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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 03 May 2021

Created: 03 May 2021

Last Updated: 04 May 2021

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This is the opinion of Scarsdale10583 site founder Joanne Wallenstein

I have always been a big supporter of the non-partisan system and served on the School Board Nominating Committee for five years, two as the Vice Chair, the last to replace someone who was unable to serve. It was an honor and an eye opener into the diversity of viewpoints that the committee brought to the table. Due to their own upbringings, their professional lives and experience as parents and volunteers in the community, the 30 representatives had unique perspectives on what the school board needed and who would make the best candidate.

From what I can surmise, this year was no different. The deliberations from the SBNC yielded some surprising results, in both who they chose to nominate and who they passed over. Similar to circumstances three years ago, the SBNC did not re-nominate the standing School Board Vice President who was poised to become President of the School Board in July. Instead they chose two relative newcomers to the process. Jessica Resnick-Ault, a journalist, who has lived in Scarsdale for only six years and Jim Dugan, an attorney who has lived here for 15 years and done extensive volunteer work for his church and served on the CNC but was relatively unknown in school circles.

Given the most unusual circumstances this year, it makes sense that the SBNC would not just do the usual. For the first time in Scarsdale’s history, school buildings were closed for months and students struggled to learn remotely. When the district deemed it safe for some to come back to school the return to school was very cautious and too slow for many who felt that all options were not explored. Parents were frustrated by a lack of transparency and understanding about district decision making. Experts from the community who raised their hands to help interpret COVID guidelines and propose solutions were often turned away.

Of course since the SBNC deliberations are confidential, the public will never know what was discussed and the reasons for their decisions. However, from my experience I am certain that they did their due diligence. Their process includes vetting the candidates by speaking to others in the community who know and work with them and can vouch for their fitness to serve. With 30 voting members, the SBNC represented a range of views and had the chance to thoroughly discuss the merits of each candidate. The community should have confidence that the two candidates they selected will make good listeners, responsible stewards and represent your views.

As a reporter and union leader Resnick-Ault makes her living asking hard questions and says her experience with the union will help her build relationships with the teachers. Dugan is an experienced litigator and counselor and has pledged to bring his decision-making and consensus building skills to the table.

With the district at a crossroads it also makes sense that some independent candidates would choose to run. Following current Board President Pam Fuehrer, who was also not re-nominated by the SBNC for a second term after a divisive battle about the Greenacres School, current Board Vice President Alison Singer has decided to run independently for a second term. Singer has garnered the support of many past and current Board of Education members. At the LWVS Candidates Forum on May 2, 2021 she acknowledged that the Board might have better communicated but defended their actions this year. She argues that her experience, knowledge of Board regulations and the relationships she has built make her invaluable to the Board. Responding to claims that the Board failed to exercise oversight, she said, “We set policy and charge the superintendent with carrying it out…. We have to trust in the district’s educational expertise.”

Irin Israel, a parent who was outspoken at Board of Education meetings this past year, has also thrown in his hat. He made his mark by demonstrating that school facilities could accommodate students at a distance of six feet apart, FOILED school documents and asked why the district was not forthcoming with the reasons students could not attend school. If Singer represents the existing order, Israel is clearly a disrupter and an advocate for amending board protocols and permitting free discussion among board members and interchanges with the community.

Though the non-partisan process has served the Village well for decades, there are times, like these, when the community can benefit from giving the voters a choice. During this past school year, frustrated parents said over and over again, “the Board and the Administration are not listening to us.” So now, each individual voter will have the opportunity to make their voice heard. The outcome of the election should give the school administration and the board insight into the community’s psyche and how to navigate the future.

Fortunately an arcane voting provision was recently amended and now the top two candidates will win the seats on the board. In order to decide how you should cast your vote, watch the candidate’s forum run by the League of Women Voters on May 2, 2021. They asked probing questions and got revealing answers that will inform your decision on how to vote on May 18, 2021.

Remember to vote on Tuesday May 18 at Scarsdale Congregational Church, 1 Heathcote Road from 7 am to 9 pm.

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 27 April 2021

Created: 27 April 2021

Last Updated: 29 April 2021

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To the Editor: As former school board presidents, we know that when it comes to selecting board members, there is no substitute for experience and an in-depth understanding of the complexities of dealing with our community’s many stakeholder groups.

