New Special Education Mandate On Governor Cuomo's Desk
- Details
- Hits: 6303
On the heels of reams of unfunded state mandates that demand that our public schools become parent, cop, nursemaid, chauffeur, shrink, social worker, nutritionist, physician, personal trainer, godfather, and .... oh yeah, teacher to our kids -- all mandated within the tightening, unforgiving stranglehold of the 2% property tax cap -- comes a hyper-focused special interest ditty that easily passed both houses of the legislature in Albany and awaits Governor Cuomo's signature.
At the very end of the legislative session in June, Brooklyn Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein and Long Island Senator John Flanagan (chair of the Education Committee) slipped in a bill requiring (read mandate) that a school district's Committee on Special Education consider "home environment and family background" when deciding whether to place a special education student in the public school or in a private school.
The bill was so inconspicuously jammed in with hundreds of other bills at the end of the legislative session in June that Senator Suzi Oppenheimer, the ranking, senior Democrat of the Education Committee mistakenly voted for it and is now trying to convince the Governor to veto the bill.
As misbegotten as this bill is from a policy standpoint (where research favors in-school 
placements), the budget ramifications to school districts could be much more draconian. Speculation swirls that this was a special interest sop to the orthodox Jewish community and the Catholic school lobby, giving families massive new leverage in getting their special education student placements paid for by the taxpayer. But remember that 2% tax cap? Let's say a district outside NYC (because the tax cap doesn't affect NYC) gets saddled with out-placing 6 special education students due to the new mandate -- costing a district hundreds of thousands of dollars -- and that additional cost is not exempt from the tax cap. The funds have to come somewhere. You can't reasonably plan and budget for this. Now districts will have to choose which non-mandated programs to eliminate. Assemblywoman Weinstein admitted that in devising this bill cost was not a factor --and that savings would be realized from expediting decision-making after parent appeals.
She can't be serious!
And Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver flat out said that he didn't even consider the cost..."We honestly don't believe that it's going to cost the school districts any more than is appropriate, than what's intended."
Really?
More and more, parents are unilaterally placing their children in non-public schools, paying for it and then lawyering up and fighting districts to retro-actively jam through the approval so that the taxpayer foots the bill without allowing the district to truly consider the appropriateness of the placement. School districts (and therefore taxpayers) have no control over these placements, and the costs for one student's placement out-of-district could, according to the Wall Street Journal , exceed $80,000 annually. It's also likely that this bill runs afoul of federal law -- so enactment of this bill will provoke an avalanche of litigation.
With the advent of the 2% tax cap, we already see a divide brewing between special education advocates and those public school stakeholders who are fighting to keep general education offerings, like AP or IB, like music and arts, like full-day kindergarten.
This breach is bound to get a lot worse.
Note to Assemblywoman Weinstein, Senator Flanagan, and Speaker Silver -- and all legislators who voted for this bill: if you really believe this is good policy (segregating special education students in private placements and having districts pay exorbitantly for that), then offer to pay for it. And when these and other legislators claim that they are working to stop and roll back unfunded mandates, don't believe them.
They're not.
Governor Cuomo, please veto this bill.
[Note: All Westchester members of the Assembly voted against this bill – kudos to them. The Senate vote was another matter, in addition to Suzi Oppenheimer, Senators Jeff Klein, Ruth Hasssell Thomson, and David Carlucci voted for the bill. Locally only Senator Andrea Stewart Cousins voted no – kudos to her. ]
David A. Singer is a former political consultant/campaign professional and political junkie currently toiling as a lawyer in Westchester and managing real estate and media investments.
SHS Class of 2012 Endures the Heat on Graduation Day
- Details
- Hits: 6232
The intense heat and humidity that blanketed Dean Field on Friday morning, June 22 couldn’t dampen the spirits of the Scarsdale High School class of 2012 who gathered there with parents, friends, family and teachers to celebrate their graduation. As class president Alex Altieri said, the class managed to find a balance between fun and following the rules -- and was successful in restoring school spirit and the faith of the administration.. That attitude, as well as the sun shone through at the ceremony where students endured the heat without complaint and gave their classmates their due.
