Schools

Details: Written by: Gabrielle Bowyer; Published: 26 September 2013; Created: 26 September 2013; Last Updated: 26 September 2013; Hits: 7336

The Scarsdale school board faced pressure from parents concerned about the vacancy created by what Dr. Weber called Michael Mendelson's "untimely retirement." This was the focus of three key personnel replacements discussed at their meeting on September 24th. Also addressed were the ongoing searches for a new superintendent of schools and director of athletic services. However, the status of the search for a new director of special education came under scrutiny after Dr. Weber explained that the board elected to hire a temporary and part-time replacement for the upcoming school year. She noted that though many candidates had interviewed for the position, the screening committee—consisting of teachers and administrators, including Dr. McGill and Dr. Weber—chose not to move forward with any candidates.

Weber then contacted Dr. Jan Yablow of the State Education Department of New York for advice on how best to address the vacancy in a timely fashion. Yablow noted that this position is particularly difficult to fill because of "legal landmines and...is overregulated by New York State," but he nonetheless recommended Mamaroneck's former Director of Special Ed, Roni Kramer, until a permanent director is selected. Although she is only working three days a week, Dr. Mendelson has generously offered his assistance to facilitate the transition, demonstrating "integrity and commitment to Scarsdale schools," said Weber.

Parents and members of C.H.I.L.D. voiced their worries vigorously, questioning the board's commitment and accountability to children with special needs. Gregory Loten, Chair at C.H.I.L.D., implored the board to foster and increase communication between the community and the Department of Special Education. Wanting to see that the board took the issue seriously, he asked Weber bluntly: "when were you informed that people were leaving?" Though the board assured parents that the search was top priority and that they were notified rather late about Mendelson's departure, other parents voiced similar concerns. Marian Green, parent representative for the high school at C.H.I.L.D., noted that it is "important to have stability in this area of education" and that the current aura of uncertainty is particularly detrimental to children of special needs.

The search for the new superintendent of schools received considerably less attention, though the board reiterated the importance of the upcoming shsberke1 focus groups designed to create the criteria by which the candidates will be evaluated. The board encourages community members to attend focus groups, the first of which meets at the end of this month, to help determine the qualities and experience required for the new district leader. In addition, a survey designed to identify important characteristics in a potential superintendent is available to community members until October 7 at midnight. Participation is strongly encouraged and the survey can be found here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/scarsdalesearch.

The last of the key personnel replacements is the director of athletics. Currently the search is limited to internal candidates with involvement from Maroon & White and many students. Dr. Weber mentioned that the board is considering redefining the position as a director of both physical education and health and athletics, though that is "a conversation yet to be held." Maroon & White represented by Presidents Kathy Coleman and John McCann announced that they would donate $40k to supply new equipment to the fitness room at the high school. According to McCann, though students refer to this space as a "weight room," it was never intended to be thus. The room houses old cross-training and free weight equipment—some of which is broken, most out of date, and by McCann's evaluation "does not take into account current advances in fitness training or safety." With an upgrade in equipment, he hopes issues such as room size and inadequate electrical supply will be addressed. He implored board members to question whether the "weight room" would have been neglected if it had been a "biolab, performance space, or cafeteria." The equipment is scheduled for delivery at the beginning of 2014 and if a new fitness center is included in the upcoming bond issue, Maroon & White will follow up with a second donation of somewhere between $20k and $40k.

Otherwise rather quiet, Superintendent of Schools McGill addressed and spoke extensively on the decline in state test scores. State scores have four levels (1-4) but the state has raised the bar for proficiency. As McGill noted, more difficult exams tend to yield lower scores. However, because Scarsdale students received more 1s and 2s than in years past, parents are concerned about how these new results reflect upon their children and the quality of education received. McGill was confident in his assessment that new tests and changes in grading systematically yield lower scores, and as the schools and instructors familiarize themselves with the new format, scores generally rise in the following years. Additionally, he urged parents to evaluate how this piece of information—one assessment among many—fits into the context of a child's performance otherwise. Scarsdale's scores remain comparable with those of Chappaqua, Rye City, Byram Hills, and Bronxville, and while no data is available concerning which questions were more problematic for students, he encouraged parents to meet with school principals if they have further concerns.