An extremely steep learning curve exists for anyone elected to a board of education, no matter how deeply they have been involved in recent school-related volunteer activities. Add to that the wealth of knowledge that needs to be mastered quickly in areas such as employment law, collective bargaining, curriculum and instructional innovation, special education, school safety, state and federal advocacy, Regents regulations, tenure, budgets and financial reporting, just to name a few, and you quickly get an idea of how important it is to retain experienced board members.

It takes a good three years to begin to master these diverse areas of responsibility. Recently, the Scarsdale board has lost a number of members after serving for a single term. With such a rapid turnover, it is vital we retain experienced members such as Alison Singer to help guide the board through the difficult decisions it will inevitably face. This past year has brought unprecedented challenges to school boards across the country There is no guidebook for how to educate students during a worldwide pandemic, and inevitably there will be conflicting approaches on how to best serve our students. There have been valuable lessons learned along the way which will help to inform how to best move forward in a collaborative manner.

In addition to her current term on the board, serving most recently as vice president, Alison Singer has a lengthy track record of volunteer roles in a number of important community organizations, including Co-Chair of Scarsdale CHILD, School Board Nominating Committee and SBNC Administrative Chair, and the Colonial Acres Neighborhood Association, as well as impressive academic and professional credentials. Her knowledge and familiarity with the needs of special education students provides a particularly important voice at the board table.

So let’s not waste all that valuable, hard-earned experience and knowledge. Re-elect Alison Singer on May 18th.

Rita Golden, Ridgedale Road
Barbara Jaffe, Kingston Road
Michael Otten, Stonehouse Road

Robert KleinRobert Klein currently serves on the Scarsdale School Board

To the Editor,
On May 18, 2021, we have an important vote for the Scarsdale School Board vacancies. As I decide who I will vote for, I approach this decision the same way I approach all school related decisions: what is best for the students and parents of Scarsdale. I look at the facts, assess the context of the decision and evaluate the options. I believe unequivocally that the best decision is to re-elect Alison Singer for a second term on the Scarsdale School Board. Because she is the only one on the Board currently with three years experience, this weighs in prominently as a reason to re-elect her.

Besides having stellar credentials and experience that is beyond repute, Alison has sat in the role of Vice President of the School Board for the entire past year, training to step into the role of President. Others may say that this experience, while helpful, is not essential. I would argue that since she has been involved in weekly meetings and discussions with the administration, this alone qualifies her better than anyone to continue in her senior role on the Board. Witnessing firsthand what she is currently doing and the skill and acumen with which she does it, I strongly believe that following a year of tumult, stress and uncertainty, there is no doubt that what she has done will be a huge advantage to the 2021-2022 Board of Education. Having trained as a senior leader and stepped up to the plate to assume that role willingly shows her commitment to the Scarsdale Community.

You might ask why she was not nominated. I was not part of that process, but I will not shy away from saying that I am totally baffled why someone as intelligent, poised, fair and well intending would not be re-nominated. At this point, that question does not need to be answered because Alison chose to make what I believe is a challenging and demanding decision to run independently. That decision alone demonstrates her commitment to Scarsdale and its school community. I am so impressed by her determination to do the right thing for the community that I felt I had to publicly document my opinion.

I urge everyone to look at all the facts and choose Alison because the community will benefit from her immense intelligence, empathy and loyalty to Scarsdale’s students, parents, and community at large. A vote for Allison will bring stability, strong leadership and a willingness to serve in a thoughtful, unbiased way.

Robert Klein

Kamal Mehta

I urge all voters to re-elect Alison Singer to the Scarsdale Board of Education on Tuesday, May 18th for her second term as Trustee.
Last year certainly required an unprecedented level of communications by the board and administration with the parents who were voicing strong feelings on how best to adapt. I appreciate Alison’s acknowledgement in the recent Scarsdale10583.com interview stating the board could have done better and she recommends “breaking established rules and protocols, which the Board was reluctant to do”. While she advocated as much in person teaching as was safely possible, the moving “safety” standard made it hard to have consensus and implement as quickly as the community would have liked.

The claim that Alison was not a strong advocate for the students and did not heed parental concerns is erroneous. Alison describes that as an officer of the Board, she was in constant communications with the administration in order to deal with the crisis presented by the pandemic.
As a former member of the SBNC, I fully respect the work and process of the SBNC and they have picked excellent candidates. The SBNC and candidates deserve our thanks and gratitude.

Alison has the same exemplary skills and credentials that got her elected previously but importantly she now possesses the invaluable experience forged in a demanding first term.

