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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 11 December 2014

Created: 11 December 2014

Last Updated: 12 December 2014

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The mood was optimistic at the Scarsdale Middle School gym at 8:55 pm on Thursday December 11 – just five minutes before the polls officially closed. School administrators, members of the board of education and leaders of the PTA's and PT Council gathered to hear the vote count on the $18.12mm bond referendum for the Scarsdale Schools. Some were so upbeat that they made bets on the percentage of YES votes that would be cast.

Minutes later optimism turned to jubilation when election inspector and former school board member Terry Simon announced that a total of 981 votes had been cast, with 805 yes votes and 176 opposed. When it was revealed that 82% had voted in favor of funding district-wide capital projects, there were cheers, embraces and sighs of relief. Many in the room still had fresh memories of the defeat of the school budget in 2013-14 and were delighted that just a year and a half later voters had again demonstrated confidence in the administration, the board and the Scarsdale Schools.

The vote count was comparable to the vote for the 2014-15 school budget in May, 2014 when a total of 997 votes were cast, with 777 in favor and 220 opposed. In contrast, when the budget was rejected in May 2013, a total of 3,222 voters came out and only 46.6% voted yes.

For Superintendent Thomas Hagerman, this was his first community-wide vote in Scarsdale and a very positive sign. For Assistant Superintendent Linda Purvis, the referendum marked one of her last elections at the Scarsdale Schools as she announced that she will be retiring in June. Board President Mary Beth Gose, now in her sixth year of service on the Board of Education looked thrilled that years of collaboration between the board, the administration and the community had resulted in funding for extensive renovations at the high school, middle school, Edgewood and Heathcote elementary schools along with upgrades in the technology infrastructure for the district.

The capital projects funded by the bond will be a tangible legacy of the board's work.

Commenting on the vote, Mary Beth Gose said, "The Board is really happy with the outcome and thanks the voters for their strong support of the educational needs for the students of the district." Superintendent Thomas Hagerman said, "Thanks for your support. We look forward to moving ahead in partnership with the community."

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 09 December 2014

Created: 09 December 2014

Last Updated: 09 December 2014

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Scarsdale Schools will experience a sea change in leadership next year as Assistant Superintendents Linda Purvis and Joan Weber both retire effective June 2015. Their retirements, announced at the December 8 meeting of the Board of Education, follow the departure of Superintendent Michael McGill in June 2014 and will require the new Superintendent, Dr. Thomas Hagerman, and the Board of Education to recruit new talent to fill these key roles in the administration. Both Weber and Purvis are veterans of the district, with Weber serving 32 years and Purvis 15 years. Most in Scarsdale can't remember the days before Purvis' robo calls announcing snow days and Weber's skillful management of the district's personnel.

Weber, who is the Assistant Superintendent for Personnel and Administrative Services, manages all hiring and tenure decisions for both the professional and para-professional staff. She seems to be on a first-name basis with everyone who works at the district and made recommendations to the board on sensitive decisions involving projected district enrollments and hiring decisions to meet class size requirements. In addition to her personnel duties, Weber was a proponent of thinking global and led the Interdependence Institute that brought many international speakers and events to the school. When the district celebrated its 225th anniversary in 2010, the Institute and PTA Multi Cultural Committee put on an impressive International Fair with representatives from 32 countries, performances, demonstrations and more. Recently the Interdependence Institute was one of the sponsors of a visit to the school by Nicolas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn to discuss their latest book, "A Path Appears, Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity."

Purvis is an expert at managing the district's +$140mm budget as well as overseeing the district schools, facilities and transportation department. During her tenure she struck a balance between containing costs and funding the educational program and new initiatives. When the district was under pressure to minimize tax increases, she displayed flexibility in selecting only the most critical facilities repairs for funding, resulting in a backlog of facilities projects.

In the past two years she has worked tirelessly on the proposed bond referendum that will be put to a community vote on December 11. The projects funded in the bond will address many of the repairs and renovations she called for in the past five years and build new spaces to accommodate ccontemporary learning styles. Hiring the architects, honing the project list, and investigating financing were all on her plate. If passed by voters, the management of the construction and financing will fall to her successor.

A roomful of faculty members and STA President David Wixted attended the Board meeting to laud the two retiring administrators as well as Manager of Human Resources Denise Mulqueen who will retire in September, 2015. Wixted said, "Many are here to mark this moment that their time for working here will end. Denise Molqueen kept accurate records, and managed a complicated position with skill and a quick wit."

He continued, "For 15 years Linda Purvis has for 16 years expertly managed the complex tasks required. Purvis oversees complicated budgets and has managed the seen and unforeseen.... offering careful explanations and considered advice... she watches over the state of the district buildings, making sure they are ready for the instruction that occurs within while skillfully managing a staff. We thank for her excellent work that is so vital to everyone."