Also discussed at the meeting were the strategic and facilities plans. The board will continue with its financial projections for the next five years. Vice President Subbakrishna noted that this is not intended to serve as a detailed blueprint, as plans are always subject to uncertainty and change. He said, "a $140 million dollar organization needs to plan, even if multiyear plans can be inaccurate." President Seiden added that it is important to draft the five-year plan before the new superintendent arrives, so that he or she can better understand Scarsdale and "manage residents' expectations."
Board members also spoke broadly on the facilities master plan, acknowledging a need to plan for infrastructure change on a long term basis. Architectural firms met with the board to discuss ways in which somewhat limited physical space can be optimized in order to encourage intellectual development. The theme of creating flexible spaces was recurrent. A few firms have been contacted for further meetings, and the board is still in the preliminary stages of determining the timeframe for all the architectural and technological updates to be made, in addition to the deciding which projects will be included in the bond.

The meeting concluded on a note that reinforced the necessity for the implementation of the facilities master plan. A Greenacres parent expressed frustration about the size of her child's 4th grade class, explaining that the student body size is simply too large for the available classrooms. While she indicated that she was somewhat satisfied with the temporary means of accommodating the larger class sizes, she was "shocked" to see that improvements to Greenacres were not included on the facilities master plan, saying "We're getting a new field—guess we'll have more soccer games!" President Seiden admitted that Greenacres likely needs to be torn down and rebuilt—an enormously tall order for the current financial situation. She did, however, mention that future demographics need to be studied and that a long-term plan for the school would have to be developed.

Details: Written by: Joanne Wallenstein; Published: 19 September 2013; Created: 19 September 2013; Last Updated: 19 September 2013; Hits: 10533

avenues If all goes according to plan, the Scarsdale School's could have updated facilities as early as 2015. The School Board and administration are currently vetting architectural firms to provide a master plan to renovate the schools to align learning spaces with the district's mission to provide a Scarsdale Education for the Future.

Following heated discussions about building plans during the spring of this year, the Board recognized the need for a master plan for repairs, renovation and new construction.

They formulated a list of the most immediate needs and invited leading school architects to make proposals on how they could address them.

Here's the tentative list of possible projects:

Technology infrastructure upgrade (district wide)
Edgewood - library renovation/addition
Heathcote - large group instructional space
Quaker Ridge - replace flat roofs on older section of the building
Scarsdale Middle School - additional/reconfigured music space
Scarsdale High School - Little Theater renovation into performing arts space
Scarsdale High School - creation of Learning Commons to provide increased cafeteria, library and flexible student workspace
Field renovations - Greenacres field, Fox Meadow field, Dean Field

Architectural firms were interviewed during the summer and the finalists were invited back to the district on Monday and Tuesday nights to make final presentations.

On Monday night Perkins Eastman and Mitchell Giurgola came in and on Tuesday the Board and administration met with KG&D of Mt Kisco, KSQ of White Plains, and Peter Gisolfi Associates in Hastings.

All the presentations reflected new thinking about educational design. As technology is integrated into the curriculum there are more opportunities for self- mitchellgiurgola directed and small group experiences that require more flexible learning spaces. Rather than traditional classrooms with the teacher up front and desks aligned in neat rows, updated schools will include "maker spaces" where students can collaborate on problem solving or innovation. Configuration of these spaces will allow for flexible seating, informal gathering and more spontaneous experiences.

The two presentations we saw both reflected these new trends. Perkins Eastman, who has a large educational group and designed 90 schools in the past 5 years proposed to get involved in the full process – beginning with a needs assessment, formulating concepts and design and estimating a budget. They would continue with involvement in community outreach to educate residents about the plans and encourage passage of a bond referendum to fund the projects.