Before the processional onto the field, the class assembled in the gym to take a class photo and applaud classmate Olivia Harris for her individuality and for marching to her own beat.
The class lined up in alphabetical order and proceeded to the field in two well-choreographed lines to the sound of the band playing pomp and circumstance. Outgoing School Board President Jill Spieler told them that they “represent what Scarsdale values most: educated youth,” She encouraged them to work hard to achieve accomplishments that endure and to go outside their comfort zones and leave room for mistakes that will lead to new opportunities. She concluded by saying, “ you have nothing less than the world to consider.”
Class treasurers Matthew Feigin and Steven Nadel introduced their “loving, devoted, and upbeat” faculty advisors, Lauren Meyer and Eric Rauschenbach.Saying “no man is poor if he is has friends, they introduced their teachers with the words “I give you two of the richest people in Scarsdale.”
Meyer referenced a much-publicized high school graduation speech recently given at Wellesley High School where an English teacher admonished the students that “none of you is special.” He said they were similar to thousands in the area and more across the country, though many had been told they were exceptional. He told the students to do good work not for the accolades but for the intrinsic satisfaction it will bring and told “to climb the mountain so that you can see the world, not so the world can see you.”
The two teachers echoed this theme and advised the students to “ignore the noise, figure out your own truth, let your life speak and listen to your own voice.” They told the class to “awaken what already lies within you and to use “tenacity and resilience.” They referenced JFK who took time off during the Cuban missile crisis to take a swim – (as many in the audience wished they could do) – not to relax but to re-connect with himself.
Next Troy Kerwin presented the Kenneth Rosenberg Scholarship to Alec Quitalino and Nina Wollberg presented class president Alex Altieri who has held that job since freshman year. Altiieri said “Today is the day!” and complimented his classmates, who he called some of the “most accomplished students.” He said the class learned to succeed through their failures – and joked that they “never found the high school pool, made Mr. Wagner laugh, had a barbeque in the snow or a gridlock that lasted more than two minutes.” However, the class did garner the trust of the administration, restored school spirit and enjoyed many high school traditions like the homecoming dance and Junior Olympics -- and came out in force to support Scarsdale’s teams.
Before the diplomas were presented, departing Co-Principal Fred Goldberg took the podium and said, “this is not the culmination but the commencement,” and “we deliver you to the threshold of independence.” Harkening back to his graduation in 1968 he told the students, that his classmates held “a belief that we could change the world. They “secured equal rights, and “voiced their concerns,” whether they were hawks or doves. “Men burned their draft cards and women burned their bras. “ He quoted Bob Dylan from “The Times They are a Changing” and Toni Morrison who said “that the pursuit of happiness is not good enough.” He cautioned against “looking good instead of doing good” and told the students, “you have a lot to offer this world, go out and make it a better place.”
With that, Dr. McGill bid the class of 2012 to go forth and serve the common good, and 357 students received their diplomas.
See our coverage of heat stroke at the ceremony here:
A Seismic Shift at Scarsdale High School
- Details
- Hits: 12140
Joan Weber said it all at the last meeting of the Board of Education on Monday night June 18 when she announced “a seismic shift in the landscape of Scarsdale High School.” She was referring to the departures of SHS Co-Principals Fred Goldberg and Kelly Hamm, a pair she compared to greats like Barnum and Bailey, Gilbert and Sullivan, Ben and Jerry and Bert and Ernie.
Together the two of have served Scarsdale for 46 years, and for the last two, they have led the school in the absence of a principal. After an extensive search, Kenneth Bonamo was selected to be the next SHS Principal -- but he will have four big shoes to fill.