About Weber, Wixted said, "Dr. Joan Weber our Assistant Superintendent for Personnel and Administrative Services has demonstrated intelligent, humane and graceful stewardship of our school district over 30 +years of service. It would be impossible to capture fully what she has done in her tenure. But let's acknowledge that so much of the excellence that exists here has been a direct result of her good work in collaboration with teachers and the board. She always demonstrated high expectations for the faculty. Joan has been our honest friend who always listens with an open mind. Over time we have learned that the surest way to persuade her is to convince her that our argument is in the best interest of students. I know that we all owe Joan an enormous debt. The only way we can repay her is by continuing her tradition of excellence and collaboration in the future. Joan – thank you for all you have done for us."

Commenting on her own retirement, an emotional Weber said, "The time has come the walrus said and so it has for this old walrus. After 32 years of service I will be retiring at the end of the school year. The privilege of working here with such an outstanding staff makes leaving all the more difficult. My wish for all is that you honor the legacy you inherited and create your own imprint as you journey on into the future. Preserve and protect this venerable institution – it's one of a kind."

School Board President Mary Beth Gose said, "It is with great sadness and a sense of loss that we accept the retirement of Dr. Joan Weber. She has worked tirelessly in hiring, nurturing and guiding nearly everyone who works in our schools. Her career in education began long before she worked in Scarsdale and included work on the school board in Harrison and other civic and volunteer work. No words would come close to measuring the deep impact she has had on everyone in the schools."

Board of Education VP, Lee Maude addressed Purvis, saying, "We wish to thank you for 15 years of tireless work for the district. Most people know your voice from the much anticipated snow announcements. But you do so much more with grace, charm and limitless patience. You deal with a myriad of issues and people and always have time to answer our questions."

Let us review a few of the extraordinary things you have done:

• Introduced clear and open financial statement
• Led bond referendums and construction projects that have touched every building
• Managed a transportation program that buses hundreds and maybe thousands of children each day
• Put in place a long term plan for our district facilities
• Spent hours and hours at meetings
• Long before the state started talked about achieving efficiencies, you reached out to neighboring communities.

From the bottom of our hearts we say thank you and congratulations on your very successful tenure in Scarsdale."

In written remarks about Linda Purvis, Dr. McGill wrote, "Linda, you have made a huge positive impact. You have risen to the occasion and surpassed its demands."

Both Gose and Maude indicated that this was just the beginning of what would be done to celebrate the retirements of Purvis and Weber. There were many rounds of applause and standing ovations for all the retirees from the roomful of teachers and administrators.

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 08 December 2014

Created: 08 December 2014

Last Updated: 17 December 2014

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Scarsdale residents go to the polls at Scarsdale Middle School from 7 am to 9 pm this today, December 11 to vote on a proposed $18.12 million bond to renovate and improve facilities at many of Scarsdale Schools. The proposal was timed to coincide with the retirement of existing debt so that there will be no increase in annual debt service to taxpayers. The decision to put the referendum to a vote was approved unanimously by the Scarsdale Board of Education and all major community advocacy groups encourage voters to approve it.

The projects funded by the bond will address needed repairs such as a roof replacement at the Quaker Ridge School and auditorium seating at the high school, while upgrading the technology infrastructure for the district and adding new spaces to accommodate small group instruction and design thinking.

Over $5 million of the $18 bond will be allocated toward a new Learning Commons in the high school that will provide an innovation lab, flexible instruction space and additional cafeteria facilities. The commons will accommodate work in independent small groups, house breakout rooms for collaborative learning and tiered seating for presentations and performances.

At Edgewood, $3.5 million will be spent to build a larger library and relocate the main office – and at Heathcote School a new multi purpose room will be built to accommodate overcrowding as well as an entrance canopy to facilitate drop off and pick up at the school.

These are just a few of the many projects that will be undertaken with funds from the bond initiative.

To get an overview of the plans, watch this short video produced by the school district:

All residents are encouraged to cast their vote today between 7 am to 9 pm at the Scarsdale Middle School.

School Board President Mary Beth Gose made the following comments at the School Board meeting on December 8 about the two-year process that led up to the vote:

Preparing for this bond vote has been a continuing collaborative process which has highlighted the work and strong, positive support for our schools by, among others, our community volunteer organizations and many individuals, both professional and volunteer.

On behalf of the Board and the District, we are deeply grateful to the Scarsdale Schools Education Foundation, led by its President Ellen Miller-Wachtel, and Executive Director, Steve Seward. The Foundation's generosity and dedication to strongly supporting technology for our students, as well as its earlier gift of Makerspaces to the elementary schools and its funding of the Gaming and Simulation and HackScarsdale education initiatives at the Middle and High Schools, have been a welcome new resource of support for which we are thankful. We are looking forward to furthering our relationship with the Foundation as we look to future education initiatives for our students.

We are also deeply grateful to the Parent-Teacher Council, led by Pam Fuehrer, and the PTAs at each of our 7 schools for their tireless work in support of the bond. As the District developed the informational material for the bond, the PTC and PTAs provided helpful advice, and they warmly welcomed Board members to their meetings to discuss the bond issue. We are grateful to Scarsdale CHILD, chaired by Leanne Freda, for kindly welcoming us to a meeting to provide information about the planned projects.

