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Written by Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 04 May 2022

Created: 04 May 2022

Last Updated: 04 May 2022

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(This letter was written by Nancy Michaels, Chair of the Scarsdale Bowl)

Dear Scarsdale Community,

Oh what a night! Last Thursday evening, Scarsdale came together to celebrate the extraordinary contributions our past two years’ honorees - BK Munguia and Jon Mark, and Michelle Lichtenberg - and current honoree, Terry Singer, have made to our community. We also recognized the vibrant spirit and culture of volunteerism that helps Scarsdale shine on. All who were present at the event help make Scarsdale the exceptional place it is to live, work, and play. Thank you Scarsdalians for joining us!

A mere 736 days after the date originally slated for the 2020 Scarsdale Bowl Dinner, we were at last together. Although the room was tight, the temperature unseasonably frigid, and seating plans needed adjusting because of last minute cancellations due to Covid, the joy in the room was palpable.

All our honorees share many qualities that make them exceptional volunteers and true leaders.

Here is my Top Six List:

1- A sense of humor and ability to laugh at oneself - all our honorees have beautiful, warm smiles, and they often laugh to lighten the mood of a tense meeting, but Terry’s unabashed laugh coming from deep within her gut is something you should hear.

2- Diplomatic, good communicators, and consensus builders - how many of us have taken a walk or enjoyed tea with Michelle, so she can gauge our pulse on a contentious point? Jon has a keen ability to listen and remain calm under pressure.

3- Thoughtful and considerate, and encouraging collaboration and inclusion - BK often offers a unique perspective to a debate, but phrases it lovingly. At a meeting, you can see the wheels in Terry’s head spinning as she takes everything in and encourages everyone to share opinions, creating an atmosphere where all views are welcome.

4- A willingness to be wrong, to be innovative - think about Michelle as SHS PTA president - no limos to prom? Buses? A red carpet? Twenty years later, the community flocks to SHS to watch the graduating class leave for prom, now a beloved tradition. Or BK advocating for the teen center, helping to provide adolescents with a safe social space—a novel idea that truly supported a deserving population.

5- Always prepared - picture Mayor Jon Marks speaking at a Village Board meeting presenting his thorough, lawyerly brief.

6- Finally, the most important characteristic shared by these honorees is that they are not it for themselves, but to make Scarsdale a better, stronger place. We are so fortunate to have these honorees in our community.

It was my incredible pleasure and distinct honor to present BK Munguia and Jon Mark, Michelle Lichtenberg, and Terry Singer with the Scarsdale Bowl Award for Outstanding Community Service. Please continue to support need-based scholarships to help Scarsdale students attend college by donating to the Scarsdale Foundation at bit.ly/donateforstudents, and honor your neighbors and friends on the Scarsdale Foundation Honor Roll to acknowledge their individual contributions at bit.ly/honorvolunteers2022.

With much appreciation,
Nancy Michaels
Scarsdale Bowl Chair, 2020-2022

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Written by Ron Schulhof

Published: 12 May 2022

Created: 12 May 2022

Last Updated: 12 May 2022

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Here is an interview with Ron Schulhof, who has been nominated by the Scarsdale School Board Nominating Committee to serve a second three-year term on the Scarsdale Board of Education. Read about Ron here and remember to vote on the school budget and school board members on Tuesday, May 17 at Scarsdale Middle School from 7 am to 9 pm.

Tell us about yourself and some of your volunteer activities before you joined the BOE three years ago.

I’ve lived in Scarsdale for nine years with my wife Rachel and our two sons, who are both currently in Quaker Ridge Elementary School. Since moving here, I’ve volunteered in a variety of ways in the schools and community. Many people may be familiar with the sustainability initiatives that I’ve been involved in, such as the school and village food scrap recycling programs, the LED streetlights, expanding recycling programs, and other sustainability projects. In addition, I have also really enjoyed being involved with PTA and school committees, working on Scarsdale Forum committees, serving on the Citizen’s Nominating Committee, and coaching Little League.

It’s been terrific not only to serve in these capacities, but also to meet incredible volunteers throughout the schools and community. Working with them has really made me appreciate what a special place Scarsdale is and the amazing work that happens here because of community volunteers.

What were your original goals for joining the BOE and do you feel you have accomplished them?

As a Board of Education member, I believe my core goal is to ensure that Scarsdale Schools provide the highest level of education and educational experience for all of our students. So that’s the lens that I see all of my decisions through and what I think about when considering what specific goals to set forth each year. With this context in mind, when first joining the School Board, some of my goals included improving community engagement, developing a roadmap of important Board-level projects, and ensuring appropriate oversight of the District.

I feel that we’ve made some good headway in these areas. For example, we have created a Board Community Engagement Plan and have developed new ways for the community to engage with the School Board such as establishing the ability for people to comment remotely at Board meetings and holding informal Board Coffees. Of course, there is still much more we can do, but I believe we have taken positive concrete actions in these areas and are heading in a great direction. 