While displaying images of their work they showed some innovative spaces they designed for a learning commons at the Avenues School (pictured at top) on the Highline in Manhattan, a food laboratory in Shanghai and a technology lab that turns a traditional woodshop into a computer lab where items can be designed and produced from start to finish.

They did a study of the Edgewood School, analyzing traffic patterns and demonstrating how the current layout of the school does not have the front entrance in the spot where most enter and exit the school. Addressing the need for a larger library they showed a rendering of an addition with glass walls for transparency with areas for story time for younger students and learning and research space for the upper grades.

As part of the district-wide planning process they would formulate the optimal square footage per student and recommend which schools need to be changed to meet the needs of the current population.

It should be mentioned that the Heathcote School was designed by the father of Brad Perkins, a principal of the firm. School Board President Suzanne Seiden also note that Perkins Eastman had designed the controversial new building at 1 Palmer Avenue and asked the architects for an explanation. They responded by saying that the firm has a separate schools division that was not involved and also suggested that the building had not been constr KGD ucted according to plan.

Next up were two architects from the firm Mitchell Giurgola who has designed extensively for colleges and universities and showed some impressive work for a research facility at Rockefeller University, the Bailey Theatre at Cornell University and the Harvey Theatre at BAM. Smaller than Perkins Eastman, the firm is comprised of 50 architects and retains other specialists for engineering, landscaping and estimating.

To formulate a master plan and prioritize projects they plan to do a complete inventory of factors such as room sizes and adjacencies to come with a design matrix.

They discussed making space for collaborative learning and designing multi-purpose environments that could be adapted to the learning program. Even long corridors can be opportunities for interaction by integrating windows, light and seating to hallways to make them more than passageways to other venues. They showed an eight story laboratory building they designed at Rockefeller University in Manhattan where each floor features an informal meeting space that opens onto a central atrium to let in light and facilitate collaboration and community.

Reviewing the two proposals it was quickly evident why the Scarsdale administration is eager to update the district's physical plant. Though Scarsdale has a reputation as a world-class district, many of the buildings remain in original condition. Teaching methods and learning styles have changed but the physical plant has not been updated to accommodate new technology or changes to the curriculum.

The proposed list of proje Gisolfi cts includes some newly designed spaces but many repairs as well. Reviewing these architects' work was an eye-opener on the potential for 21st century learning facilities and could serve to whet the community's appetite for future development.

On Tuesday night the Board met with the following three firms:

KG&D of Mt Kisco who designed the media arts center at the Jacob Burns Film Center as well as the new Post Road Elementary School in White Plains, White Plains High School and buildings at many major universities:

KSQ of White Plains whose clients include the Byram Hills and Rye City School Districts as well as colleges like Skidmore and

Peter Gisolfi Associates in Hastings who designed the new portion of the Scarsdale Middle School, the Scarsdale High School Library, did renovations to Quaker Ridge School and designed the Center for Jewish Life at Westchester Reform Temple.

Visit their websites to see their work.

Once a firm is selected, they will be asked to produce the master plan by January with the goal of holding public discussions about the building plan an a bond offering in June 2014.This bond offering would be voted on in a referendum November 2014. Given low interest rates and the retirement of current debt service the administration believes this would be an opportune time to undertake improvements to the facilities.

Details: Published: 11 September 2013; Created: 11 September 2013; Last Updated: 15 September 2013; Hits: 6283

greenacreschool Parents of Greenacres fourth graders were dismayed to learn in August that their children would be placed in classes above the maximum class size of 24 students. Up to this point, the grade had been divided into four sections, each numbering below 22 students. What's more, the grade included some staff children who if included this year would have allowed for a fourth section.

