Larger Class Size is Bad, It's Elementary
- Details
- Hits: 9817
Years ago, when I was an associate producer at a cable news station, I worked with someone who can best be described as, well, a jerk. Once, another hour’s show found themselves short staffed. That show’s producer asked us if they could use one of our reporters. “No. Sorry.” Said my not-so-pleasant co-worker. I turned to him later and asked, “We’re not even using him today for his report. Why wouldn’t you lend him out?” “Because,” he explained, “once you say it’s ok to take something from you, you’ll never get anything back.” Looking back on that now, in light of the school board’s plans to increase the class size in the elementary schools, I think the jerk may be right.
Let me explain where I’m coming from: My oldest will be entering elementary school in the fall here in Scarsdale. I am beyond excited. I don’t consider myself a particularly high maintenance mom. My daughter was in daycare for 2 years before going to nursery school. I believe in full day kindergarten, a friend’s sniffle has never caused me to cancel a play date and while she has plenty of activities and structure in her day, the TV is on more than I care to admit. My daughter is outgoing and independent and bright. Adding to the class size may not cause her to get lost in the shuffle. It still doesn’t make it right.
I know the argument. Increasing the cap on class size does not necessarily mean that the class will be that large. Times are tight, tough decisions need to be made. Every school district in the country is making cuts like these and worse. Live within our means. Tighten our belt. I get it, I get it. Then cut somewhere else. You may be reading and say, yeah she cares because it will affect her kids. Maybe so, but this will have some impact on all Scarsdale residents, even if it means more teachers at the high school.
The Students:
Lets all agree that smaller class sizes make for better education. You can split hairs and say what’s the difference between 22 and 23 or 23 and 24, but what we are seeing is a trend. Even if your child has the greatest teacher on earth, less individual time with that teacher weakens the teacher-student relationship. Think about the shy kid who would have found his or her voice in a smaller class. And there are plenty of kids who struggle with subjects who need more one on one time to figure it out. Will they just be pushed along with the tide? Will we shrug and say, well, someone has to get a C, or math isn’t for everyone? That’s a shame because the student will never fully realize his or her potential. Those early years are important and we’d be selling kids short.
Yes, Scarsdale High School is amazing in terms of class offerings and education. To be clear, increasing the elementary class size by one will allow for more high school teachers. It won’t do a whole lot of good if we have a larger percentage of students coming in to high school apathetic or not having mastered the basics.
Larger class size: Bad idea.
The Teachers:
I know that it’s becoming a national pastime to criticize teachers and gripe about how good they have it. Not me. It is a demanding job mentally, physically and emotionally. The argument that they get their summers off and are done by 3pm every day just doesn’t hold water for me. Many take summer jobs working with kids and nearly all work through the evening on lesson plans and grading papers. That is far more labor intensive than checking your Blackberry or getting on a conference call early with Asia.
Now, the elementary school teachers here have the prospect of teaching bigger classes. This changes how they may teach, will lead to more interruptions during the lesson and probably lead to more stress. Personally, I would like my kids’ teachers not to be stressed out.
And for the commenters on this site who argue that the teachers in Scarsdale get paid too much, who then, should be paid well? Major League Baseball players? CEOs? Pray tell.
Our Homes:
Even if you don’t have kids in the schools here you should care about this. The value of your home will go down because of this. Your taxes thankfully will stay the same, or go up. Think of this like having your home by power lines. You may have the most beautiful home with the newest kitchen but if you have those pesky power-lines in sight, that’s what people will remember. Having Mandarin in the high school is terrific, I completely agree. Having nearly 100% of graduating seniors go on to college is a wonderful thing. Most people move here with young children. They care in the short term about elementary schools. They will see that class sizes are larger and may go somewhere else. Suddenly Scarsdale doesn’t seem so special and the taxes don’t seem remotely worth it. Larger class size: Bad idea.
About that Jerk:
Getting back to the story in the beginning and my co-worker’s point about once you say it’s ok to take something, people think you never needed it in the first place. So, if we concede on this because times are hard, or because it makes for more teachers in the high school we won’t get smaller classes back even if times are good. Then what’s next? Art? Music? Sports? This erodes the fabric of what this school district is based on. I appreciate that the Board is in a tough position right now. There is nothing, in my opinion, more overwhelming than working on a budget of taxpayer dollars. No one will be happy ever with whatever they come up with. But this is the wrong plan. This chips at the foundation of our schools, undermines our kids and is unfair to our teachers. No one moved here or lives here for that.