It’s important to me that the School Board is an open and accessible body, and that any member of the school community or broader community feels they can engage constructively with the Board, share their views, and hear the views of the Board. I also recognize that we have a school community that is full of caring, engaged and thoughtful people, who want to help and engage with their school system. I really appreciate hearing from school community members - students, parents, faculty, staff, administrators, former students, empty-nesters, and everyone else connected to our schools - and hope to continue to hear from everyone.

Regarding Board-level projects, as discussed or laid out in the Board annual goals, some aspects of this area have unfortunately been impacted by the pandemic and more recently the IRS matter, but I hope to continue to see the Board undertake impactful projects as the Board moves forward.

I also believe an extremely important aspect of Board work is ensuring that we provide oversight to the district. I feel strongly that we were elected by the community to fulfill this role, and I take it very seriously. The recent IRS matter has shone a light on this area. I believe the Board is currently taking the appropriate steps to provide more oversight to this specific matter as well as taking appropriate steps more generally with respect to oversight going forward.

What are some of your biggest takeaways from your first three years of service?

I feel that as a school community we are incredibly fortunate. We have amazing teachers and staff, incredible students, and engaged and caring families. As a School Board member, one of my biggest takeaways is the balance between seeing all the amazing aspects of Scarsdale schools and then considering what areas can be improved and how do we do that without impacting what is already working well. Despite all that we have, there is and will always be opportunities to expand and enhance our educational programming. For example, the issue of student wellness was an area of focus when I first joined the Board and is even more at the forefront now. How do we ensure our kids are having a balanced and positive experience during this formative time of their lives, how do we ensure that kids are not just “doing school” and “getting through it” but are learning on many levels and having a well-rounded, healthy and enjoyable educational experience?

I hope that with a great team of School Board members and administrators, with pandemic restrictions hopefully behind us, and with Dr. Drew Patrick at the helm as Interim Superintendent, we can focus on the students and make their experience as great as it can be.

Remind us of some of the matters/issues this Board handled during your term - so much has happened!

So much has happened during the past three years, some great and some challenging. Of course the biggest issue of my first term was the pandemic and restart planning for schools. More recently, we are dealing with the IRS matter and oversight of the district. Looking forward, we are embarking on an executive leadership search. Throughout all this, the School Board has also continued important work around community engagement; health and wellness; diversity, equity, and inclusion; sustainability; budgeting through times of financial uncertainty during the pandemic; updating District policies; and all of the day to day matters that come before the Board.

Given current events, do you think the role of the Board needs to evolve?

Yes, and I believe the School Board is currently taking steps in the right direction. The most recent events with respect to the IRS matter have been unfortunate, but I believe the Board is responding in the right way by being proactive and providing important transparency to the community. Board members are elected to represent the community and part of that responsibility is ensuring we provide facts and transparency, no matter how difficult the situation. I’m proud of our response as a Board. I believe we are showing the community how seriously we take our oversight role.

Have you felt frustrated by the need to keep information from the public? Or by claims that divulging information will jeopardize legal issues?

I have always believed that to every extent the Board should be transparent, share facts and express our thought processes to the community. There have been times over the past couple of years when I shared my frustrations about information I believe should have been shared with the community or shared earlier. However, I believe we are currently doing a good job of balancing transparency and certain legal obligations of privacy. My belief is that once the IRS matter is resolved, the community will recognize that the Board was transparent, proactive, and did its job.

What are your objectives for your next term?

Looking ahead to the next three years, we are entering an important period for our schools. We have an executive leadership transition and are emerging from school being under pandemic restrictions. Some of my goals will be continuing the work that I discussed earlier that predated the pandemic. I also believe it is important we review the past few years to figure out what lessons can make us stronger as a District going forward.

I see this time of transition as an incredible opportunity. Change can be hard, but if we put the work in to do it right, it can be great. I want to make this transition really count and have the district come out even stronger than before. That’s definitely my goal.

I am incredibly excited for the opportunity to continue on the Board of Education and will be humbled to have the community’s support to serve for another term. We have a great team of continuing Board members, two excellent new candidates, and a fantastic Interim Superintendent in Drew Patrick. I look forward to continuing to support the work of our faculty, staff, and administration and engaging in new opportunities to expand and enhance the education in our schools.

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Written by Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 28 April 2022

Created: 28 April 2022

Last Updated: 02 May 2022

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Suzie Hahn Pascutti was one of three candidates nominated by the Scarsdale School Board Nominating Committee to serve a three year term on the school board from 2022 to 2025. Prior to the election on Tuesday May 17 at Scarsdale Middle School, we asked Ms. Hahn-Pascutti some questions so that our readers could get to know more about her. Here is what she shared:

Tell us about your professional background and skills?

Most of my professional life I worked at a quantitative hedge fund in the city called D.E. Shaw & Co. I started there shortly after college and stayed at the firm for 11 years where I eventually became a Managing Director and Head of the U.S. Convertibles trading desk. It was an exciting time to be in the markets, and the geek in me loved to evaluate complex derivatives! During this time I became a better critical thinker, honed my analytical and technical skills, as well as learned how to work with and manage a team.

