Tenure Awarded to 18 Scarsdale Faculty Members
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The May 19 School Board Meeting was a cause for celebration for 18 members of the Scarsdale faculty who were granted tenure upon completion of their probationary service. In addition to the teachers, Eric Rauschenbach was appointed Director of Special Education for three years of probationary service, and Christopher Renino was given tenure as an Assistant Principal at Scarsdale High School.
There was lots of applause from the faculty as the announcements were made by Assistant Superintendent for Personnel Joan Weber and each of the newly tenured faculty were given a rose by Board President Suzanne Seiden.
Here is a list of those who received tenure:
- Christopher Renino –Assistant Principal at Scarsdale High School
- Stephanie Pinto -Elementary
- Michelle Tyrrell- Elementary
- Jennifer Adler – English as a second language
- Alyssa Scala- Foreign Language
- Lindsay Cadman - Elementary
- Desiree Baez -Elementary
- John Calvert -Elementary
- Christine Knopp -Elementary
- Megan Matthews -Special Education
- Anna Lopez -Foreign Language
- Jeffrey Williams - Science
- Gregory Apostle - Mathematics
- Elise D'ammora - Mathematics
- Marcy Flamholtz – School Counseling
- Wend Gu -Foreign Language (Mandarin)
- Lisa Scavelli - Art
- Karine Schaefer - English
Improving Communications at Scarsdale High School
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The Scarsdale High School PTA held its annual spring luncheon general membership meeting on May 8th. Communication was the theme of the popular gathering attended by parents, staff and administrators. The meeting began with a warm welcome from PTA President Angela Manson, thanking the many tireless PTA volunteers and the outgoing board members. She specifically made note of recent initiatives in improving communication within the greater high school community, including Principal Kenneth Bonamo's new quarterly updates.
The PTA Scholarship Fund recently received a generous gift from the Class of 2013, and former Fund president Valerie Abrahams gave a pitch to attendees to consider scholarship fund gifts as a great way to say thank you to teachers. The STEP (Student Transfer Education Plan) organization represented by President Valerie Abrahams and host parent Nan Berke gave a brief report on what STEP does; it takes students from "under sourced high schools" and places them with local families. Current STEP student Robert Lee, who is from Memphis, said it is a "life changing experience leaving your home and family" and made note of the generosity of the high school community in supporting the students who participate in the program.
The meeting quickly covered a number of other topics including a series of rapid fire committee updates presented by PTA vice president Linda Doucette-Ashman. It was abundantly clear that the high school is filled with committed volunteers. Some highlighted groups were the College and Career Center that provides a plethora of information and support for students and parents on behalf of the Counseling Department. The PTA Summer Activities Fair for Students sponsored 49 vendors and raised a record amount over $8,000. The Safety Committee presented a nationally recognized speaker, Jacy Good, on driver safety earlier this year. The Multicultural Committee addressed Issues unique to international families with events such as the Deans Question and Answer sessions.
Principal Bonamo introduced the main portion of the program speaking about collaborative goals undertaken by the High School administration and the PTA during the past year. Then Principal Bonamo and English teacher, Stephen Mounkhall, with an assist from technology teacher Greg Leong, presented the luncheon's main program about recent communication initiatives. They began with a brief overview of a communications survey conducted in March by faculty and PT Council on the premise of "if you had an issue who would you go to?" The complete survey results will be available this fall. This is part of an ongoing project to enhance communication between school and home. The goal of the survey is to eventually create a flow chart on the district's website which gives parents clear directions on who to turn to if you have a question or problem. Of the high school survey participants, 78% said overall communication was good.
However, the presenters wanted to know "are we addressing questions you have?" Parents suggested providing opportunities for further feedback and involving students in the survey process too. Both presenters and parents mentioned how high school communication is different than middle school communication. In high school the first step is the student trying to resolve the issue with the teacher, but few know where to go if that doesn't work. Mr. Mounkhall brought up a common problem, 15 students want to see him in one day, and the less determined student just gives up. We need to make sure he keeps trying. Unfortunately, not all teachers are as available as others. This emphasis on enhancing communication protocols is an attempt to make the awkward situations between teachers, students and parents less awkward.
Next came a demonstration of the survey given to the teachers. Hand held voting devices "clickers" were distributed to everyone at the meeting in order to record responses remotely. First question: "Which transition is more difficult for you as a parent?" A) Elementary to middle school or B) Middle school to high school? Most responded "B" but many parents said it depended on the child and there should have been the choice of pre-school to kindergarten. Mr. Mounkhall said that this survey made him think about what it means to be a parent in this district, not just look at things through his role as a teacher. Principal Bonamo noted how structures change from middle to high school. Students go from a house structure to a having five academic subjects with different academic departments. Lots of people don't even know that there are department chairs. One parent brought up how the 10th graders were participating in a civil rights program that they as parents weren't told about until the day of the event. Many mentioned that communication in the high school can be inconsistent and occasionally untimely.