Jen is a freelance journalist who has covered the economy and markets for over a decade at a major financial news outlet. She lives in Scarsdale with her husband and 2 children. Jen has yet to bake a successful batch of cookies.
Should Mandarin Be Taught in the Schools?
- Details
- Hits: 7835
The school board voted and Scarsdale will start teaching Mandarin beginning in the 9th grade starting in September.
Mandarin is essentially a group of dialects from Northern China and is often simply known as “Chinese.” Mandarin is the official spoken language of the People’s Republic of China and one of the six official languages at the United Nations.
According to some estimates, there are over 1 billion people in the world that speak Mandarin as either their primary or secondary language. It is estimated that it has the largest number of native speakers, followed by Spanish then English.
As of December 2010, China owns over $891 Billion in long-term U.S. government debt, by contrast, the UK owns $541 Billion.
China’s economy grew at 10% last year and in 2010, China became the world’s largest exporter.
Saying that China is a major player on the global stage is an understatement, but becoming proficient in Mandarin is not easy.
So do the residents of Scarsdale think teaching Mandarin is a good idea?
Here’s what some of you had to say:
“It’s a wonderful thing.” Evan Evangelides, Heathcote.
“It’s very current. I think that as an additional elective to other languages it’s a good idea.” Anna Marie Magagna Hyde,
“It’s surprising that this hasn’t happened earlier. China is such a huge market and economy. So many people speak Mandarin. I think this is a good idea. Matt Martin, Edgewood.
“With most languages, unless you are using it daily it’s pretty hard to become proficient and Mandarin is more difficult than most. Because of that, I’m not a huge proponent of using our resources in that way. Debra Zitrin, Edgewood.Jen Geller is a freelance journalist who has covered the economy and markets for over a decade at a major financial news outlet. She lives in Scarsdale with her husband and 2 children. Jen has yet to bake a successful batch of cookies.
Trip to Ellis Island and Multi-Cultural Fair
- Details
- Hits: 4705
Two fifth grade classes from Heathcote Elementary got a taste of what some of their ancestors experienced when they set foot on Ellis Island. Mr. Deberry and Ms. Boyer took their classes on the journey on February 17, going by bus to the Ellis Island Ferry, and taking the ferry across the water. They viewed the Statue of Liberty, visited the immigration museum and sought out their ancestors’ names on the Wall of Honor, which includes over 700,000 names of those who immigrated to the United States. The students will use what they learned on the trip in ongoing class projects.
Pictures of Ellis Island courtesy of Jon Thaler. To see more photos and purchase copies go to www.JonThaler.com
Photos Courtesy of Tracy McCarthy
The Budget: Knowing the Unknowns for the Schools
- Details
- Hits: 5172
No one can predict the future. With the recent economic crisis, it has become even more difficult to plan ahead. Many families are grappling with issues they didn’t think of just a few years back, such as how to pay for college, job security and putting off purchases until they feel more secure about their financial situation.
The economy is also causing the Scarsdale Public School district to deal with a set of unknowns and best plan for the students’ future with less money.
In a meeting last week, Curriculum, Technology and Special Education outlined their plans and budgets. Lynne Shain, the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum laid out the goals and methods of teaching in Scarsdale schools. Overall, the effort is to have Scarsdale schools stand apart from others in terms of performance. The goal is to have a stronger, more holistic education and to show a progression in learning that is tangible. There is a strong emphasis on critical thinking and problem solving. One area that the district particularly wants to improve upon is student writing. The district had tested some writing samples of Scarsdale students and found that they came up a bit short compared to other high performing schools in Westchester. This department requested $300,000 for teacher’s to work on curriculum development and assessment in this area during the summer months.
But there is, as Ms. Shain puts it, a ‘black cloud’ looming from Albany. The concern is that the state may mandate tests and ways of showing results that are at odds with the philosophy of Scarsdale schools. Race to the Top is also another unknown in that in what will be asked of the schools and how to illustrate performance.
At other school districts, there is a sense of hunkering down and waiting for the axe to fall from Albany and morale is low. Ms. Shain says at this time this is not true of Scarsdale and the teachers are enthusiastic about the way this district is teaching its students. However, everyone is keeping a close eye on these state and federal plans and how it may affect the curriculum here. As of now, it does not look like it will change.