Why did you choose to move to Scarsdale?

Growing up in the New York area I always admired Scarsdale and thought it would be a wonderful town to raise a family. Scarsdale is truly a special place - its excellent schools offer so many opportunities for our children, both inside and outside the classroom. As a town, Scarsdale is rich with culture and there’s a strong sense of community here. I love the Scarsdale school motto of Non Sibi (Not for One’s Self), and you see that demonstrated in the generosity and many kindnesses of its citizens, particularly helping those who may be less fortunate. All of this, and its close proximity to the city and all the city has to offer, make it really the ideal place to live.

What are some of your past and present volunteer activities?

Most of my past and present volunteer activities involve the schools in some way. Highlights of my volunteer experiences include Quaker Ridge where I served as After School Clubs Chair and then PTA President. I also served on the District Facility Committee that deliberated on the scope of work included in the 2018 Bond. After my term as QRPTA President I became Treasurer of the PT Council where I was not only responsible for the treasury duties of the PTC but trained and served as a guiding resource to the 7 school unit treasurers. I also chaired the Quaker Ridge student directory and served as Webmaster, and then on the PT Council level was the Directory Chair, helping all the Scarsdale schools migrate their directory platforms to Membership Toolkit. I presently serve as Scarsdale Middle School’s Webmaster and on the Compact Committee.

For the last two years I was the School Portfolio Chair of the League of Women Voters of Scarsdale. Some of my responsibilities in this role included studying the School Budget in depth and leading the League’s School Budget General Information and Consensus Meetings and preparing the League’s School Budget Consensus Statement.

Finally, I’m on the board of Friends of Music and Arts, a booster group supporting the arts in Scarsdale Schools, as well as on the board of the Hoff-Barthelson Music School in Scarsdale. Over the years I’ve had the privilege of working with so many intelligent, dedicated and passionate volunteers, it’s been a truly rewarding experience for me.

Why did you decide to apply to serve on the School Board?

With the departures of so many senior administration officials including of course Superintendent Dr. Hagerman, but also Treasurer Jeffrey Martin and our two technology leaders, Gerry Crisci and Rachel Moseley, the work of the Board the next few years will have a great impact on our schools for potentially many years to come. Seeing what a pivotal time this is for Scarsdale, I felt compelled to want to help in any way I could, including applying to serve on the School Board.

In your view, what are the main challenges facing the Board and the district?

There is certainly a lot of work ahead for the Board. Conducting a Superintendent search and navigating the school’s IRS-related issues are of course top of mind. We also can’t forget that we’re coming out of a pandemic and need to continue to prioritize the mental, social and emotional needs of our students, with the need for support on the rise even before Covid-19. Continuing the Board’s work on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and ensuring that Scarsdale appropriately services all its diverse learners are also important tasks facing the District and Board at this time.

How did you find the nomination and interview process?

From my experience the SBNC nomination and interview process was well thought out and executed. It was a bit different this year as they passed a number of new resolutions this fall, but everything ran smoothly from what I could tell. One significant change was that the committee could ask differentiated questions of the candidates which I imagine gave the committee more insight into the individual candidates this year. Their process is rigorous and their due-diligence seemed to be very thorough, though of course their deliberations and discussions were necessarily confidential. I think it’s significant that the members of the SBNC are elected to their positions themselves and represent each neighborhood of Scarsdale. Serving on the SBNC Committee is a big commitment and I’m thankful to the SBNC committee members and administration officers for all the time and care they put into this process.

What was your reaction when you learned about the district’s issues with the IRS?

When I first learned about the district’s issues with the IRS I was, like most people in our community, shocked and extremely disappointed. This is obviously a very serious matter and I commend the Board for launching an investigation to get to the bottom of what happened. Going forward, a better system of checks and supervisory processes needs to be put in place to ensure that this kind of thing never happens again. I know the Board is working extremely hard on this, basically 24/7, and I am both grateful to them for their dedication and am eager to help with this work.

Now that you have received the nomination, what are you hearing from neighbors and the community? What are some of their concerns and questions?

The feedback I have heard since receiving the nomination has been generally very supportive, though there are of course many questions surrounding the IRS issue in particular. Community members are also asking what the Superintendent search will look like, and stressing the importance of getting as much community input into that process as possible. Scarsdale’s citizens are smart, engaged, and hold varying views on many issues. I love that, it’s a large part of why Scarsdale is such a wonderful community.

Are there changes you would like to see in Board process and protocols?

I think the Board is moving in the right direction in terms of community engagement. Amending policy to continue to allow for virtual public comment, making the Board agenda publicly available earlier than in the past, setting up a Community Engagement Committee and hosting informal coffees to meet community members are all positive steps. I think the Board can continue to think creatively along these lines and do even more to welcome as much dialogue with the community as possible. Communication and transparency in its processes are vital for the Board to do its job effectively.