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Written by: Carly Glickenhaus

Published: 17 December 2019

Created: 17 December 2019

Last Updated: 18 December 2019

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At the December 16th meeting of the Scarsdale School Board, members closed out 2019 with a full agenda, including the development of the 2020-2021 school budget, the proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Scarsdale Schools Education Foundation and a discussion of the possible impact of development at Freightway on the school district.

Prior to the meeting, the Board met with a group of high school students in the Learning Commons, part of a twice-yearly effort to invite feedback on the best student experiences at SHS and student perceptions of school deficiencies for future improvement. The Board did not specify many of the specific issues discussed but did indicate that student wellness has been a rising priority on students’ minds.

Board members reported attending a high school student government house meeting, where they were exposed to the student planning process, focusing on community building, social engagement initiatives, a community dinner raising money for JDRF, and spirit week at SHS. At the elementary level, board members visited Heathcote School and witnessed an environment “alive with learning.” The vibrant atmosphere was marked by emphasis on critical skills, like brainstorming and design thinking, facilitated by tools like writing notebooks, in advance of advanced curricula, like digital citizenship.

Freightway Development Plan

Though development of the Freightway site was not on the official agenda for the meeting, considerable time was spent discussing it.

Board President Scott Silberfien opened the meeting with a lengthy Board President’s statement about Freightway.

He said, “While the project is fully within the purview of the Village Board, and not this board, we are keenly aware that any approved development at Freightway could impact, and maybe impact significantly, the schools. Since March 2017 when the Village convened the Freightway Steering Committee the Board and District have been kept abreast of timelines and developments ….and have been in communication with Village leaders regarding the Freightway development process including the exchange of data concerning our enrollments, including the enrollments from specific areas and also from specific buildings in town that may be relevant to this development.

Before last week’s public forum and following it, we are intent on working with the Village Board to ensure full and accurate consideration of any potential impacts on the schools from any Freightway development. Whenever the Village considers developments, there are potential impacts on the schools. These include but are not limited to capacity whether that be the total enrollment, the number and size of class sections, support services or others. Other impacts needing to be reviewed and discussed would obviously be things like impact on taxes, zoning, transportation and the like to ensure that Scarsdale continues to deliver the highest quality education to all of our students. We are committed to continuing our dialogue with the Village Board and the community on this very important topic.

To that end, at our meeting on January 13, 2020 the members of the Village Board’s committee spearheading this work, Mayor Samwick, Deputy Mayor Veron and Trustee Arest will here to provide us with an update on their work, answer questions from the Board and the Administration and potentially discuss with us what additional data and other information we need to be sharing between our two entities while we consider this work. While answering questions at the public forum last week, Mayor Samwick indicated his intention to engage in a dialogue with the developers regarding the scope of what is needed as it relates to the number of parking spaces for Scarsdale residents and the desire to reduce the number of residential units. While we await the resolution of the 60-day public comment period set by the Village Board and the outcome of those discussions with the developers this board has indicated its willingness to share any data that the Village Board feels it needs at this point to move the process along.

Assuming a residential development project remains on the table this board and the district will deepen their engagement and study things like the capacity issues, impacts and the like. I do not want the board or the school district to spend hours of our time, work with our lawyers on things like zoning if the Village Board decides it does not see a path forward on the residential development plan. So our next step is to welcome the Mayor, the Deputy Mayor and Trustee Arest to our meeting on January 13 with additional steps to be discussed by the Board and the administration in the weeks and if necessary month to follow.”

In the public comments portion of the meeting three residents spoke about Freightway.

Bob Harrison of Fox Meadow Road said it was good the Board of Education would be working with the Village and had invited members of the Board of Trustees to attend an upcoming Board of Education meeting. He expressed concern about the number of proposed rental units and their impact on school enrollment.

Judy Kerr from 15 Fox Meadow Road expressed concern about the estimated number of apartments at Freightway. She asked the Board to look at the number of students at Fox Meadow Elementary School and asked for a more comprehensive analysis of enrollment at all elementary schools, the middle school and the high school. She mentioned Short Hills, New Jersey where after some new development, far more students entered the school system than estimated by developers. She said these types of developments are “attracting students in high numbers,” sometimes four times as many students. She said, “Don’t let our school district become a victim of its reputation and success.”

