Fox Meadow Neighborhood Assoc member

GREENACRES (3 open spots, 3 candidates)

JOHN BUMGARNER: 17 Sage Terrace. Length of Residency: 3 years
Occupation: Corporate Attorney
Education: BS Business Administration (UNC – Chapel Hill); JD (Vanderbilt University)
Children’s ages (years): 6 and 4
Civic Activities: N/A

HANNA ROBINSON: 31 Claremont Rd. Length of Residency: 6 years
Occupation: Attorney
Education: J.D Brooklyn Law School, B.A Macaulay Honors College at Hunter College
Children’s ages (years): 8, 6 and 2
Civic Activities: Co-Chair Greenacres PTA Book Fair; Volunteer Attorney, Her Justice (While at Davis Polk)

QUAN ZHOU: 118 Walworth Ave Length of Residency: 3 years
Occupation: stay-at-home parent, Previously: Survey researcher/Project manager
Education: Master’s
Children’s ages (years): 8 and 3
Civic Activities: Multicultural night, volunteer; Book fair, volunteer; Artful looking, volunteer; School library, volunteer

HEATHCOTE (4 open spots, 5 candidates)

ANDREA BURINESCU: 6 Obry Drive Length of Residency: 8 years
Occupation: Education Consultant; former teacher
Education: B.A., University of Richmond; M.Ed., Boston College
Children’s Ages: 11, 9, 6
Civic Activities: Co-Chair, Learning from Our Differences – Heathcote (2025-2026), Co-Chair, PTA Community Service – Scarsdale Middle School and Heathcote (2025-2026), PTA President – Heathcote (2024–2025), Co-Chair of CHILD for the district (2021–2022)

SARAH DESATNIK: 130 Carthage Rd. Length of Residency: 2 months
Occupation: Fundraiser
Education: University of South California
Children’s ages (years): 22 months old with another baby on the way
Civic Activities: N/A

GAYLE HELMAN: 62 Birchall Drive. Length of Residency: 8 years
Occupation: Pharmaceutical Strategy and Analytics (Retired)
Education: Bachelor of Science from Emory University
Children’s ages (years): Twins - 13
Civic Activities: Heathcote Pizza Chair; Class Parent for 6 years at Heathcote Elementary
EMILY SHTEINHAUZ: 12 Cushman Rd. Length of Residency: 7 years
Occupation: Former hedge fund trader
Education: Lafayette College
Children’s ages (years): 13 and Twins - 11
Civic Activities: SYSC Board. Co-President; UJA Scarsdale Board Co-Chair

YUANYUAN (TANIA) YUE: 135 Cashman Rd. Length of Residency: 7 years
Occupation: Banker
Education: Master Degree
Children’s ages (years): 11
Civic Activities: Young Writer Workshop volunteer 2024-2025; Young Writer Workshop Heathcote representative 2023; HXGNY volunteer 2023-now; Heathcote School Play Co-Chair 2023; Heathcote Class Parent 2021-2022
 
QUAKER RIDGE (4 open spots, 4 candidates)

ERIK AVNI: 5 Westview Lane. Length of Residency: 8 years
Occupation: CPA
Education: BBA - Accounting Hofstra University
Children’s ages (years): 15 and 11
Civic Activities: Volunteer Firefighter - Scarsdale Co. 3 (active -12 years); Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance EMT 6 years

NATASHA BEG: 37 Wildwood Rd. Length of Residency: 3.5 years
Occupation: Strategy Consultant
Education: Cambridge University, UK (MPhil); Manchester University, UK (BSc)
Children’s ages (years): 8 and 5
Civic Activities: Board of Education Budget Liaison for Quaker Ridge (2 years); QRS Library Gift Program (2 years); Class Parent QRS (2 years); Class Parent JCC (2 years); Lead Ambassador- Giving Back Program at Alvarez & Marsal (2 years); Volunteer - Birch Family Services (1 year); Volunteer - School Supply Drive, P.S. 35 Manhattan High School (1 year)

JUN (JAMES) JIANG: 372 Heathcote Rd. Length of Residency: 1 year
Occupation: Retired University Professor; currently a board member of a financial company
Education: PhD in Finance
Children’s ages (years): 6
Civic Activities: Participated in the campaign for Brooklyn Assemblyman Colton with his re-election (2024); Helped Chinese-American New York City Councilmember Susan Zhuang with her council election campaign(2023-2024). Multi-volunteering in the community when we lived in North Carolina(2016-2022).

