Coalition for Scarsdale Schools Lobbies Against Tax Cap
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Arthur Rublin, Chair of the Coalition for Scarsdale Schools and a Donellan Road resident has been active in fighting a potential NYS tax cap. The Coalition believes that the tax cap would cause radical changes to Scarsdale’s educational program and has been instrumental in working with other communities to get the message to Albany.
The Coalition for Scarsdale Schools was originally formed to protest a potential increase in class size caps for the 2011-12 school year. They gathered over 700 signatures on a petition to maintain small class sizes and the Scarsdale School Board ultimately agreed. Now they have turned their efforts toward the tax cap issue.
In their view, “The proposed tax cap legislation has the potential to devastate education. The costs of unfunded mandates are rising at rates well above inflation, and local Boards of Education cannot reduce them. As a result, the proposed tax cap legislation would force localities to cut in the limited areas where they do have control.
Three broad areas are subject to control by local Boards of Education:
- Salaries and benefits other than retirement. A Board of Education can exert long-term control over salary trends but may not have the power to affect salaries in any one year if contracts are already in place.
- Educational Program. Course and program offerings in academic subjects and the arts, class size, athletics, and other extra-curricular activities. Meaningful cost reductions in these areas hurt students.
- Building Maintenance. Building and grounds upkeep and maintenance. Meaningful cost reductions in these areas lead to safety and maintenance problems and ultimately to bond issues.
In sum, the proposed tax cap legislation would impose artificial limits on decisions that require and deserve a community’s deliberation and considered judgment.”
At the May 23 Scarsdale Board of Education Meeting, Rublin read the following statement to the Board and the community:
I wanted to update the Board on the efforts of the Coalition for Scarsdale Schools to act in support of the position paper the Board adopted on January 24th of this year on the idea of a state-imposed cap on school district tax levies, and in response to President Spieler’s welcome call for community members to make their voices heard on the issue.
The Coalition for Scarsdale Schools has developed a close partnership with a counterparty grassroots organization in Chappaqua with an initial focus on the tax cap legislation passed by the New York State Senate and advocated for by Governor Cuomo.
Our Chappaqua counterparty, which has changed its name to the Coalition for Chappaqua Schools, signed on last night to a statement that the Coalition for Scarsdale Schools proposed which tracks virtually verbatim the Position Paper that you as a Board issued in late January, save for technical revisions, for example clarifying that our opposition is to the Governor’s hard tax cap legislation, not necessarily to any and all tax cap proposals.
The Coalitions for Scarsdale Schools and Chappaqua Schools are now very hard at work reaching out to School Districts, School Boards, PT Councils, PTAs, and other community groups throughout Westchester and Putnam to obtain support for our statement, that is essentially the Scarsdale School Board’s January Position Paper.
We have also organized a lobby day in Albany for next Wednesday, June 1st, to meet with Assemblywoman Paulin, with whom we had a very good meeting with in the District a couple weeks ago, Senator Oppenheimer, and other Westchester-Putnam Assemblypeople and Senators. We encourage community members to contact us at [email protected] if they are interested.
The responses we have received in just our first day of outreach are very encouraging. The Superintendent in Chappaqua, John Chambers, indicated that he likes the proposed joint statement and is happy to ask Chappaqua’s Board of Education to consider it. The President of the Chappaqua Board, Janet Benton, indicated she is nervous about the tax cap legislation’s status and plans to raise the statement with her Board tomorrow night for discussion, and may bring it to a vote as early as tomorrow night.
The District Offices in Byram Hills and Yorktown have also signaled support for our statement and our efforts.
As I believe you know, our work complements the efforts of the New York State League of Women Voters, the New York State PTA, the New York School Boards Association, NYSUT, county officials like Rob Astorino, and Mayors like Noam Bramson of New Rochelle, with whom we had a very good conversation today.
We welcome any support that the Board and Administration determine they can provide to further the Board’s January 24th position paper and President Spieler’s and Vice President Guggenheimer’s welcome advocacy efforts in Albany and in the District on the tax cap legislation. Specifically, we would welcome support by the Board for the statement tracking the Board’s tax cap position paper, which we expect other Districts to sign onto as soon as tomorrow night. It appears that collective effort on the critical tax cap issue may be pivotal as we enter the final four weeks before the legislative session in Albany adjourns.
Thank you.
Whole Foods, Lord and Taylor and More Opening in Yonkers
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If you have wondered what's going up off the Major Deegan at Stew Leonards Drive, here is your answer. Westchester will soon be home to another huge shopping center – this one located off Route 87 across from Stew Leonards, Home Depot and Costco in Yonkers. The new project, named Ridge Hill will include 12 blocks of shopping and dining, 500 residential units and 160,000 square feet of office space.
Many large retailers have already committed to open on the site – including Whole Foods, Dick’s Sporting Goods, an 80,000 square foot Lord and Taylor store and Showcase Cinema De Lux – all who already have locations in White Plains and Scarsdale.
Also slated to open are the GAP, Delia’s, Desigual, H&M, LL Bean, Old Navy, Republic of Couture and Sur La Table. Dining options will include Barbes, Brio Tuscan Grille, Elevation Burger, the Cheesecake Factory and Texas De Brazil.
From the site map the size of this new venture looks mind-boggling. The property is being developed by Forest City Enterprises who owns, develops and manages commercial and residential real estate throughout the U.S.
According to the Ridge Hill website, the site is slated to open in 2011 – but the question is when.