We also greatly appreciated the support of the Scarsdale Forum, led by Bob Berg, and its Education Committee, chaired by Dan Hochvert. The Forum's Education Committee wrote a report, approved last month by the Forum's members, which supported this bond and the proposed capital projects. The Forum had also generously hosted us at their membership meeting last month, inviting Thomas and me to discuss the state of the schools.

With deep appreciation, we thank the League of Women Voters, led by Susie Rush and the League's School Budget Chair, Mary Beth Evans. The League also warmly hosted us at two public meetings this fall, at which we discussed the schools and the bond issue. After these meetings, the League issued a positive report supporting the bond.

We greatly appreciate and thank the Scarsdale Neighborhood Association Presidents (or SNAP), led by Melanie Spivak, and the individual neighborhood associations, including Greenacres, East Heathcote, Fox Meadow, Crane Berkeley and Murray Hill, for generously inviting Board members to discuss the proposed projects at their meetings.

We are deeply grateful to the Scarsdale Community Coalition for Schools, led by Art Rublin and Diane Greenwald for their support of the schools and the bond referendum. Diane also designed the colorful, creative logo that is on the informational materials for the bond issue, and we thank her for generosity.
We are thankful to Scarsdale Taxpayer Alert, led by Bob Harrison, for their support of the bond referendum.
Several other community organizations and individuals hosted us at meetings to discuss the bond and proposed projects, including the Advisory Council on Scarsdale Senior Citizens and the Scarsdale Chinese Association. We are truly grateful for their outreach and willingness to speak with Board members. We also thank all the individuals who have taken the time to communicate their views to the Board.

We would not be at this point without the vision and excellent work of the District's architects, KG&D and Russ Davidson, who, in addition, patiently worked with the Board and the community in answering questions and addressing concerns. We are appreciative of their work, as well as of the work of our other outside advisors, including the District's legal advisors, Keane & Beane, and our bond counsel, Hawkins, Delafield & Wood.

We thank the Village, including Village Clerk Donna Conkling, for working with the District on planning the election and evaluating the feasibility of conducting the election in multiple locations. Although we are unable to hold this election in the elementary schools, we are continuing to review this option for future elections.
We are also appreciative of the local media, including the Scarsdale Inquirer, the Maroon, Scarsdale10583, the Scarsdale Daily Voice, for their coverage of the bond referendum and the proposed projects. Their work has helped immeasurably in educating the community.

Finally, I personally express my deepest appreciation to my fellow Board members, both past and present, including Jonathan Lewis, Sunil Subbakrishna, Liz Guggenheimer, and Jill Spieler. I am also grateful to Suzanne Seiden for the wonderful leadership she gave to this Board and the community last year in bringing these projects to the point we're at today---poised for a community bond vote this Thursday, December 11, from 7 am to 9 pm in the Middle School.

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Written by: Lena Proctor

Published: 02 December 2014

Created: 02 December 2014

Last Updated: 04 December 2014

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Looking out from the stage as a member of the cast of the Bye Bye Birdie it was thrilling to see a full house in the auditorium at all three performances of the high school musical production on November 21, 22 and 23. Peers, parents and other Scarsdale citizens came to support the SHS Drama Club's first production of the year – and to enjoy the show which is a musical favorite for kids and adults of all ages.

The cast, production team, orchestra and teachers worked long hours for two months to perfect Michael Stewart's famous musical. We rehearsed daily --and in the last two weeks it felt like we did nothing but rehearse --as we worked on stage from 3-9:30 p.m. Director and acting teacher Sarah Robbins, along with countless other staff members put countless hours the show to make it the best it could possibly be.

There was tremendous attention to the costumes and the props. Everything from the shoes we wore to the furniture on stage was authentic to the 1950's.

Although the rehearsals were long, they brought the cast close together. By tech week, we were all comfortable with each other and it definitely showed on stage. In the early weeks, we had to be told to smile on stage. But as the weeks progressed, we put our hearts into the rehearsals and when we smiled, it was genuine. By opening night, the acting, singing, dancing, costumes, sets, makeup, hair, and all other components of the show finally came together.

Actors in the show learned to get into our characters by shedding our everyday identities. On stage we evolved into our characters and lived their lives. Sophomore Megan Reynolds played the lead female role as Conrad's (Ellis Jones) number one "fangirl". Over the course of the two-month process, I noticed how her character developed from an average teenage girl to an obsessive and crazy teen.

One of my favorite numbers of the musical was Telephone Hour. It captured the spirit of the teens at the time. The brightly colored costumes and comedic character voices make this one of the highpoints of the show. Ensemble members had their chance to shine with their energetic dancing. It speaks to teens even today ... though we gossip on our cell phones rather than our landlines.

Many of the other large-scale ensemble numbers, including Honestly Sincere (above), and Lot of Livin, captured the essence of teen spirit.

The show was wonderful to put on and to see. After the three weekend shows, I would have loved to have performed it again. I cannot wait for the next production at Scarsdale High School.

Photos by Jon Thaler - see more at www.JonThaler.com.