Another resident, Jin Chai Wei Shang of 14 Rochambeau Road said she came here “because the schools are amazing” and because it looks like a “village in a park.” She said, “I am trained as an economist and when I put the numbers together I panicked.” She continued, “My concern is the risks.” The point is, “once the condos are built, the children come…. That is going to introduce a lot of adjustments, most likely “disorderly adjustments.” I am asking you to undertake an independent study of enrollment projections taking into account the unique features of the Scarsdale School District before allowing the project to go further.” She continued “I urge the board to look at threshold indicators for the need for a new school. Also look at the class sizes and the need for busing. Condos attract people who make temporary plans….this will impact the middle school and the high school.”

Responding to the public comments about Freightway at the conclusion of the meeting, Dr. Hagerman said, “It sounds like people would like to see some strong modeling. Unfortunately Scarsdale is somewhat of an anomaly. Some of the algorithms that are used are used for “anywhere USA.” Until the units are really built and people begin to move in, it is going to be hard to understand the full impact. Also – the Village needs to do their due diligence before we start our modeling to determine the impact.” About capacity, Hagerman noted that building needs have changed over time. He said, “all classrooms are not created equal.” He indicated that the district has different space needs than it did previously due to different types of programming and common learning spaces. He said, “buildings are not the same.”

Lights at Butler Field

Maroon and White President Kate Conlon provided the board with an update on the campaign to finance permanent LED lights for the newly resurfaced Butler turf field. Conlon reported the project has reached 95% of its $850,000 goal, which it hopes to achieve by December 31st, with strong momentum thanks to a generous $200,000 contribution from Maroon and White.

2020-2021 Budget Development

Monday’s budget discussion included a historical overview of the budget process and future financial projections. Discussing the budgeting process, Assistant Superintendent Stuart Mattey reviewed some of the ways the district seeks to reduce expenses, including the self-funded healthcare plan, staff optimization, maximizing state aid, timing of facilities and technology projects, cooperative agreements with the village, cooperative purchase and advancements in technology.

For this year, of note was an increase in the number of special education placements which caused an 11% increase in the Special Education budget from $13.7 mm in 2018-19 to $15.3 mm in 2019-20.

Mattey projected that the fund balance as of June 2020 would be $21,605,585 which is $634,885 lower or a 2.85% decrease from the June 2019 fund balance of $22,240,470.

Looking forward, Mattey reviewed several five-year budget projections, including all the assumptions underlying the numbers. It was interesting to note that in all the plans, the district anticipates decreases in enrollment over the next five years from 4,751 students in 2019-20 to 4,456 students in 2024-5.

Commenting on the budget, Board Member Ron Schulhof asked Mattey to supply reasons for any increases over 10%. About the model, Schulhof said he would like to know what the district is doing with these numbers, since numbers fluctuate and it is a very lengthy process to create these projections.

Complying with Changes in State Election Law

Changes in State election law require a new board policy regarding student voter registration and pre-registration. The policy falls into a broader district goal of promoting civic mindedness. The law, stemming from Governor’s office, encourages 16-17 year-olds to fill out their registration paperwork in advance, so that they can be automatically enrolled upon their 18th birthday. The board seemed uncertain about how to implement such a policy. A relatively simple communications strategy, with emails and paper letters sent out to students before their 16th and 17th birthdays, would likely do the trick. However, ensuring the long-term salience of civic awareness in students would require that this new policy be integrated into programming on active citizenship.

New Initiatives

New initiatives included identifying struggling readers K-12 and responses to intervention (RTI) cohesion across the elementary schools. Superintendent Hagerman noted there would be more intentional use of data and promotion of rigorous reading strategies in middle school and high school, as opposed to confining reading lessons to elementary levels. This kind of policy acknowledges reading as a valuable skill for professional development in Scarsdale graduates.

Another new initiative is a public calendar outlining world holidays, observances, and their implications. These details are provided to faculty for instructional purposes, to facilitate diverse classrooms and acknowledge observances to promote the most inclusive learning environment possible.