Kamal Mehta
Rochambeau Road
Scarsdale, NY

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 22 April 2021

Created: 22 April 2021

Last Updated: 22 April 2021

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Jessica Resnick-Ault (Photo Credit: Tracy McCarthy)The election for Scarsdale School Board and the school budget vote will be held on Tuesday May 18, 2021. This year, there are four candidates vying for two seats on the Board of Education. Jessica Resnick-Ault has been nominated by the Scarsdale School Board Nominating Committee and answered questions below about her background and why she is running now.

Please introduce yourself to our readers.

Hi! I'm Jessica Resnick-Ault, I'm the mom of a fifth grader at Edgewood, and have lived in Scarsdale since 2014, and in Westchester since 2012. I'm a journalist, editor and published author. I currently work for Reuters, covering energy policy and markets. For the past 20 years, I have covered broad ranging topics for Reuters, Bloomberg and Dow Jones/Wall Street Journal and Providence Journal. I have covered everything from No Child Left Behind to municipal bonds to the Enron trial and Deepwater Horizon disaster. In 2015, I wrote a book on Hess - the oil company best known for its toy trucks. I have done a wide variety of community service, particularly in education, over the past two decades, and come from a family of educators. My husband, Peter Gimbel, died in 2017 of complications from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, and continues to be one of my biggest inspirations for his calm and perseverance in the face of adversity.

Why did you decide to run this year?

When I was approached and asked to submit an application to the board, I decided to go through the SBNC vetting process because I care deeply about the future of Scarsdale schools. Not just this school year and next, not only the recovery from COVID, but the health and growth of the schools over the next decade, and the ones after that. I believe that the excellence of our schools sets us apart from many communities, not just regionally, but nationally, and is a key part of what makes our village an attractive and welcoming one to live in. I am compelled to serve at a time when reopening in the wake of the pandemic is a critical mission, but it is not my sole focus. I believe that it is crucial to have a board that can simultaneously manage short term objectives and still consider big-picture vision and mission so that we have a system that is resilient and continues to evolve. Scarsdale deserves a district that stays at the forefront pedagogically and technologically and is prepared for ever-changing new challenges. Scarsdale also deserves a board that makes all stakeholders feel appreciated and listened to and is respectful of prismatic views.

How do you expect your skills as a journalist to inform your work on the Board of Education?

I am at my best as a journalist when I am on the phone or in person, talking to people to learn every side of an issue. Researching and reading enable me to stay informed, so that I can formulate questions that I know my readers want answered. For the board of education, that would translate into being able to have the pulse of what is important to the community and keep that in mind as I research upcoming policies, look at how they have been implemented elsewhere, and bring up questions that are pressing to the community before making a decision. As a journalist, I have carefully covered the post-mortem on events like Hurricane Sandy, Hurricane Katrina, Deepwater Horizon and others that disrupted municipal life. I am ready to look at the strengths and weaknesses that our district showed in the past year and help formulate a mission going forward so that we are stronger for the future.

You did considerable charitable work during the pandemic. Explain what you did and who you helped.

I have always been committed to community service, but when the pandemic hit, like many residents, I felt isolated and powerless in the face of uncertainty. Small efforts to help first responders ballooned as I joined with Bake Back America founder Melissa Subin to meet the needs of people across Westchester and New York. I realized there were opportunities to use Bake Back America's connections with non-profits to identify critical needs and source those items from families in Scarsdale, who were at a loss with where to donate as many local non-profits closed.

I started Bake Back America's Grant a Wishlist program, which delivered over 8,000 bags of needed clothes, blankets, and supplies to families in need across Westchester and the Bronx, teaming up with 45 different partner non-profit organizations. We have constantly grown and taken on new initiatives and a more educational bent. The organization offers over 250 hours a week of free tutoring to children in need, sponsors extra-curricular efforts for low-income families and has provided learning devices to children who would have been unable to attend virtual school otherwise. The efforts are now national with programs ranging from Massachusetts to Alaska, and we have even looped in international volunteers who help to fill certain language gaps. While the goal is to help our recipients, I have especially enjoyed working with our volunteers, who have tirelessly come together as families and communities to support those in need in a safe and socially-distanced way during what can otherwise be an isolating time. From first-graders to at least one 84-year-old, we have had volunteers from every age, race, and socioeconomic demographic, and I have been delighted to work with all of them and get to know everyone better.