According to Weber, Hamm started out at SHS as a social studies teacher in 1980 arriving here with a BA from Georgetown and two master’s degrees. He went on to become history department chair, assistant principal and co-principal, where he became “indispensable to the school community.” Hamm was noted for his skill at creating the school schedule, his ability to find alternate solutions to challenging problems and the work he did to facilitate the school’s transition from the AP to the AT curriculum. Using comments she gathered from the community, SHS PTA President Vivienne Braun called Hamm “quiet and unassuming,” and noted that he is indefatigable, often staying at school long after others have gone home.
Fred Goldberg had already worked as a teacher and administrator before joining the staff of SHS 14 years ago as assistant principal. Weber noted that Goldberg had a “unique blend of talents” and a “literary and mathematical” mind, that he used to manage a diversity of responsibilities at the school. He was well known for his job as school disciplinarian and “led with empathy” and “provided a sense of belonging to students who might not have connected.” In addition to dealing with parents and students and greeting incoming students each morning at the Post Road entrance, Goldberg chaired the pupil study team, created a supervisory forum for department chairs and was a key player in the CSE process. Again, quoting from community members, Vivienne Braun called Goldberg “wise but playful” and credited him with staying one step ahead of students who were just about to get out of line. He seemed to be everywhere – often seen at school events and even at the Scarsdale Train Station one morning where he stopped students who were about to board the train on senior cut day. One student said Goldberg was “the fairest guy in the school” and another advised, “If you get called into his office just look him in the eye and treat him like an adult and he’ll do the same.”
Wistful goodbyes were also given to two veteran teachers at the high school; physics teacher Pat Jablonowski
A challenger of gender stereotypes, Ms. Jablonowski was the only female physics teacher and one of the only female science teachers in the school. Speaking of her role in the “idiosyncratic” physics department, Hamm said she “ruled the physics roost” and brought “order to anarchy.” He noted her eternally youthful spirit and said that she will not stop working after her retirement from SHS, but go on to use her knowledge of physics to develop technological tools to teach the subject. PTA President Braun said that Jablonowski’s students said she was “extremely friendly and easy to approach,” “always available for extra help,” “devoted to her students and concerned for her colleagues, kind, caring and positive,” and to some student’s dismay, “never absent.”
The entire French department came to the meeting to honor Madame Mace who has taught in Scarsdale since 1979, first at the Middle School and then moving to the High School in 1986. Weber said that Mace delayed retiring because she thought she had “the best job in the world.”
Speaking for the students, Braun said that Mace had a “quick wit and always kept class interesting,” and “was caring and continued to care even after students were no longer in her class.”
In a surprising turn of events, Weber announced that Dr. David Mendelowitz, a Dean at the high school, will retire this year. Mendelowitz has been out for several weeks due to illness and as a result of the sudden timing of his decision no remarks were prepared for the meeting.
Mendelowitz earned a PhD in Counseling at St. Johns University and came to SHS in 1997 after working as a school counselor in Sleepy Hollow and Horace Greeley. He had a wonderful rapport with students and their parents and got involved with many school activities including Signifer, Senior Options, the Drug and Alcohol Task Force and many more.
Andrea O’Gorman, Directory of the Counseling Department, offered the following about Mendelowitz: "Dr. Mendelowitz has spent over thirty years as a counselor working with adolescents. He has been a champion for students, and has kept their best interests at the forefront of his work. Additionally, Dr. Mendelowitz has mentored counselors new to the field through his work at the graduate level. While we wish him a healthy and happy retirement, we will miss his experience and contribution to our department, school and professional community."
Michael Hiller, a dean in the counseling department, had nothing but praise for his colleague, saying, "Dave has been a fabulous colleague for the past eleven years. He is an innovative thinker, not afraid to think 'out of the box' while consistently supporting the varied needs of adolescents. Dave is a strong student advocate and always encouraged students to make thoughtful and healthy decisions. Impressively, Dave has made a significant impact on the field of counseling as the current president of the Westchester Putnam Rockland Counselors Association and as a professor at Fordham University for aspiring counselors. His passion for encouraging appropriate adolescent development is contagious."