Written Communications

The board shared written communications that had been shared via email. Concerns included a question of whether Columbus Day should be nationally recognized Indigenous Peoples Day. Other constituents recommended adding more options to the middle school language curriculum, including Mandarin. Finally, there were concerns that the school district address stereotyping in young girls and that schools should develop curricula that expose girls to all kinds of jobs.

Scarsdale Schools Education Foundation

The board reviewed the Scarsdale Schools Education Foundation Memo of Understanding. The Foundation funds programs and facilities outside the District budget in three key areas: research and development/innovation, technology, and physical infrastructure. The Foundation has been working with the BOE to identify the programs that would best enhance and inspire learning and teaching. The Foundation spearheaded an initiative to revitalize the courtyard adjacent to the new Learning Commons and Design Lab to pave walkways and a garden in a previously overgrown, unused space.

Monday’s meeting discussed the annual funding of Innovation Grants. The Fellowship for Social Entrepreneurs is a grant program open to all SHS students, not just those enrolled in the new AT Entrepreneurship course. Students can fill out applications as either individuals or teams, orienting their work towards the end goal of a business plan or a physical product to be reviewed by the entrepreneurship panel for future funding.

More

In other business, the Board agreed to direct their attorneys to take action to recover tuition payments for an unnamed student.

The Board accepted a gift of $1,576 from the SHS Class of 1950 to assist students who need funds to participate in extracurricular activities.

The Board had to table several items due to inclement weather conditions. These included high school start times and school safety security management updates. Recently, national studies have been examining the impacts of the average start time for public high schools, which is 7:59 am on student performance. The next board meeting will discuss start times for SHS.

The next meeting of the School Board will be held January 13th, 2020. Members of the public are always invited to be present and to speak at designated times on agenda items or other non-personnel related matters. Watch the meeting here:

Kindergarthen Enrollment for 2020-21 begins January 15

The Scarsdale School District offers online Kindergarten registration. Current residents who expect to have a child attend Kindergarten during the 2020-2021 school year are encouraged to complete this process between January 15 and January 31, 2020. Although prospective Kindergarteners may register at anytime prior to the start of the school year, completing this process early ensures a smooth screening and placement process. Children whose fifth birthday falls on or before December 31, 2020, may be registered for the 2020-2021 school year.

Please visit www.scarsdaleschools.org/registration for instructions on how to register online.

Enrollment in one of the five elementary schools (Edgewood, Fox Meadow, Greenacres, Heathcote, and Quaker Ridge) is determined by the neighborhood in which you reside. If you do not know which elementary school serves your neighborhood, please call the District Registrar, Nunzia Mauro, at (914) 721-2444 or send an email to [email protected].

Carly Glickenhaus (SHS ’16) is a senior at Georgetown University studying economics and security.

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Written by: Ray Cooper

Published: 10 December 2019

Created: 10 December 2019

Last Updated: 11 December 2019

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Michael Callahan takes a jump shot early in the game.Scarsdale hosted the 11th Annual Kari Pizzitola Holiday Basketball Tournament on December 5 and 7.  The turnout was strong for all the games and the hosting Raiders boys and girls teams began their seasons with two hard fought games each.

After losses in the opening round on December 5, both teams played in the consolation round on Saturday afternoon December 7.  The boys took on the Gaels from All Hallows HS and the girls hosted John Jay Cross River High School. 

The boys played first – and, saw a defensive-oriented first quarter end with All Hallows leading 8-7.  Neither team could get much going on the offensive side of the ball.  In the second quarter the Gaels applied substantial pressure on the Raiders ball handlers and put a full court press on.  This combined with a domination on the boards led to All Hallows taking an 8 point lead midway through the second quarter.  Things got worse for the Raiders as Scarsdale Co-Captain Jayshen Saigal picked up his third foul after back to back charging calls – and was called to the bench for the rest of the half with only four points.  Scarsdale then went over the foul limit, and the Gaels were near perfect from the foul line.  When the whistle sounded at the end of the half, the Raiders were on the wrong end of a 29-18 score. 

As flustered as the Raiders were in the second quarter, they came out of the locker room for the second half looking like an entirely new team.  Coach Joe Amelio said “We (coaches) just told the team that we weren’t happy with the effort the team was putting up and told the seniors to figure it out.  We then left the team in the locker room and told them to figure it out.  They (the team) came onto the bench all saying, “we believe”.  

