Brown, Pascutti and Schulhof Elected, Budget Passes with 77% Approval Rate

Ron Schulhof, Suzie Hahn Pascutti and Colleen Brown were elected to the Scarsdale School Board  (Updated 5-18) The mood was upbeat at the Scarsdale Middle School gym on Tuesday night May 17, 2022 while board members, nominees, administrators and parents waited for the counts for the budget and school board votes.

The entire cabinet turned out including Interim Superintendent Andrew Patrick, Assistant Superintendents Eric Rauschenbach, Edgar McIntosh, Stuart Mattey, Treasurer Jeff Martin, Technology Directors Jerry Crisci and Rachel Moseley along with District Clerk Honore Adams and Press Officer Michele Verna. Perhaps, due to the recent resignation of School Superintendent Dr. Hagerman following the revelation of a tax issue with the IRS, school leadership was on hand to reinforce their support for the Scarsdale Schools.

The school board election was uncontested and the three candidates nominated by the School Board Nominating Committee were the only names on the ballot. Ron Schulhof was nominated to serve a second term, along with newcomers Coleen Brown and Suzi Hahn Pascutti.

The Board of Education had also experienced some upheaval when Board President Karen Ceske and Board Member Carl Finger both opted not to run for second three year terms. That left the Board with two more vacancies and few seasoned members to lead in difficult times.

While waiting for the result of the vote, we learned that Mayra Kirkendall-Rodriguez had made a last minute push for write in votes. Citing unexplained IRS penalties and liens, lack of response to question and the lack of a long term financial plan she urged voters to elect her due to her expertise as a financial risk consultant and PTA volunteer.

When the votes were counted, the 2022-23 budget passed with a 77% approval rate with 496 yes votes to 148 no votes. Voter turnout was light, in comparison to 2021 when a contested election for the school board brought out 1,788 voters, and in 2020 when 4,153 budget votes were cast. See a history of Scarsdale budget votes below:

This year, school board candidates received the following number of votes:

Ron Schulhof 448
Colleen Brown 415
Suzie Hahn Pascutti 445

At the time, Election Officer Rita Golden announced there were 266 write-in votes and 153 of those were for Mayra Kirkendall-Rodriguez. At the election, the district clerk did not delineate for whom the remaining write in votes were cast.

However on 5-18, the district updated the results and released the details of the write in votes:

They provided the following counts, totalling 220 not 266 write in votes.

Mayra Kirkendall-Rodriguez: 184
Irin Israel: 3
ABC: 3
None: 3
Yaniv Blumenfeld: 3
Ron Schulhof :1
Colleen Brown: 1
Suzie Hahn Pascutti: 1
Brian Leff: 1
Julie Leff: 1
Neil Leff: 1
Tara Greco: 1
Michael Otten: 1
Megan Simon: 1
Ann Marie Nee: 1
Robert Berg: 1
Robert November: 1
Chris Morin: 1
Diane M. Gatto: 1
Albert Kramer: 1
Preet Bharara:1
Kerry Hayes: 1
Mimi Rocah:1
Thomas Maguire: 1
David Brown: 1
David Buchen: 1
David Benderson: 1
Moira Crouch: 1
Edward P. Rooney Jr. 1

The voters approved a $173 mm budget which translates to a 3.45% increase in the tax levy, below the maximum allowable rate of 3.5%. Due to rising concerns about mental health, the budget includes funding for an additional school psychologist and a social worker at both the middle and high schools. At the elementary schools an additional math teacher will be hired to implement a new Next Generation math program. Per pupil spending is $35,291 per student, placing Scarsdale as the seventh highest spender in the 53 districts in Westchester/Putnam/Rockland counties.

Current and future school board members gathered for a photo with Interim Superintendent Andrew Patrick.

We chatted with Interim Superintendent Andrew Patrick, who has been on the job for less than two weeks, about his priorities for the coming months. He mentioned hiring the two new school psychologists and social workers, continuing work on the school's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policy and returning to the school's strategic plan to set priorities for the coming school year.

Following the announcement, the Board of Education passed a resolution to acknowledge the results of the budget vote and Board of Education election and Board President Karen Ceske and Interim Superintendent Andrew Patrick thanked everyone who ran the election and participated by voting.

Amber Yusuf, Colleen Brown and Karen CeskeLeah Debitzer and Art RublinTechnology Team: Rachel Moseley and Gerry Crisci