However this year, with the maximum class size rising from 22 to 24 students Principal Gerry Young found that without the staff children the grade no longer had enough students to justify hiring an additional teacher. After the August 15 deadline, with 72 children enrolled, the district made the decision to move the staff children to other schools and have three sections of 24 students each. But as luck would have it, two more students subsequently enrolled, bringing the count to 25 in two classes and 24 in one. (One of the returning students is not expected to attend school until November.)

Parents questioned why the district failed to anticipate a change and retain a teacher as the school budget called for 105 sections and the district now has only 103. However the administration explained that once the August 15 deadline was reached a decision needed to be made. Furthermore, Dr. McGill believes that the pool of strong candidates for teaching positions dwindles in the last weeks of August. And, if they made an exception and ignored the August 15 deadline in Greenacres they argued they would need to do the same at Edgewood where two grades have classes above the maximum size.

In order to allay concerns and assure parents that their children would have a good year, albeit in somewhat larger classes, School Board President Suzanne Seiden and Schools Superintendent Michael McGill met with parents of fourth graders in the library of the school on the morning of September 11.

McGill opened by telling parents that there was nothing unusual about these classes and that this was not the first time the school has dealt with this issue. He assured parents that their children would receive ample attention, have a successful year and go on to do great things.

Seiden sympathized with the parents saying, "It has happened to all of us .... I don't remember the number of children in my kids' classes, only the teachers and the experience." She said that the Board had to abide by the August 15 deadline to make class assignments and said that Edgewood's first and fifth grade classes also had classes above the maximum size.

Parent Tammy Fine asked why the district had not done a better job communicating to parents that this could be an issue. She also suggested that in the future the principal enlist the help of parents to find out who might be moving in and enrolling.

Principal Gerry Young told parents that he visits the fourth grade classes daily and sees nothing unusual. In fact, so far the year is going well in all three classes.
A discussion about aides ensued --- there will be three in each class though some were already assigned to these classrooms to assist children with special needs. McGill argued that the presence of additional aids in the classrooms improves the adult-student ratio and is beneficial to all as the aids monitor individual students but also work with groups.

Asked at what level of enrollment the decision not to split into a fourth section would be reconsidered, McGill said that if additional students move in and the classes reach the high twenties the district will reconsider.

Parents also questioned whether the district could hire two additional teachers to provide extra support in the over subscribed classrooms. For now, that idea is not under consideration, however extra library time and assistance from the technology teacher will be offered.

Space was another concern as one of the 4th grade classes is in a smaller room without adequate space for individual desks. To address this, the school has substituted large tables for desks and will ask teachers to rearrange or get rid of some of their materials.

Seiden credited the parents for their involvement and encouraged them to continue their engagement with the district's strategic plan, the search for a new superintendent and the revision of the budget process.

She said she recognized the need for better communication and preferred face-to-face meetings to emails. She asked for parents to be patient and to give time for the year to unfold. She also said that the number of sections was not determined by the school budget – and that if additional teachers were needed the Board would find a way to fund them.

Dr McGill suggested that parents contact their PTA President in the future and ask her to speak to the Principal and represent parents to the administration.

Details: Published: 10 September 2013; Created: 10 September 2013; Last Updated: 10 September 2013; Hits: 4459

Scarsdale Schools Superintendent Michael McGill announced in June 2013 that he will retire at the end of the school year in June, 2014. The Scarsdale School Board is beginning a national search for his replacement and here is information on how they will proceed and an invitation to the community to participate in a survey. The Scarsdale School Board is beginning its search for the next Superintendent of Schools. With the guidance of professionals from School Leadership, LLC, a highly experienced school executive search firm, the School Board is launching a nationwide search for qualified candidates. While the profile for the superintendent position will be developed collaboratively with involvement by community, faculty and school group representatives, the Board anticipates seeking an exceptional, experienced, educational leader, with a proven track record for success, who can lead Scarsdale in continuing the strong established tradition of high quality education.