There are other unknowns facing Scarsdale schools that will affect the budget. The board is still unclear on the number of teachers retiring this year. The board is also unsure how resident tax adjustments for residents will affect money budgeted to the schools. As one board member points out, it is a rather cloudy crystal ball right for what the future holds for these aspects of the budget and how it will affect the schools.
Albany is also an unknown for technology in Scarsdale schools. In his budget presentation, Jerry Crisci, the Director of Technology for the district showed how he could cut his budget by 10% but warned of a “tech squeeze” the schools could face. This is when technology demands go up as money is being cut. State funds could be cut for instructional software for the district, which would cut into money for online databases for the students as well as the ability to collaborate online. There could also be a spillover affect in terms of how this could cut money into repairs and innovation. Another concern that is vexing school districts throughout the state is that Albany may have more intense reporting demands for testing and that would require new computers or systems Again, this is expected, but the details are unknown.
The use and distribution of Smart Boards were discussed at the budget meeting. Crisci explained this is transforming how math and science are being taught in many classrooms, perhaps creating inequity for those classes that do no have them.
Crisci however is quite savvy on how to save the district money while keeping up innovation. He talked about saving money by changing lease agreements and software budgets. He noted in his presentation that nearly every teacher in the district is expanding his or her presence online and the parent portal gets nearly 1000 hits per week.
Special Education is a unique situation, because not only do students utilize it 12 months a year, it also gets the greatest amount of funds from the state and the county. Director of Special Education Dr. Michael Mendelson, explained how Scarsdale takes a layered approach to meet the needs of each student versus just putting the student into a specific track. Mendelson laid out his budget and unlike others, showed a surplus.
Crisci and Mendelson were very strong in terms of showing the needs of each of their department and where nearly every penny is spent. Shain gave a very clear sense of what the teachers are working to accomplish and the challenges the schools face. Still, it is a bit unclear as to what constraints the schools will face from the state and federal government in terms of testing and aid. While “Scarsdale is better positioned than most” was a popular refrain that evening, there is a sense of foreboding about what lies ahead.
Jen is a freelance journalist who has covered the economy and markets for over a decade at a major financial news outlet. She lives in Scarsdale with her husband and 2 children. Jen has yet to bake a successful batch of cookies.
Can Scarsdalians Afford to Pay For Their Schools?
- Details
- Hits: 6535
The Scarsdale School administration unveiled the proposed school budget for 2011-12, and it presents a 2.92% increase over last year’s budget with tax levy growth of 3.86%. Tax increases will be even lower in the Mamaroneck Strip, where residents are long overdue for a break from steep climbs in school taxes.
Here are the numbers:
- School Budget 2010-11: $134,743,938
- Proposed School Budget 2011-12: $138,678,679
- Variance: $3,934.741 or 2.92%
Out of that $3.9 million increase, $2.4 million is for mandated state retirement costs, so it is evident that little has been added this year.
However, the more interesting story is provided by a few numbers that the administrators included in the report that demonstrate how efficiently the school are run and show where Scarsdale ranks in expenses in comparison to 46 districts in Westchester and Putnam. The report also shows the adjusted gross income per pupil in the district, which may give pause to those who claim that school taxes are not affordable.
Here are the facts:
- Spending Per Pupil: Scarsdale spends $23,879 per student, which makes it 13th in spending among the 46 districts in Westchester/Putnam.
- Tax Rate: In Scarsdale the true tax rate is $13.31 and the median tax rate for Westchester/Putnam school districts is $16.43, putting Scarsdale well below that mark.
- Administrative Cost Per Pupil: Scarsdale’s administrative cost per pupil is $469, which places the district at #37 among the 46 districts.
- Adjusted Gross Income Per Pupil: According to the data, the adjusted gross income per pupil in the district is $973,116 as compared to the Westchester/Putnam median of $290,536.
While one could argue that the adjusted gross income figure could be skewed by a few extremely wealthy residents in town, it is a revealing number and should give pause to those who claim that an average salary of $123,000 for teachers is too high and argue that taxes are out of range.
Undoubtedly the debate will continue, but these figures do shed some light on how Scarsdale stacks up relative to other districts in our area.
