School Board Reviews Proposed Acoustic Improvements to the High School Auditorium
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- Written by: Ann Klein
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Will the sound of musical notes soon ring in the high school or will the proposed auditorium renovation and acoustic improvements fall flat? That is the question that the school board sought to answer at their meeting on Monday night January 9, 2023. Kenneth Schupner of BBS architects and Arthur van der Harten of Acoustic Distinctions presented a model of the proposed renovations to the room. See the models and charts here.
The two answered some tough questions on whether or not the acoustics would improve enough to warrant the almost $5mm price tag. Van der Harten ultimately concluded that the proposed interventions would provide an adequate improvement in sound quality in the auditorium. Schupner noted that the room was designed as an addition to the original building, specifically as an auditorium. It was last renovated in the late 1970s.
Board members questioned Schupner and van der Harten. Board President Amber Yusuf asked for clarification of some of the more obscure terminology that was being used to describe the acoustic improvements to the room, which Mr. van der Harten clarified. He also explained that he has two Masters degrees, one in architecture and one in acoustics.
Board member Robert Klein, who is himself a licensed architect, had many questions for both van der Harten and Schupner. He said that the interventions seemed to be split between improving the sound for musical performances versus improving the sound for speakers (i.e. when the room is used for music, the curtains would be open, while when used for speakers the curtains would be closed). He questioned how these seemingly conflicting conditions could be reconciled since it is likely that at a high school there would be many musical theater performances.
Mr. van der Harten affirmed that both music and speech quality would be improved. Schupner added that there would be updgrades to the audio system as well. Mr. Klein said that for the proposed cost of $4.734 million he would expect a confident improvement.
About the costs, Klein noted that the proposal has twenty-four line items and for over half of these allowances rather than estimates were provided. He questioned the cost, “since this is an existing room, not a new build, making the cost over $700 a square foot, for a room that is keeping a lot of its original structures.” Schupner replied that this is a specialty project, more like building a cafeteria than renovating a typical room, and that the materials are expensive. Klein continued to question the costs as so much of the room staying the same.
Board member James Dugan disagreed with Klein’s questions, pointing out that BBS has worked for the district overseeing the $64M bond campaign and renovation of the Greenacres School. Dugan expressed surprise that Mr. Klein did not think these costs had already been discussed before getting to this point in the process. Assistant Superintendent Stuart Mattey admitted that the scope of the project has grown considerably from what was first proposed, which was merely an aesthetic improvement to the room, and said the district relies on the architects and engineers for their recommendations. Klein affirmed that while he had some “sticker shock” at seeing the numbers, if the district felt the proposed budget numbers were okay, he was okay with it too.
Vice President Ron Schulhof questioned whether these costs reflected the use of high end acoustic products. The vendors said that possibly cheaper alternatives could be found.
Dr. Patrick said that the administration would recommend funding the project through the budget. Schulhof proposed moving forward with the project, saying he’d like to use the transfer of capital from the remaining funds from the 2018 bond and include the project in the budget conversation. All members agreed that the project should be added to the proposed 2023-24 budget and considered in overall budget discussions.
You can find a link to the proposed model here:
And a link to the preliminary project cost estimate here:
Looking Back: The Top Articles of 2022
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- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 2325
What were the most read articles of 2022 on Scarsdale10583? We took a look back to see which articles received the highest number of clicks and the exercise took us down memory lane, highlighting the unusual events that occurred this past year.
On January 24, 2022 the Board of Education and the community were surprised by an announcement from Scarsdale Schools Superintendent Dr. Thomas Hagerman that he would be leaving the district in June just months after he had negotiated for a new five year contract. The next day, The Latin School in Chicago announced that Dr. Hagerman had accepted the position of Head of School.
Then, at the end of March, the Scarsdale Board of Education called a special meeting in which they revealed 
that the school district had failed to pay the correct amount of payroll taxes in 2020 and 2021, resulting in penalties and interest totaling $1,722,473. And just a few days later, on April 4, the Board of Education delivered even more upsetting news. The IRS had issued a $1.3 mm tax lien against the district.
Did Dr. Hagerman know about the tax error when he resigned? We may never know.
As the spring wore on, the story continued to unfold. On April 25, The Board hired an attorney to conduct an investigation of the payroll tax issue and then on May 6, 2022, Dr. Hagerman resigning for a second time in May, saying “the IRS issue has become a major distraction.”
Another article that garnered high interest from readers was the news published on 6-22, that the Board of Education voted to sanction the School District Treasurer and the Assistant Superintendent for Business for the payroll tax problem.
Other than the school district woes, police and crime news were among the most popular articles with readers. In fact, the most read articles of the year reported that a young man was arrested for possession of semi-automatic weapons in Greenacres, another about three young men found passed out in a car due to overdoses and another involving a high school senior who jumped the curb and drove his car into a Fox Meadow Road home.