I have also been the community service chair for the Edgewood PTA during this time. In this role, I have worked with an excellent committee and leadership to think about ways to engage students in service and new opportunities during a time when traditional efforts, like the holiday gift drive, were harder to execute due to changed traffic flow at schools. Despite these hurdles, we have engaged in new partnerships this year, and continued to grow the community service program.

Tell us about your experience as a union manager. What insights did that give you (if any) into the relationship between the teachers' union and the administration, especially this past year?

As a journalist, I have been both a union member, and a union manager. One of the greatest successes I have seen has come through the partnership committee in which a dozen managers and members meet routinely to discuss issues outside of contract bargaining. These sessions have been extremely valuable for hearing perspectives on crucial topics like diversity, equity, and inclusion, return protocols after COVID 19, corporate culture and employee retention. By separating these conversations from collective bargaining, creative solutions can emerge. I believe that having these types of meetings routinely can promote unity that persists even during difficult periods when contract negotiations are underway. Animosity between two entities like the union and school board or parents is counterproductive in recruiting the top pool of diverse teachers to Scarsdale, and so it is critical that we bring the community together in the coming years.

Do you think that the community’s expectations of the role of the Board of Education changed this year? If so, how?

Yes - this was evident from meetings early in the year, when parents who had never attended board meetings before became active, coming to the forefront with concerns and wanting a more robust platform for communicating with the board. I think parents who have counted on schools as a cornerstone of our community's strength were shaken to the core when schools shut, perhaps more than in some other districts, where schools have been less trusted entities. As a result, questions on process, transparency and technology all received scrutiny at a higher level than in the past. The community wanted more space to be heard, and the board has recently taken some good initial steps to set up coffees and other forums for more interaction going forward.

Looking back at the past year, it appeared that some parents were unhappy with the district’s decision making process, transparency and communications? How could these be improved down the line?

In a year with many unknowns, it was important for parents and community members to feel well informed about rapidly changing information, and to understand what was being taken into consideration as plans were made that profoundly impacted district children, families and educators. More open listening sessions at a variety of times to truly understand stakeholder positions could have been helpful, in hindsight. It is critical that we look at districts where the roll out of remote learning, hybrid programs, and ultimately in-person learning went more smoothly, because stakeholders felt included and had more room to voice their opinions. We can look to the districts as models for how stakeholders were made to feel they had a voice. The current board has already begun to take some steps to evaluate better forums for community participation in the future, such as holding informal coffees. Still, more opportunities are needed, particularly in times of crisis. I am open to hearing what would be most valuable to the community and incorporating more options.

In your view, what are some of the challenges the district could face next school year?

After the unexpected twists and turns of the past 13 months, I don't want to hazard any predictions. That said: the district must conduct a thorough review of how the events of the past year were handled, so that a robust and flexible plan for future crises is in place, so that we can replicate some of our strongest wins and reduce some of the most problematic concerns we faced. While the next challenge we face could be entirely different, it is critical that we are ready to face whatever lies ahead as a unified district, respectful of varying viewpoints.

This year, the SBNC did not re-nominate the current Vice President and two candidates are running independently. What do you think this indicates about community opinion and the School Board Nominating Committee process?

I think the SBNC had a number of candidates to consider, though obviously those exact proceedings are confidential. Speaking only for my own experience, I believe that the SBNC did a thorough job in checking my references and reviewing my record. I believe the SBNC picked two nominees with a record of service to the community, who have served as consensus builders on different boards, but are unafraid to ask questions or gather input from many stakeholders in the interest of providing every Scarsdale child with a top education.

What do you enjoy about living in Scarsdale? When you get a free minute, what do you do for fun?

First and foremost, I enjoy spending time with my daughter, friends and neighbors- within just a few blocks we have people from across the country and around the world and have made important and lasting friendships with them -- while my yard is small, I have been grateful to have had enough outdoor space to gather with a few others during the pandemic, to share s'mores and fire-pit time to fight off isolation. Over the years, as some neighbors have moved away to other cities or countries, I have been lucky to stay in touch with many, giving us a network of people who we plan to see in future post-pandemic travels. For fun, I also love biking in this area! I rarely rode a bike as a kid growing up in a densely populated exurb of Boston and have embraced biking since living in Scarsdale - my daughter and I often attend Bicycle Sundays and were glad they were more frequent during the pandemic. When it's not Sunday, we like the readily available county trail network, and even did 40 miles for my 40th birthday this past summer! I enjoy reading (most recent book: The Topeka School) and can't wait to see the new library space. Bronx River Bookstore is probably my favorite shop in our village - it's a great addition and I'm glad to stop in often.