A Scarsdale parent whose daughter was guided by Mendelowitz had nothing but raves for him. She said, “Dr. Mendelowitz is one of the finest and most dedicated educators that our family has known …. he embraces all that we strive for. He is passionate about his students, committed to excellence and helps all his students to attain their individual goals. We wish him well!"
SHS Senior Jenna Karp also had kind words for the departing Dean: "My first memory of Dr. Mendelowitz goes all the way back to Freshman year, when he greeted me with one of his famous "bear hugs" and welcomed me to the High School with a huge smile. Because I was not in Civ-Ed, I was initially worried that I would find the transition to the High School challenging, but soon the warm and friendly way Dr. Mendelowitz conducted his Freshman Seminar quelled all my fears. Ever since, I have not once hesitated to step into his office to say hi, ask a question, or talk about an issue. From the get-go he treated me like an adult, always listening to my concerns and eager to help. Throughout the tumultuous college process, Dr. Mendelowitz answered every one of my questions and calmed not just my fears, but also those of my nervous parents during numerous meetings and telephone conversations. Dr. Mendelowitz made high school so much easier to handle and I feel truly blessed to have had him as a Dean. I am sure that he will be missed."
Share your memories or offer tributes to the retiring SHS staffers in the comments section below:
(Pictured at top: Fred Goldberg and Kelly Hamm)
Scarsdale To Bid Goodbye to SHS Co-Principals Fred Goldberg and Kelly Hamm
- Details
- Hits: 16723
More change is in store at Scarsdale High School as Co-Principals Kelly Hamm and Fred Goldberg will both retire this year. The two have been a constant presence at SHS for years – and stepped up to run the school when Principal John Klemme took an extensive leave before his retirement in June, 2011. Goldberg, who has worked at SHS for fourteen years, was often the first face many parents saw every morning as he greeted students as they exited their cars on the Post Road side of the school, with Hamm in the hallways directing traffic. But of course they did far more than we could see.
Hamm has been at Scarsdale High School for 30 years where he initially taught history and later headed the history department. He became assistant principal in the mid 1990’s. In recent years, Hamm was the mastermind of the SHS class schedule, crafting a complex plan of classes to meet the needs of the school’s 1,700 students, and managed testing and the high school budget.
This past year, as Co-Principal, Goldberg was responsible for external relations with parents and the community and served as the “point person,” resolving problems and serving as a sounding board for parents and students who needed help. Along with Assistant Principals Sue Peppers and Chris Renino, Goldberg and Hamm smoothly lead the school through a transition year while the administration searched for a new head principal for the high school. With Kenneth Bonamo scheduled to assume the position of principal in July, Goldberg and Hamm will take their leave. Next year SHS will be managed by incoming Principal Kenneth Bonamo and Assistant Principals Sue Peppers and Chris Renino.
Also set to retire from the high school are teachers Madame Mace and Patricia Jablonowski, Lois Liberati from the main office, Kathy Russo from the library, and Loryn Solomon from Special Education.
Official goodbyes will be made at the meeting of the Scarsdale Board of Education on Monday, June 18th at 8 pm in Rooms 170-172 of Scarsdale High School. The community is invited to join the board, administration, and PTA in offering tributes.
Photo by Nan Berke
Meet Scarsdale High School's New Principal, Kenneth Bonamo
- Details
- Hits: 14087
Scarsdale High School’s new Principal Kenneth Bonamo will be on the job next month. In an effort to learn more about the former Russian teacher and current principal of Townsend Harris High School in Queens, Scarsdale10583 sent Bonamo a few questions and here is what he shared with us:
Tell us something about your background in education: What initially lead you to a career in teaching and administration and how did you come to specialize in Russian? I always loved teaching. I volunteered in high school to teach elementary school students after school, and I would try to teach my younger sister the material I was learning in high school (much to her displeasure, I might add). When I started working as a substitute teacher at my alma mater, and I walked into a classroom for the first time, it felt magical. Within two months, I was hired full time. It was a wonderful experience. As I took on leadership roles as a teacher, the desire to focus more on leadership moved me in the direction of becoming an administrator.