A Baby Bear, Airborne Acrobats, and Contortionists at Van Cortlandt Manor Memorial Day Weekend
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A baby bear, stilt-dancers, gargantuan puppets, and the chance to become a circus star are just some of the new highlights for this year’s Memorial Day weekend classic, Animals & Acrobats at Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson. The new acts join returning favorites including Atka, the ambassador wolf from the Wolf Conservation Center, and A Different Spin, who juggle objects and comedy.
In America’s early days, fire jugglers, tumbling acrobats, rope walkers, magicians — indeed, clever characters of all sorts — used to travel the countryside as a ragged band of entertainers, setting up shop at various locations. This is how the traditional American circus began, and it’s the inspiration for Animals & Acrobats, which takes place May 28-30, 10-5pm at Van Cortlandt Manor, a Historic Hudson Valley site.
“We put so much into this weekend that I’m sure we rival the best traveling circuses from years gone by,” said Althea Corey, site director of Van Cortlandt Manor.
A Memorial Day weekend tradition, the event features many new acts this year, all led by Ringmaster Jonathan Kruk.
Visitors who purchase tickets in advance online can get free popcorn for everyone under 18 in their party.
Animals & Acrobats features continuous performances. New acts include:
* Boston Circus Guild — This professional troupe offers a wide-range of circus magic including high-flying acrobatics, stilt-dancing (not walking, dancing!), and gargantuan puppets who roam the crowd. Contortionists who squeeze themselves into the tightest of spaces round out the group’s roster.
* Wildlife Expert Andrew Simmons — Andrew Simmons, a wildlife expert who specializes in predators, will bring a baby bear cub for all to see. His presentation focuses on the importance of conservation.
* Circus Arts Camp (Hartsdale, NY) — Kids can learn to walk on a low-wire, ride a unicycle, juggle, spin plates and walk on stilts!
* Museum of Curiosities — Visitors can be awed by a giant mastodon, an Invisible Lady, and a Cabinet of Natural History featuring taxidermy specimens on loan from Teatown Lake Reservation.
Returning favorites include: A Different Spin, who were formed at Vassar College and meld juggling, daring acrobatics, and comedy; and Two by Two Zoo, a conservation group that educates the public about fascinating wildlife. Hopping kangaroos, flying lemurs, hilarious monkeys, pythons, parrots, and goats are some of their traveling stars.
The Wolf Conservation Center returns with ambassador wolf Atka. Other performers include Jennifer Pena’s birds-of-prey demonstration Flight of the Raptor; The Acrobrats; slack rope walker Dikki Ellis; Chris Yerlig as Hoopoe the Mime; fire juggler Will Shaw; storyteller April Armstrong; Fred Greenspan’s Punch & Judy Shows; magician Bob Olson; storytelling, dance, and olden music by Bells & Motley; fortune-telling by mystic Glenda Hughes; and musicians Jim Keyes & Cristal Stevens, and Margaret Vetare & Bill Ochs.
Geordane’s of Irvington will provide picnic food and beverages. New this year, visitors can order an entire picnic in advance online. (Orders must be placed by May 23.) Also new this year for the sweet tooth is homemade ice cream from Blue Pig of Croton, featuring ingredients from Hudson Valley sources.
Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for children 5-17, free for children under five and HHV members.
Van Cortlandt Manor is at 525 South Riverside Avenue (off Route 9) in Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y. Take the Croton Point Avenue exit from Route 9 and follow the signs. For information: 914-631-8200, www.hudsonvalley.org.
House Tour and Tango Lessons at the Scarsdale Adult School
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See Philip Johnson’s Glass House at a special tour and survey of contemporary residential architecture offered by the Scarsdale Adult School. The house is a seminal work of modern architecture located on 47 acres in New Canaan. It is a statement of carefully planned simplicity that is, in fact, the height of luxury. On the two-hour guided tour you will explore the Glass House, the Painting Gallery, Sculpture Gallery, a structure called Da Monsta, and a significant art collection. The day includes a 3/4-mile outdoor walk across some uneven terrain, rain or shine. Photography is permitted. Friday June 3rd at noon. The cost is $70. To register for this series and or the noon tour, and for information on all SAS offerings, visit www.ScarsdaleAdultSchool.org . Questions? Call 723- 2325.
Also coming soon at SAS … A Taste of Argentine Tango. Students will study posture, the tango walk, and how to make their way around the dance floor. Learn the basic elements and steps of this unique style in a relaxed atmosphere, from instructors who specialize in teaching this romantic dance. The class will meet four Thursdays, starting 5/19 from 7:30 - 8:30 pm at Scarsdale High School. The cost is $80.
To view the full catalog, register for classes, and for information on all SAS offerings, visit www.ScarsdaleAdultSchool.org . Questions? Call 723- 2325.
Special Needs Kids Fair Coming to New Rochelle
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Sociable Kidz is hosting their 1st annual Special Needs Kidz Fair on Sunday June 5th, 2011 at the Radisson Hotel New Rochelle and admission is free. This fun filled day will include a showcase of different products and services for special needs children of all ages and abilities. In addition to great information for parents and caregivers, meet children's author Artie Bennett. There will also be entertainment, games, raffles, a silent auction and a lot more! A percentage of the proceeds from this event will be contributed to the Tourette's Syndrome Association-NY Hudson Valley Chapter. Please go to www.skkidzfair.com or call (914)502-3295 for more information.