WENDY WAXMAN: 20 Vernon Rd. Length of Residency: 3+ years
Occupation: Mother; Downtown Capital Inc., Real Estate Management
Education: Bank St College of Education, MSEd, Columbia University B.A
Children’s ages (years): 13 and 10
Civic Activities: All School VP; The Leffell School Parent Teacher Organization; Member, Scarsdale Forum Member; Secor Fams Neighborhood Association

About the School Board Nominating Committee (SBNC)
The School Board Nominating Committee (SBNC) is a committee of residents elected from across the Village for the purpose of nominating candidates to fill vacancies on the Scarsdale Board of Education. Members are elected from each of the five elementary school districts to serve a term of three years on the Nominating Committee and two additional years on the Administrative Committee.

The Administrative Committee would like to encourage all Scarsdale residents to support the SBNC by
voting in local elections, considering a candidacy, and making a contribution. The SBNC Administrative Committee runs the annual SBNC elections financed entirely by community support. Any contribution is
greatly appreciated. Contributions may be made via Zelle ([email protected], Administration) and checks made payable to the “Administrative Committee” and email the SBNC Administrative Committee chairperson at [email protected] to coordinate pick up or mail the check to:

Scarsdale SBNC
P.O. Box 116H
Scarsdale, NY 10583H
(note: be sure to add the “H” to the zip code for mailing)

For more information please visit https://scarsdalesbnc.org/please-donate/
SBNC Continuing Members (Nominating Committee)
Terms Ending 2026 (3rd year)
Edgewood – Mimi Robinson
Fox Meadow – Adam Hellegers
Greenacres – Amadally Hosseinbukus, Lisa Purcell, Kristen Zakierski
Heathcote – N/A
Quaker Ridge – Alissa Baum

Terms Ending 2027 (2nd year)
Edgewood – Jason Andrus, Boning Liu
Fox Meadow – Elaine Wan, Wenchun Wu
Greenacres – N/A
Heathcote – Cynthia Xiaoyue Li, Joel Steinhaus
Quaker Ridge –Jaye Weisbrod

SBNC Administrative Committee Members
Terms Ending 2026 (2nd year)
Edgewood - Anne McCourt Bates, Christine Weston, Meng Zhang
Fox Meadow - Claudia Green, Jen Zola (SBNC Vice-Chair & Webmaster)
Greenacres -N/A
Heathcote -Kimberly Miller Champlin
Quaker Ridge - Lisa Gans
Terms Ending 2027 (1st year)
Edgewood - N/A
Fox Meadow - Kevin Chen, David Kirshenbaum (Treasurer), Susan Lee Foley
Greenacres - Arthur Rublin (Resolution Chair), Molly Tu (Secretary), Jocelyn Gibian Zoland (Admin Committee Co-Chair / Election Co-Chair)
Heathcote - Jake Adlerstein
Quaker Ridge - June Deng (Admin Committee Co-Chair / Election Co-Chair), Jenny Simon Tabak (SBNC Chair)

SNAP Representatives (2-year term)
Laura Chassin, 2nd year
Beth Goldoff, 2nd year
Roger Neustadt, 2nd year

TVCC/Forum Representatives (2-year term)
Sarah Bell, 2nd year
Jon Lemle 1st year
Randi Culang, 1st year

Members Emeritus (non-voting)
Kerry Hayes
Jordan Copeland
Susi Coplan

For additional information, please contact Jocelyn Gibian Zoland or June (Xun) Deng, at [email protected]

Details

Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 27 October 2025

Created: 27 October 2025

Last Updated: 30 October 2025

Hits: 3384

A Demographers report for the Scarsdale School District released to the community on Friday October 24, 2025 has raised alarms among a group of Fox Meadow residents.