After a quick basket by All Hallows to open the second half extended the lead to 13, the Raiders began an incredible run.  Amelio put the team into a 2-3 defensive zone, which sparked several turnovers.  Jayshen Saigal then returned to form – going coast to coast on two steals and hitting a mid-range jumper.  Point guard Matthew Lipsay also got going and the Raiders cut the lead in half to 31-25 at the five minute mark of the third quarter.  Moments later, Dennis Alter drew a charge on the Gaels productive point guard Lenin Garcia – sending Garcia to the bench.  Alter then took a pass from Lipsay moments later and hit a 3 point shot.  The Raiders then continued their run: tying the score at 33 with two minutes left in the quarter and, with Saigal pouring in 12 points for the quarter taking a 39-36 lead after three quarters.  The Raiders more then doubled their output for the entire first half during the quarter and held the Gaels to only seven points.  

Coach Amelio talks to his troops during a time out.The fourth quarter saw All Hallows fight to regain the lead.  The Raiders defense came up strong again – with forwards Michael Callahan and Alter holding strong and contributing with several key rebounds on the defensive end.  Amelio’s defensive strategy – which he said he  devised after seeing the Gael’s go 1-9 from outside in the first quarter, continued to work.  The hard defense allowed All Hallows go to the foul line – especially center Devin Diaz who was near perfect from the line.  With Scarsdale clinging to a two-point lead halfway through the final quarter, Lipsay ,who finished with 12 points for the game and eight in the fourth quarter, hit back to back jumpers – giving the Raiders a six point lead. The teams traded baskets until a late three by All Hallows guard Julian Baquero brought the lead to three – but the Gaels would not come any closer as Saigal hit two late free throws after breaking the Gael’s press.  Scarsdale wounded up with a convincing 55-48 come from behind win.  Saigal finished with 22 points and Alter added 10.  Amelio was pleased with the result and said, “this win gives us momentum going into a tough week against Spring Valley and White Plains.”

Kayla Maroney drives against John Jay.The girls’ team was almost a mirror image of their male counterparts.  The team took on John Jay in the second match of the afternoon.  The first quarter saw the Raiders march out to a solid 20-11 lead.  Co-Captains Kayla Maroney and Meghan Quirk, along with sophomore forward Moira Conlan, shot the lights out and combined for all 20 Raider points.  John Jay Center Kendall Miller provided the only John Jay offense early on with several long-range shots.   

The second quarter saw the beginning of the John Jay rise.  Scarsdale went ice cold from the outside and had several turnovers during theCo- Captain Lipsay defending the All Hallows point guard. quarter – while John Jay chipped away at the lead and at the half the Raiders were left clinging to a 1-point lead: 25-24 – getting outscored 13-5 in the second quarter. 

The second half saw more of the same, John Jay’s Miller was almost unstoppable – scoring from multiple locations and several impressive drives.  She led all scorers with 21 points.  The Raiders couldn’t get their offense going – only scoring 15 points in the entire second half despite dominating the boards on both ends.  The score at the end of three quarters had Scarsdale trailing by six after it only put up six points in the entire third quarter.  Despite substantial hustle by the Raiders until the end, Scarsdale couldn’t reverse its offensive woes or stop Miller and John Jay prevailed 50-40.   

Photos by Jon Thaler - see more here: 

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 04 December 2019

Created: 04 December 2019

Last Updated: 05 December 2019

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Kids and recycling cop learn about recyclingLongtime teacher and innovator Maggie Favretti retired in June, after teaching for 33 years. But it appears that her work has just begun. Motivated by her success at developing the curriculum for the City 2.0 program and the design thinking courses at SHS, Favretti has now formed designed4resilience.org, to spread these groundbreaking programs to more schools and communities. The organization provides training and mentorship in design thinking for educators of all kinds and consultation for organizations and team seeking change, bridging research and practice in climate change education and community resilience.Building a resilient school

Here is an update from Maggie on her journey:

My Scarsdale friends and extended family ask me all the time, “how are things going in Puerto Rico?” It’s a question I love to answer, because against an unimaginably constrained backdrop of colonialism and corruption, amazing things are happening. The tree of innovation and youth empowerment there is mostly a Boricua tree fed by necessity, but it has one root right here in Scarsdale.