The second question presented was "As my child gets older, I rely more on their reports of what's going on in school." A) Very much so; B) Kind of; C) Not so much. Although most parents chose "A" everyone concurred that teens are unreliable in reporting what's going on in high school. Many parents said information comes from other parents more than from their own children. Some brought up what so many teens like to say when pressed for information, "you over react" so I don't want to tell you anything. Mr. Mounkhall suggested try not reacting in the moment. Another suggestion was to schedule a time per week to talk about academics with your child.
The third Question: "I contacted my child's teachers most often in" A) Elementary school; B) Middle school; C) High school. Most responded elementary school as expected. The consensus was it was easier to get in touch with an elementary school teacher and more developmentally appropriate too.
The fourth question generated a great deal of discussion. "The overall relationship between the faculty and the community is positive." A) Strongly agree; B) Agree; C) Disagree; D) Strongly disagrees. Most chose "B" but many said the question was poorly worded. The question should not have used the word "community" without defining the term. Did they mean teachers, staff, administrators, and people outside the high school? This deliberation engendered a new question replacing the word community with parents and the word teachers for faculty. The result was still mostly "B".
The conversation then turned to additional questions. A free flowing dialogue included topics such as why the curriculum in one class differs from another. This led to the suggestion of doing annual department presentations with parents in the future. The openness of the parents, administrators and presenters made for a lively and constructive discussion on communication in the high school.
As one parent put it "This was the best PTA meeting I've been to in 20 years."
Scarsdale Celebrates Arbor Day
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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The Village of Scarsdale held its annual Arbor Day Celebration at Crossway Fields at 1:30 PM on Friday, April 25, 2014. The Village celebrated its 31th consecutive Tree City USA designation with the planting of a Red Pin Oak to replace a tree that was lost due to Hurricane Sandy. Trees help define the Village's village-in-a-park character, beautify the community and provide many environmental, social and economical benefits.
The Tree City USA program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters and the USDA Forest Service. Scarsdale has met the four standards to become a Tree City USA community. Tree City USA communities must have:
1. A tree board or department
2. A tree-care ordinance
3. A community forestry program with annual expenditures of at least $2 per capita
4. An Arbor Day observance and proclamation.
(Picutred at top) Deborah Pekarek, Village Trustee reads a proclamation on behalf of Mayor Robert Steves declaring April 25, 2014 Arbor Day in the Village of Scarsdale.
(Right to left)
Deborah Pekarek, Village Trustee; Madelaine Eppenstein, Co-President of the Friends of Scarsdale Parks;
Lee Fischman, Chair of the Conservation Advisory Council;
Amy Paulin, New York State Assemblywoman; Jared Newman, Legislative Aide – New York Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins
(Photo Credit: John Goodwin)
Scarsdale Boys Lacrosse Team Suffers Narrow Loss to Mamaroneck
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In a very close game against the Mamaroneck Tigers, the Scarsdale Raiders lost 8 to 10 on Monday May 5th. The Raiders had an early lead in the first quarter with goals made by sophomore Elliot Graham and junior Michael Casden. Captain James Felix then made a goal right at the buzzer of the first quarter, giving Scarsdale the lead with 4 points (Mamaroneck had only two).
The Raiders manage to keep their twogoal lead going into the second quarter, with yet another two goals scored by James Felix again as well as junior Casey Kravit. In the third quarter, the Raiders continued their twogoal lead with two more goals scored by freshman Cooper Schneider and junior Thomas Cooke. By the end of the third quarter, the score was eight to seven.
Then in the fourth quarter, what looked like a done deal turned into a devastating defeat. The Raiders lost their lead and, eventually, the game.
"In general we played great team offense and communicated well on defense against a great classA team," says junior Casey Kravit, who plays attack. "Brandon Bank, David Muller, and James Felix led the defense along with good goaltending by Jeremee Bornstein."
The players agree that the loss was upsetting, but they are very happy with the way they played. With every new quarter, junior Thomas Cooke had a better and better faceoff. Juniors Brandon Bank and David Muller played "stellar" defense against some of Mamaroneck's star varsity players, and junior Jeremee Bornstein played well in goal.
This year, the boys varsity lacrosse team is six for seven, but this isn't getting them down! "This is my second year of varsity lacrosse," says defenseman David Muller. "It's really fun to play...and I love close competition between towns. I feel pretty bad about the loss today, but the team played really well and it was an amazing accomplishment only losing two points to Mamaroneck. They are a really good team."
In other news, the varsity baseball team played against White Plains Monday and lost their game fifteen to fourteen in extra innings. The varsity softball team played against Eastchester today and unfortunately lost seventeen to eight.