The report examines population trends in each of Scarsdale’s five elementary school districts. Due to a projected increases in the number of students in Fox Meadow, and the availability of space in the Greenacres Elementary school, the report explores the re-districting of 60 Fox Meadow students to Greenacres.

Read the Demographic Study here:

Below find a letter from a group of Fox Meadow Residents sent to us by Michael Fructer. Below that find a response from the Scarsdale Board of Education. The Board meets Monday night October 27, 2025 and members of the community are invited to attend and speak.

Dear Members of the Board of Education,

We are parents and friends of the 60 children who Statistical Forecasting LLC proposes to rezone from the Fox Meadow elementary school to the Greenacres elementary school and other residents that live within the contemplated redistricting zone. We write to express our strong opposition to the proposal to rezone our children, and urge the Board to reject the proposal.

While Statistical Forecasting’s report notes that the proposed rezoning is “advantageous in that most elementary school students would continue to be educated in their current school”, their proposal is highly disadvantageous to our children, some of whom who will be ripped from their school and away from their friends and others who would be deprived the opportunity to attend the elementary school they have been looking forward to. This letter details the negative impacts to our children that will come from rezoning and suggests that the Board consider alternative solutions to the challenges facing Fox Meadow.

Negative Impacts

Impact on our Children, their Development and Mental Health: We all moved to Scarsdale because of the quality of the schools. None of us could have imagined that our children would be forced to switch elementary schools mid-stream or be barred from attending the neighborhood school down the street. There are numerous science-based developmental considerations that militate against forcing our children to switch from Fox Meadow.

For children in Kindergarten and 1st grade, trust and predictability are key in day-to-day life for optimal social-emotional development. Uprooting children from their community during these early years will have lasting impacts on their ability to form meaningful attachments and social bonds. Even current pre-school students in the neighborhood have already been integrated into the community - they have chosen their pre-school classmates to create continuity through elementary school, practiced the short walk to Fox Meadow school and its playground, and recognized their place as part of Fox Meadow. For children ages 6-12, daily life is expanding, they begin to blossom in their hobbies and interests and social lives flourish. Maintaining predictability and security are key developmental aspects of these growth steps happening successfully. Sharing new experiences with close trusted friends, with these friendships having built up over time in their school community, are key components to our children thriving. The proposed rezoning will have an incredibly negative impact on our children in this regard. Moreover, our children know Fox Meadow, and the Fox Meadow teachers and staff know them. Forcing our children to switch to Greenacres at this critical time in their development will sever the relationships they’ve built with the Fox Meadow team, with resultant negative effect on our kids.

We also note that Statistical Forecasting’s tone-deaf report ignores these critical points. Our children’s educational, psychological, and emotional development require they be considered. Reliance on statistical analysis, while ignoring the key human elements, is horribly misplaced.

Impact on our Children’s Safety: The proposed rezoning would have a significant negative impact on our children’s physical safety, and on our ability to get our children to school. We purchased our houses because they are within easy walking distance of Fox Meadow, on streets with limited car traffic. The proposed rezoning would force our children to cross Fenimore Road, which is a very busy street, with high car and truck traffic. Vehicles regularly exceed the posted speed limits. There are frequent traffic jams and accidents. There are also a limited number of crosswalks and traffic lights, and notably no areas to cross between Fox Meadow Road and Brewster Road where these displaced students will be walking to school. Adding a 15mph school zone speed limit to Fox Meadow will only exacerbate these problems, adding to congestion and making it more difficult for pedestrians and commuters to safely cross. While many of us allow our children to walk by themselves to Fox Meadow, none of us will allow them to do so because of the dangers posed by crossing Fenimore. This will force many of us to drive our children to school, which will increase traffic substantially and cause delays for parents as well as commuters and the broader community in this area. The proposed rezoning also increases the commuting time to school for each and every student impacted.