Other popular articles involved schools and students including the photo gallery from the 2022 Prom, photos of the senior class Halloween breakfast, coverage of the Scarsdale High School Graduation, a piece about the elimination of Colonial Day Fairs at the elementary schools and another debating the merits of the AT vs. AP program.
Still more pieces popular with readers involved restaurants. Readers were intrigued to learn last March that a steak house would open in 
place of Zachys, but we’re still waiting to eat there. News that the Metro Diner on Scarsdale Avenue would close also received big clicks.
Readers were passionate about consultants plans to reimagine Scarsdale Village, opinionated about renovation plans for the Scarsdale Pool Complex, happy to see that Saks Off Fifth was opening in Eastchester and drawn by the debate over an evangelist’s visit to the Scarsdale Library.
Without a doubt, it was a very interesting year for a Village filled with interesting people.
Keep on reading and send your news to [email protected] in 2023.
Thank you!
Superintendent Provides Calendar Options for 2023-24 To Include Additional Observances
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- Written by: Wendy MacMillan
- Hits: 3658
Preceding a discussion about adding holidays to the school calendar, Dr. Patrick affirmed that he recognizes the call from the community and the importance of adding holidays such as Diwali, Lunar New Year and Eid to the Scarsdale School calendar. He hoped that by putting the topic on the evening’s agenda, it would foster dialogue, create transparency of the planning process, help the community to better understand the pushes and pulls that are considered, and offer space for community input before the final version of next year’s calendar is submitted. Since the calendar is usually not finalized until later in the year, there will be time to study each calendar option and provide feedback on the District’s calendar web page or in person at upcoming BOE meetings.
Dr. Patrick then outlined the factors that influence the calendar including:
-State laws, requirements, and minimums
-180 days; 900 (grades K-6) and 990 hours (grades 7-12)
-Certain holidays under the general construction law
-Timing of assessments (3-8 tests; Regents exams, AP exams)
-Collective bargaining agreements (such as with our STA and custodians)
-Tradition, past practice, and values
In addition, Dr. Patrick discussed the factors that make for a “good” school calendar but explained that may differ from stakeholder to stakeholder. Some considerations include:
-Maximize instructional continuity
-Minimize the disruption of instructional time
-Meet federal, state, and local requirements
-Reflect Board policy, including equity, inclusivity and diversity (#0105)
-Honor collective bargaining agreements
-Be responsive to student/family interests, needs, concerns
Next Dr. Patrick discussed sample possible calendars for 2023-24 including an option for a “traditional” calendar that mirrors past practices and options adding new observances. Because some holidays next year fall on weekends, most of the “traditional” calendar for the 2023-24 school year could remain the same even with adding new observances.
Looking further ahead to future years, Dr. Patrick explained that more tradeoffs would need to be considered. While these decisions have not yet been made, some tradeoffs might include having a shortened break (in December, February or April), starting the school year earlier, holding a student day on Election Day, observing only one day of Rosh Hashanah, or scheduling fewer than 185 days, just to name a few.
He then provided five possible 2023-24 calendar scenarios and a link to provide feedback on these calendars that can be found on the Scarsdale District Website here. Among the scenarios are staring school on August 31, September 5 or September 7, and shortening December break to allow for days off for Passover.
Take a look at the possible calendars here:
In a comment via Zoom Lauren Grossberg, Scarsdale PTC President, read a statement prepared by the PTC Council voicing their support for the inclusion of these holidays. In the statement, the PTC council echoed what many other advocates have said, “We are fortunate to live in a diverse community with people of all different backgrounds, who celebrate many different holidays, festivals and cultural events. The PT Council thinks it is of the utmost importance for all community members to feel included and for our students, of all backgrounds, to have an equitable experience. That equity would be vastly improved by adding the proposed holidays; Diwali, Lunar New Year, Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha, to our district calendar for days off of school.” Read the full statement here:
Also on the subject of the school calendar, two parents called into the meeting via Zoom to ask for fewer half days. Chelsea Wang and Dianna Cohen expressed the hardship of having so many half days on the district calendar. Ms. Cohen said that “peer districts” have a median number of 6 half days while K-2 students here in Scarsdale have a total of 13 half days this year. Both parents found this disruptive for both children and parents alike and asked if the schedule could change to minimize disruption or reduce the number of half days for the youngest learners.
Cohen is circulating a petition to reduce the elementary school half days and/or make them adjacent to weekends or other holidays breaks. You can see it here.
Letter from Bob Harrison: Make a Gift to the Summer Youth Tennis League
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- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
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This letter was submitted by Bob Harrison:
Now before year end is the final opportunity for Scarsdale residents to make their gift to the non-profit Scarsdale Summer Youth Tennis League for the Middle School Comfort Station and to help the REC Department with the just announced need to restore the paint bubbles on the court surface for safe play by our youth tennis leagues and adults. The estimated cost is $50,000+.