Anything else you wish to add?

One thing that often doesn't get much attention is my general interest in education. My grandmother Helen, my biggest personal influence and my daughter's namesake, was a public school teacher in Brooklyn from the 1920s until the 1970s, and my parents, brother, aunt, uncle, cousins and sister-in-law are all educators at different levels. While my professional path took a different turn, I have always volunteered in education, working with significant barriers to learning (socioeconomic and biological) as well as students with more advantaged learning profiles.

I first became interested in educational policy while studying Public Policy at Brown University. As a result, I interned at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, contributing to Dr. Jean Rhodes' work on the risks and rewards of mentoring youth.

After college, I spent my remaining two years in Rhode Island working as a reporter, covering school boards in an affluent community and a low-income one, and covering the roll out of No Child Left Behind in Massachusetts. During that time, I volunteered at the Rhode Island Training School for Youth, a locked detention facility, working specifically on issues pertaining to education of female inmates, who, at that time, had fewer learning opportunities than male inmates.

In 2004, I moved to Houston, Texas, where I did outreach and interviewing for Brown University, traveling on weekends to help students in rural areas surrounding Houston expand their knowledge of a broad range of out-of-state schools. During that time, I also became active in the Muscular Dystrophy Association, co-facilitating a Spanish language group for families with members with muscular dystrophy and co-facilitating a young-adult group for people with muscular dystrophy and their caregivers. This work inherently touched on access to education, as many of the families we worked with lacked knowledge of then-current policies around in-school accommodations.

In Scarsdale, I have served as a class parent at the Pre-K and elementary level, taken on volunteer roles such as offering classes in the young writer's workshop and volunteered with the PTA in myriad capacities, most recently as co-chair of the community service committee at Edgewood.

Remember to vote on Tuesday May 18, 2021 from 7 am to 9 pm at the Scarsdale Congregational Church at 1 Heathcote Road and watch a virtual candidates forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Scarsdale on Sunday night May 2 at 7:30 pm.

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 13 April 2021

Created: 13 April 2021

Last Updated: 13 April 2021

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Below find letters from community members in support of the Scarsdale School Board Nominating Committee process and candidates Jim Dugan and Jessica Resnick-Ault for Scarsdale School Board.

To the Editor:

It is with great pleasure that we endorse Jim Dugan and Jessica Resnick-Ault, the Scarsdale School Board Nominating Committee’s (SBNC) slated candidates, for election to the Scarsdale School District’s Board of Education.

After evaluating candidate presentations, conducting and reviewing due diligence, and much discussion, the duly elected SBNC selected Jessica and Jim. As elected members of the SBNC, we proudly stand by the thoughtful work of our committee. So convinced are we of Jessica’s and Jim’s qualifications that we are delighted to announce our commitment, as private citizens, to co-chair the campaign to elect the SBNC slate to the school board.

We believe that many traits have the potential to make a candidate a strong addition to a board — and, in particular, to our school district board of education. Among them are leadership experience, temperament, skills born of professional experience, demonstrated commitment to volunteerism, commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, collaborative spirit and the ability to be an active listener. Especially in a year that has been so fraught due to the broad-reaching effects of a global pandemic, the ability to gather data from diverse stakeholders with varied (and sometimes diametrically opposed) interests and use that information to rebuild trust and consensus is particularly critical.

Jim is a longstanding volunteer in our community, an accomplished litigation partner at a top firm who has always made time to champion worthy pro bono causes, and a father to three Scarsdale students.

Jessica is an award-winning journalist and author with 20 years’ experience, the founder of Bake Back America’s Grant a Wish List program, and a single mother to a current student in the district. And those descriptions barely scratch the surface; we are confident that you will hear in the coming weeks numerous testaments to their character and the attributes that make them valuable and much-needed voices to have on the school board.

A hot debate in the recruiting profession is whether it’s better to hire for the skills or to hire for the attitude and teach the skills. In Jim’s and Jessica’s case, we do not have to choose between attitude and skills. They are individuals of character — both leaders in their profession (with résumés that complement one another and the other five board members) with demonstrated commitment to community voluntarism. They are both keenly intelligent, kind, thoughtful, curious, respectful, fiercely honest and tremendously hardworking. All of these attributes (and this is not meant to be an exhaustive list) would make them tremendous assets to the Scarsdale Board of Education.