Impact on our Community: The community we know in Scarsdale is based around the Fox Meadow school. The friendships our children developed at school carry over to their after-school hours, the time they spend in each other’s yards, and their weekend activities. Removing our children from Fox Meadow will weaken these friendships, to the detriment of our children and our community. An eight-year-old can’t casually dash across Fenimore Road to one of their friend’s houses, like they can on many of the streets in Fox Meadow. Moving our children to Greenacres will have a significant negative effect on our and our children’s integration in the Fox Meadow community.

Solutions

We recommend that the Board consider a wide range of alternative solutions. Members of the community have asked whether it might be possible to send non-Fox Meadow residents to Greenacres and/or other elementary schools in the District. There is also considerable support for the proposed construction project to increase space at Fox Meadow. We recognize that any solution will likely involve difficult tradeoffs, and there are different opinions regarding the best solution. Nonetheless, we are united in our view that the Board should reject the redistricting proposal.

Please note that we are still digesting Statistical Forecasting’s report, and this is our first communication in response. We hope to engage productively and collaboratively with you to identify better alternatives to this redistricting proposal.

(From the Scarsdale School Board Vice President Colleen Brown)

It is important to understand that no decision has been made when it comes to redistricting and there is no proposal to do so at this time.
As you know, we are in the process of developing a capital projects bond to present to the community for support. This effort began last spring. Between March and September, a representative stakeholder group studied the current conditions of our buildings, current and projected enrollments, and other relevant factors to develop a comprehensive assessment of needs at each of our district schools — including Fox Meadow. That analysis identified two key challenges at Fox Meadow: enrollment pressure and aging facilities.

The committee has recommended to the Board that Fox Meadow needs additional classrooms, and a proposal outlining how that expansion might occur has been discussed publicly. During these discussions, a question was raised about whether adjusting elementary school boundaries could serve as an alternative to new construction — recognizing that construction is the most expensive option for addressing space constraints.

As part of our due diligence, we hired a demographer to analyze current and projected enrollment. This ensures that the proposed projects will effectively meet student needs. The demographer’s report, which was just received on Friday, includes data related to redistricting as part of a comprehensive report. Reviewing all data and potential options is part of our commitment to responsible planning and full transparency with the community. It’s important to note that exploring redistricting as part of this analysis does not mean it is a desired or planned alternative. The study was commissioned to ensure the Board considers all viable options transparently.
The Board has not discussed redistricting as an option yet, and when it does, that discussion will occur as a full body, in public, for the first time tomorrow. No decision will be made at that meeting. The process depends heavily on public engagement — through emails, public comments at Board meetings, conversations at Board coffees, public information sessions like the one held on October 16, and the Capital Projects Bond survey, which closed on Friday. The opinions of the Fox Meadow community — and all district residents — are critical, and we strongly encourage everyone to participate, listen carefully to the report, and ask questions.

All information related to the bond proposal — including presentations, reports, and meeting recordings — is available to the public on our district and bond-specific websites. These resources reflect the thoughtful and diligent process behind the proposal.

Our next Board of Education meeting will take place on Monday, October 27, and all community members are welcome to attend in person or via live stream. You can find links to both the Board and Bond webpages below.

https://www.scarsdaleschools.k12.ny.us/board-of-education-information
https://www.scarsdaleschools.k12.ny.us/99236_3

I hope this helps address your concerns. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have additional questions.

Nicole Bartelme asked us to post this comment:

Children who are currently attending Fox Meadow School should NOT be re-zoned. Residents move to specific areas of Scarsdale for specific reasons. This is not random. Proposed construction to FM is NOT the solution, financially unnecessary.

NEW non-residential students could be re-zoned. (Existing non-residential students should be allowed to stay as well as their up & coming siblings). The parking lot at Fox Meadow could be staged for TEMPORARY, (repeating, TEMPORARY) class rooms creatively.

Would like to better understand how many children space is needed for, and the forecast moving forward.