With the advice of the team from School Leadership, LLC, and in recognition of the competitive nature of educational executive searches, the School Board has developed a timeline and outlined steps to ensure a hiring process that allows for significant community feedback and that brings the most highly-qualified pool of candidates to interview in Scarsdale.
One of the first steps is to develop a Superintendent Profile. The Board is seeking community views concerning the qualities that are most important in a new Superintendent. Interested members of the Scarsdale community and school community can complete and submit an online survey, which will be available from September 9 through October 6 by accessing the following link: www.surveymonkey.com/s/scarsdalesearch.

In addition, focus group discussions, including open community meetings with the search consultants will be held on September 30 and October 1. Details concerning the times and locations of these forums will be announced shortly, publicized, and will be posted on the Board's website. The Board is requesting that all community members take the time to provide their thoughts and contribute to the development of criteria for best-fit candidates. This will assist the Board and executive search team in identifying top candidates for the District.
In order to attract the most qualified applicants, many of whom may be currently serving in other school districts, once the profile is developed and active recruiting begins, the search will be a confidential one at least until the selection of a few finalist candidates. This means that the Board alone will be interviewing the initial pool of candidates. However, it is anticipated at this time that once 2-3 finalist candidates have been identified, the Board will appoint a committee of school and community representatives who will have an opportunity to meet the individuals prior to the final decision being made and provide feedback to the Board. The final decision concerning whether to hire a specific candidate will ultimately rest with the Board. The expectation is that the selection process will be completed in March 2014.

Along with the opportunities for community input, the Board will provide regular updates on the progress of the selection process at Board meetings, as well as on the Scarsdale School District website.

Details: Published: 29 August 2013; Created: 29 August 2013; Last Updated: 29 August 2013; Hits: 9771

school4 As the summer comes to a close, students return from relaxing and exciting activities with a mix of feelings about starting school. Some will miss the freedom of summer and dread the idea of homework, while others look forward to the buzz of back to school clothes, school supply shopping, the excitement of entering a new grade and seeing friends. A quick poll of Scarsdale students of all ages reveals the top reasons why students are looking forward to their return next Tuesday.

The most popular response among those polled was getting to see friends and reconnect after the long summer. Many look forward to hearing about their friends' fun experiences and hanging out again. For others, like incoming 6th grader Griffin Bosco, making new friends is also high on the list. Transitioning into new schools is exciting because it gives the opportunity to mix and meet students across the district.

Next on the list are grade specific perks. One thing 5th grader Seth Jacobson looks forward to is "all the special stuff that 5th graders get to do." This list includes getting a yearbook for the first time, field day and other "cool stuff." For Kaitlin Doyle, 10th grade brings exciting features like "no longer being the youngest grade in the school and having more freedom." Some kids are just looking forward to being in a new grade. For Maggie Brew, one reason to be excited is the pure fact of being a 7th grader. Several of those polled also cited school wide benefits.

For students in elementary school, one perk includes recess: monkey bars, basketball hoops, black tops, and open fields. There are also some school1 aspects specific to certain elementary schools. For example, students at Greenacres Elementary School enjoy a gym class activity called the Grand Canyon. It involves students swinging on a rope from one mat to the other and trying not to fall. This activity is something that 4th grader Will Brew is definitely excited about.

For those in middle school, perks include getting to change classes and having different teachers for different subjects. For high school students, the list includes having free periods, joining clubs, and playing high school sports. This is certainly a plus for both 9th grader Max Bosco and Kaitlin Doyle. For Kaitlin, Cross Country is a positive aspect of school because she loves running and the people on her team so are "all so nice and supportive."

Third grader Sophie Garcia and high school senior Paige Mittenthal both mentioned being excited about getting to know their teachers and learning itself. There are many great courses students are looking forward to, including science research, public policy, and AT courses for upper classmen at the high school. As Max Bosco put it, "getting as much out of education as I can," is a common sentiment among many.

So while the start of the school year can be met with mixed emotions, these students point out that there are some positives to getting back to work.

This article was contributed by Marie Ceske, a student at Scarsdale High School.