When Scarsdale’s Center for Innovation gave Lisa Yokana and me a grant to study design thinking and its implications for the future of education here, it started a movement that, with the help of the Scarsdale Education Foundation, led to our Makerspaces and teaching kids to think and act like innovators at every level. The current successes and deep learning experienced by students in the high school’s Design Lab, everyday design thinking mindsets and skills developing in classrooms, and the City 2.0 public policy class grew from that root. City 2.0 was designed to look closely at what makes communities resilient, and how we could use design thinking to help those around us to better withstand both slow and sudden threats.

On September 7, 2017, 175-mile an hour winds at the edge of Cat 5 Irma knocked power out for Puerto Rico. Two weeks later, while there were still over a million people without power, Maria cut diagonally and slowly across the island. Many people did not know it was coming. Federal neglect, broken government, a tragically understaffed health system, austerity budgeting to pay back debt, and the total loss of communication, energy, food and water infrastructures turned a natural disaster into a humanitarian catastrophe, the effects of which are still being felt today. In spite of all that, in circumstances under which it would be understandable if people left (many have), or gave up (the suicide rate spiked), or lost hope, there is an island full of people who are redefining resilience for the age of climate transformation.

Thanks to City 2.0 and Lynne Shain’s open support for it with the American Superintendents’ Association, I was given the opportunity to go to PR two weeks after Maria (www.city2pt0.org/blog). The relationships that form the means to achieve change began then, and are the foundation of my recovery and resilience work there today. Always handing tools up from the “back seat,” I use design thinking to connect school and university students (and their teachers) with resilient community centers. Together, we are innovating ways to strengthen communities, co-create climate solutions, and engage students in meaningful study and authentic work.

In collaboration with other NGOs and local community leaders, I have been honored to facilitate student design labs creating Resilient Community Hubs (www.resilientsee-pr.com) and disaster risk reduction innovations, to align and connect parallel resilience projects around the island, to assist in the development of climate and community problem solving curriculum, and to help train and support teachers who are using design thinking to heal from disaster and engage their students in work that builds back confidence and optimism. If you are interested in learning more about the background, the progress, and the future of my work, and in learning how you can help, please check out my site at www.designEd4resilience.org and contact me directly at [email protected]. In the meantime, enjoy this 4-minute film in which the students attending the first public school in Puerto Rico to use design thinking throughout its program tell you why it works for them. Join me in sharing and supporting their great work. 

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 18 November 2019

Created: 18 November 2019

Last Updated: 27 November 2019

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Possibly in response to comments from community groups last year, this year the Scarsdale Board of Education held a community budget forum before beginning the budget process for 2020-21.

What would the community like to see funded next year? What items were deleted from prior year’s budgets that should be given priority this year?

At the meeting on November 14, School Superintendent Dr. Thomas Hagerman vowed to make the budget process more open and transparent and to listen to community priorities. Assistant Superintendent Stuart Mattey is in the process of meeting with each of the school’s principals to understand each buildings needs. Hagerman said that some elements of the district’s new strategic plan such as sustainability and curated resources would be included in the budget.

Assistant Superintendent Stuart Mattey explained a few of the factors that will drive the budgeting process.

- Enrollment projections will dictate required staffing
- The projected increase in the district’s contribution to the state funded teachers retirement system is now predicted to be above 9%
- The increase in Westchester sales tax should provide more revenue, however these funds may be needed to offset the increase in the TRS contribution.
- The district will need to furnish and equip the new spaces to open at Greenacres School.

What would parents like to see?

Speaking on behalf of the PTA Executive Committee, SHS PTA President Deb Morel spoke about the importance of renovating the high school auditorium. She said it was “desperately needed…. The seats are broken, the material is torn and stained and the carpet is worn. It has been in the budget year after year and it gets cut in the end.” She said, “What ought to be a source of pride has become a source of embarrassment. We urge you to keep the SHS auditorium in the 20-21 budget.”