We have received gifts from over 50 Scarsdale families for the Comfort Station.
We plan a bronze plaque at the site with the name of Gold Donors of $1,000 and Silver Donors of $500 and Bronze Donors of $250.
Please send checks to the "Scarsdale Summer Youth Tennis League" at 65 Fox Meadow Road, Scarsdale, NY 10583. List the names for the plaque as per line per gift : example: Jane and Bill Smith or separate line for youth children and tennis players: George, Sam, Alice and Mary Jones.
For families who have already contributed please confirm the words for your listing by email to Bob Harrison at [email protected] or call at 914 646-4054 cell.
Bob Harrison, Director
Scarsdale Summer Youth Tennis League
65 Fox Meadow Road
Best Reads: Holiday Book Recommendations for 2022
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- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
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A good book combines the best qualities of a tangible gift and an experiential gift for family and friends. Jessica Kaplan and Mark Fowler, owners of the local independent bookstore, Bronx River Books at 37 Spencer Place in Scarsdale Village, recommend these season’s readings:
Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead is one of this year’s most popular and most highly praised novels; it’s a ten-best books of 2022 selection by both The New York Times and The Washington Post. Kingsolver transplants the basic narrative of Dickens’s David Copperfield to rural Kentucky, where the son of a dirt-poor, teenaged single mother makes his way through a perilous world. “I was a lowlife . . . born in a mobile home, so that’s like the Eagle Scout of trailer trash.” Frequently funny, frequently gut-wrenching.
Kevin Wilson’s big-hearted new coming-of-age novel Now is Not the Time to Panic focuses on two misfit teens who connect one summer. An enigmatic, unsigned poster they create and pin up around town ignites a panic that changes their lives forever. Wilson keenly remembers what it was like to be a teenager.
Bonnie Garmus’s Lessons in Chemistry and Tom Perrota’s Tracy Flick Can’t Win humorously depict the glass ceiling that women have too frequently faced in climbing the career ladder. In Lessons, Elizabeth Zott, a brilliant chemist, is forced to forgo a career in the lab and to become instead a television chef to cope with life as a single mother. In Tracy Flick, the protagonist is an assistant principal at the high school that she earlier attended as a teenager, who strives to become principal, which proves to be a daunting goal.
Westchester resident and Bronx River Books favorite Patrick Radden Keefe has released a wonderful collection of his New Yorker essays on all sorts of colorful wrongdoers entitled Rogues. His previous book, Empire of Pain, won the 2021 Bailie Gifford award, the English-speaking world’s premier prize for non-fiction.
Another gem is this year’s Bailie Gifford winner: Super-Infinite by Katherine Rundell. The judges commented 
that “the passion, playfulness and sparkling prose [in Rundell’s biography of John Donne] seduced all of us. [She] makes an irresistible case for Donne’s work to be widely read 400 years later, for all the electric joy and love it expresses.”
In Lucy by the Sea, Elizabeth Strout revisits now-divorced Lucy Barton, the heroine of My Name is Lucy Barton, who sits out the pandemic in Maine with her ex-husband William, who was the subject of Strout’s earlier Oh, William. Lucy By the Sea stands alone on its own merits but will tempt the reader to sample some of Strout’s earlier books including Olive Kitteridge which features a series of connected stories about Olive, a crotchety retired schoolteacher, and the characters whom she encounters throughout her life.
Trust, by Hernan Diaz, is another novel that made the 10-best lists of both the Times and The Washington Post. It depicts the difficult marriage of an ultra-rich couple in early 20th century New York from four fascinatingly different perspectives.
The Netanyahus by Joshua Cohen. No, it’s not a novel about contemporary Israeli politics – at least not exactly. Instead, it’s a slapstick, laugh-out-loud campus novel set in the 1960s, taking as its point of departure a real-life incident when Benzion Netanyahu (father of Benjamin) brought his whole family to Cornell one winter weekend when he was applying for a teaching position. A surprise winner of the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
Even a reader with no interest whatsoever in video games can love Gabrielle Zevin’s novel Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow! Sam and Sadie meet as youngsters, become creative partners in the world of video game design, and sustain an intense friendship that spans 30 years.
In Fellowship Point, Alice Elliott Dark explores the lifelong friendship between Agnes Lee and her best friend and neighbor Polly Wister, as they struggle in the twilight of their lives over what to do with the coastal peninsula on which they have spent their summers.
Finally, an ultra-local favorite: A Sort of Utopia by Professor Carol O’Connor chronicles the history of Scarsdale from 1891 to 1981. In this Bronx River Books perennial bestseller, you’ll discover an abundance of interesting information about places, personalities, and events in your hometown.