Please mark your calendars to elect Jim and Jessica to the Scarsdale Board of Education on Tuesday, May 18.

Valerie Phillips
Mauri Zemachson

To the Editor:

Scarsdale’s nonpartisan system to elect school board members has served us well over many decades with a nomination process that is detailed and deliberative. The School Board Nominating Committee (SBNC) brings together thirty members of the community to cooperatively put forward a slate of candidates to fill vacancies on the school board. This unique nomination process serves two purposes. One, it expands the pool of candidates beyond those community members who relish a political campaign and taps the talents of a broad set of civic minded and intellectually curious individuals. Two, the process ensures that school board elections are more than popularity contests won by the candidates with the most name recognition. Candidates are thoroughly interviewed and selected based on their qualifications and interest in improving the school system. This vetting of the slate, reached by consensus among the thirty members of the nominating board, ensures the citizens of Scarsdale have fully motivated and competent future board members.

This year is no exception. Jim Dugan and Jessica Resnick-Ault are accomplished and thoughtful professionals who are offering their attention and expertise to serve the Scarsdale School District. Jim Dugan’s many years as a litigator make him an ideal candidate to weigh competing interests and his calm demeanor helps to bring others to consensus. As former neighbors, we witnessed his community engagement as president of the Overhill Neighborhood Association, as well as on the Citizens Nominating Committee (CNC) and the Coalition for Scarsdale Schools. Jim has also worked with his firm's Pro Bono Committee and the Innocence Project. He holds these many faceted commitments and still finds time to be an active and engaged parent to his three daughters. Jessica Resnick-Ault would also be an ideal member of the board, with her background as a journalist and her commitment to so many civic causes. Jessica brings a keen intellect and a journalistic knack for asking insightful questions to every conversation. She is most recognized around Scarsdale for her efforts with Bake Back America, but she has also been involved with numerous Edgewood PTA committees. She brings a tremendous amount of energy to each of her professional and charitable ventures while balancing her responsibilities as a single parent. Together Jim and Jessica will complement our current school board members as they grapple with the challenges that lay ahead. We urge you to join us in voting for the slate of Jim Dugan and Jessica Resnick-Ault put forward by the SBNC.

Seema Jaggi and Mike Daniel
14 Overhill Road

To the Editors:

On May 18, 2021, the Scarsdale community will select two individuals to join the Scarsdale School Board. These are extremely important choices, particularly as Scarsdale schools continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. School Board members will face many challenges in the months and years to come—the COVID-19 recovery surely will not be easy for any institutions, particularly not for schools. As the School Board Nominating Committee has recognized, Jim Dugan and Jessica Resnick-Ault have the experience, judgment and temperament to serve the Scarsdale community with distinction, and to help lead a successful recovery for the schools as board members.

I have known and admired Jim for more than a decade. Jim and his wife Shirley are both deeply invested in the community and have dedicated countless hours to volunteer efforts directed to a range of local causes, including local government, neighborhoods and religious organizations. Jim and Shirley are also committed to Scarsdale schools, and to ensuring that the schools continue to provide a world leading education to all students who attend.

For many years, I had the privilege to serve with Jim on the Vestry of St. James the Less Episcopal Church. In addition to his service as a Vestry member, Jim also served as a Warden, leading the Vestry and church staff in governance and oversight of the “business” side of church life, including budgeting, personnel decisions, building and facilities management and the operation of a vibrant nursery school. Jim was a standout Vestry member and Warden, and St. James the Less thrived under his leadership.

Among his many gifts, Jim understands instinctively the importance of collaboration on a governing board. He is an innate listener and has shown time and again the patience and skill to bring together competing constituencies (all organizations have them!) to work toward a common goal. Jim appreciates fresh thinking and approaches sensitive issues with no preconceived notions.

Jim also knows that a truly effective board must be able to both address immediate problems and maintain a long term strategic focus, all while being as open and transparent with the community as possible. Indeed, Jim is uniquely able to tread that line—maintaining a long term view while staying invested in the organization on a daily basis and remaining visible while always letting trusted professionals do their work without micromanagement.
My personal experience with Jim confirms that he is well qualified to serve as a Scarsdale School Board member, and to help lead Scarsdale schools through the challenges they will confront in the coming years. I urge everyone in the community to vote for the School Board Nominating Committee slate of Jim Dugan and Jessica Resnick-Ault for the Scarsdale School Board on May 18.

Best regards,

Jim Hallowell
100 Ardsley Road
Scarsdale