Russian was the only language my high school offered. In my freshman year, I participated in an exchange program in which I hosted a Russian student and got to travel to Russia (then the Soviet Union). The experience changed my life, and I enjoyed and did quite well in Russian class. I started college as a pre-med major. My first semester of two lab sciences quickly led me to reassess, so I returned to the subject I loved. It turned out to be the right choice.
To what do you ascribe your success at Townsend Harris High School? I had the good fortune of working with an outstanding administrative team, dedicated teachers, talented students, and engaged parents and alumni.
What are the school values and how are they communicated to the students? Our school places a strong emphasis on the Ephebic Oath, in which students pledge to leave their city greater than they found it. The tradition of the school is to ask the entire student body recite it at Founders' Day and at graduation, to coordinate school-wide service projects, to honor students who serve with their own honor society, and to require 40 hours of service every year for the Townsend Harris Honor Certificate.
What similarities do you see between your current position and the new post as the Principal at Scarsdale High School? I think the profiles of the students are somewhat similar in terms of achievement and motivation. The level of community engagement and commitment at Townsend Harris is unusually high for a city school, so I think you could find some similarities there. I've also sensed an intellectual spirit and professionalism among faculty members that feels familiar. Both schools have a robust menu of athletic and other extracurricular offerings as well.
What have been the biggest challenges you faced at Townsend and what do you believe will be the biggest challenges in Scarsdale? In both cases, I think the personal challenges at the outset are integrating myself in the community, learning what the concerns and priorities are, and gaining credibility as a leader who listens, who consults, and who makes decisions as collaboratively as possible. The professional challenge in high-performing schools is finding ways to grow and move forward when most qualitative and quantitative measures indicate little room for growth. Finding those areas requires conversations and thoughtful reflection with many members of the community, and often the answer lies in allowing talented individuals the time and resources to experiment with initiatives.
From what you have seen already in Scarsdale, what do you think you might seek to change or add to the SHS experience? I think it's too soon for an answer to that. Much more time is needed to discover those areas where there is room for fine-tuning or new ideas.
How do you feel about state testing and Scarsdale's move from the AP to AT program? I am concerned with the overemphasis on test scores, especially when used to evaluate teachers, and especially in an environment again where it is difficult to show quantitative growth. So much of the high-school experience cannot be measured by a test. Students and teachers are not motivated by test scores alone. I think they are motivated by the opportunity to share and learn new ideas and experiences, most of which cannot be reduced to a multiple-choice question. Objective assessments have their place in terms of informing instruction and assessing student learning to the degree appropriate; they will always be with us. An overemphasis or over -reliance on these tests is ill-advised.
I think the move from AP to AT was bold and creative. From what I know of it, the AT program has allowed teachers the room for creativity that is sometimes lost in AP classes, while it also allows students to take the AP exams if they wish. It sounds like an excellent way to respond to the dangers of curriculum constriction and test anxiety.
What is most appealing about the new position? Scarsdale has a well deserved and longstanding reputation as a leader in education, not only in New York State but in the country. I am honored to have been selected to lead the high school and to be a part of such an outstanding district and community. The commitment of teachers and of the families to excellence in education is evident from the many conversations I've had, and I look forward to meeting more people who make Scarsdale the great place that it is.
On a personal note, what hobbies or interests do you pursue when you are not at work? I love to travel, to go to the theater, to read, and to spend quality time with family and friends.
Do you have questions for the community? I'd like to know what they'd like to see in a new principal, in terms of leadership and priorities. Where might there be room for growth, and how do we live up to the motto of Non Sibi in meaningful ways? What does that look like in practice?