Diane Baylor spoke on behalf of the PTC budget committee. She posed questions about items that have been batted around but cut in prior years.

She said, “What is the status of capital projects considered but not implemented
What tech infrastructure improvements have been considered but not completed. Can the school district coordinate with the village where we have poor cell service – what can be done to improve that?

Turning to transportation she said, “Would it be worthwhile to do a transportation study? Certain buses are running full and certain busses are running empty – how much wiggle room do we have to change things around?

Leah Dembitzer, President of the League of Women Voters of Scarsdale posed the following questions:

Safety and Security

1) The 2019-20 Budget line for Security was $1,294,031, which was an increase of $824,418 over 2018-19. $805,407 of the 2019-20 budget line was allotted to security monitor and rover salaries and an additional $186,624 (net cost after receiving BOCES aid will be approximately $74,650) for consultant and security director services.

Has the District found that the additional monitors have helped increase safety and security at our schools? Does the District plan to continue with the additional hours and security positions? Is there any data or benchmarking information, available to the public, to help evaluate the efficacy of additional security staffing and hours?

Strategic Plan/ Curriculum

2) The Curriculum budget line has been relatively flat over the past two years. How will the curricular enhancements included in the Strategic Plan affect the Curriculum budget line for 2020- 2021?

3) How will the curricular enhancements outlined in the Strategic Plan be prioritized for implementation?

4) Will a vision for future capital improvement projects be incorporated into the Strategic Plan?

Plant Improvement/ Capital Projects

5) Is there an overall capital improvement plan, building by building, including, for example: renovation of the high school auditorium, the addition of kitchens at Fox Meadow and Edgewood, and a plan to renovate the SMS fitness center?

6) What is the District’s long-term air conditioning plan and will air conditioning be included in the 2020- 2021 budget?

7) Will landscape screening and a new sound system for Butler Field be included in the 2020- 2021 budget? In addition to the architectural and legal costs referred to at a previous Board meeting, please detail any additional costs incurred by the district as associated with the addition of field lights.

8) Would the administration speak to some of the current challenges associated with Food Service in the elementary schools and Middle School. Has there been any thought to improving Food Service, logistically and in terms of space, at the Middle School?

Class Size/ Enrollment

9) Enrollment exceeded anticipated numbers in 2019- 2020. The Administration had predicted 2001 and we were at 2064 students as of the Sept 19 Board meeting.

In light of a more robust enrollment in the 2019- 2020 school year and as you are entering Budget season, would the Board please publicly clarify and define its view on appropriate class size? Have any elementary classes exceeded the class size cap for the 2019- 2020 year? How will the 2020- 2021 budget address enrollment?

10) As the Middle School house structure does not really lend itself to additional staffing in the same way as at the elementary or HS level, how does the District increase support for grades with larger class sizes at the Middle School?

11) During last year’s budget process, when the High School Administration was at the Board table, we heard of some larger than ideal class sizes at the high school. Has the additional staffing helped reduce the larger class sizes? Have you received feedback from department chairs that the issue has been resolved?

Board member Alison Singer said, “One thing we heard over and over was the need for an additional turf field in the Village and at the school. I was hoping we could look into that.” Stuart Mattey responded, “Dean Field will be re-sodded this summer. The next priority would be the middle school for a turf field. Ray has to look at that. It is obviously a big ticket.”

Board member Chris Morin asked if The Little Theater at SHS was also a priority. He said, “ Should it be redeveloped into something new? It should be considered in light of our study of performance spaces.”

Board member Ron Schulhof said, “ It would be good to hear some proposals for shared services with the village.” He added, “Is there potential state legislation that could impact our budget? New state mandates? What is our process for determining that? When will the next bond issue mature?

Stuart Mattey, replied, “There will be a bond vote in 2026 for work to start in 2028 – the amount would be $45 million.”

On the flip side, board member Chris Morin asked, “ Are there items we can reduce, do less or go away through attrition?”

College News:

Former Scarsdale High School girls soccer standout Allison Stafford and her Amherst College teammates won the 2019 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) women's soccer championship on November 10 with a 1-0 win over arch-rival Middlebury. Allison is top row, second from the left. The team now moves on to the national Division III tournament.