Show some Raider pride by coming to any of the upcoming games this week! There's a varsity baseball game at 4:15 on Friday, May 9 against Horace Greeley at Horace Greeley High School and a softball game at 4:15 against Saunders High School on Monday, May 12 at Saunders. At 4:30 on Monday, May12 at Scarsdale High School, the girls' varsity lacrosse team plays their most important game of the season their Pink Game. Proceeds from the raffle and bake sale at the game will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. They hope to see you all there if not for the sport, then for the cause!
Go 'Ders!
Contributor Megan Shelton is a junior at Scarsdale High School and loves her honors English class. Megan spends her free time writing, reading, exercising, hanging out with friends, and doing work for the Epilepsy Foundation Club, the American Red Cross Club, and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Club. Megan is going to take AT English and Creative Writing in school next year, and she hopes to focus especially on writing while in college.
Moody's Give Scarsdale a "Negative" Outlook
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Moody's Investor Service, the bond rating agency, has given the Scarsdale School District a "negative" outlook while maintaining the triple A rating. In a report released last week, Moody's revised their outlook based on the district's declining fund balance, rising labor costs and the tax cap legislation.
According to their report,the district's decision to drain reserves to meet current expenses has reduced the fund balance and Moody's predicts that "that management will be challenged to produce structurally balanced budgets over the next two years which will likely result in the continued reduction of reserves for one year or more." Though they credit Scarsdale with a "large and extremely affluent tax base and a low tax burden," they note that the district budget will continue to be pressured by rising wages and benefit costs and the tax cap which requires a 60% vote to override budgets that exceed the designated cap.
Moody's says that the rating could go down if the district "continues to authorize Fund balance declines in excess of current expectations" and depletes the "General Fund balance beyond current expectations at end of fiscal 2015." This year after state auditors determined that the district's health care reserve of $777,715 no longer complied with state law, the Board allocated those funds toward the proposed 2014-15 school budget. In addition, the total fund balance is projected to be $14.7 million at the end of the 2013-14 school year and is estimated to be at $12.6 million at the end of the 2014-15 school year.
We spoke to several experts who agree that it is unusual for a district to have a triple a rating so that Scarsdale remains in a very strong position. Even this "negative" outlook should have little impact on a new bond offering under consideration for voter approval later this year. However, the new outlook does validate concerns that drawing down reserves could have a big impact down the road.
We asked, Assistant Schools Superintendent Linda Purvis for her interpretation of the news and here is what she shared. "I think what they are saying is what we have also been saying, which is that we have been relying too heavily in recent years on using fund balance to keep tax growth down. That can't go on forever. A triple AAA rating is only for the strongest, most stable organizations. There are only about a dozen school districts in the state with this rating. One measure of stability for a government is the fund balance. If it isn't there, you are inherently more unstable. Some people have said over the years that the District has held on to too much fund balance. Moody's is telling us that, from a bond rating perspective, this is not true. Continued use of reserves to fund ongoing expenses is not a long- term plan for fiscal stability."
We also spoke to Robert Berg, who has argued that the district was holding on to excessive reserve funds and advocated for the return of those funds to the taxpayer by including the use of reserves in upcoming operating budgets. Here is what he said.
"The big positive is that the School District, for now, maintains its Aaa rating, which is pretty rare among NY State school districts and municipalities today. But I would not be surprised if the bond rating is dropped if we go ahead with a $20 million bond offering later this year, especially given some of the possible capital projects that have been suggested. That's not to say we should delay or avoid a bond offering – that would be foolish if we can lock in near historically low rates and undertake important capital projects. But in this economic environment, we need to be particularly judicious as to what projects are undertaken. For instance, the Wellness Center, which was a lightning rod in last year's budget defeat, comes back as an expanded and doubly expensive proposal this year – now projected at 6,000+ square feet in size and $2 million in cost sans equipment. I would think that Moody's would be more impressed with expenditures such as replacing the Quaker Ridge roof or providing Edgewood with a usable library rather than a bigger, fancier Wellness Center and a still incoherent physical education curriculum. The Moody's press release describing its report on Scarsdale notes that the District will be challenged to produce structurally balanced budgets over the next two years. I agree. Rising fixed costs associated with wages and employee benefits and the tax cap constraints will sorely test the District's abilities to continue to provide an excellent education while not forcing residents, especially empty nesters, out of their homes with tax increases that exceed the CPI. Fortunately, the new Superintendent, Dr. Hagerman, appears to have substantial experience dealing with such difficult realities, and I expect that he and the Board will approach these challenges with a fresh and creative approach, and a willingness to engage the entire community in these decisions."
(Editor's Note: though Berg is entitled to his opinion, it should be noted that Moody's does not judge the appropriateness of the projects to be funded by a bond. They look at financial impact and trends that could destablize the district's finances.)
