What happened at this week’s Board of Ed Meeting?
Didn’t want to sit through the meeting? Don’t feel like an outsider, just read the Insider.
Six charts about our students you really need to see
How are our district’s finances looking?
A push for financial literacy is paying off for juniors, seniors
Plus more
BY DEBORAH SKOLNIK
If you read no other part of this article about last Monday’s Board of Education meeting, you’ll want to check out the following charts. They’ll tell you at a glance exactly how well Scarsdale’s students are doing:
⬆️ What a difference Scarsdale High School’s students soar—and score—way above the rest of the country on the SATs.
⬆️ Oh, the places they go An impressive majority of SHS students go on to top-50 colleges and universities.
⬆️ Crushing comparable schools’ scores We best even the most desirable local school districts.
⬆️ Astounding AP success: The percentage of students who score a 3 or above on their Advanced Placement tests approaches 100.
⬆️ Rockin’ the Regents: Virtually all students scored 65%-100% across five major subjects.
⬆️ Well prepared. A high percentage of SHS students meet important benchmarks of college readiness.
Monday’s Board of Education meeting wasn’t just about charts, though. A wide range of topics were discussed, from transportation to student achievement. For a faster read, scan the bolded information.
THE LOWDOWN FROM SEVERAL AUDITS
Three audits were presented by the professionals authorized by the district. Some of the highlights: Last year, the district had estimated it would need $175 million to fund all its operations, primarily financed by property taxes (plus county and state aid). In all, the school received $177.5, leaving it $2.1 million in the black.
Unsurprisingly. almost the entire proceeds went to teacher salaries, guidance counselors, and all other classroom-related costs. (Employee benefits amounted to roughly $41 million.) About $9 million went to paying off debts from capital projects, and $2.3 million went to property tax relief. Busing expenses came in at $5.5 million dollars, essentially what was budgeted.
A second auditor’s report recommended hiring a part-time person to perform administrative duties for busing, such as reviewing invoices and making sure the bus route information in the system is accurate. “That will facilitate the department becoming more efficient, and the supervisor in transportation and the head bus monitors [will become] more focused on providing the transportation services to the students,” the auditor said.
In addition, the auditor said, there may be room to improve bus route accuracies, and that equipping the buses with external cameras and GPS systems will help to more accurately track when buses are idle or commit traffic violations. The board voted to accept the information from the audits presented.
BOARD SOON TO TOUR SCHOOLS, HOLD PUBLIC COFFEES
President Suzie Hahn shared that the Board will soon begin visiting each school in our district. “These school tours are a wonderful opportunity for members of the Board to see firsthand the exciting learning, living, and leading happening at our schools, as well as to understand what the condition of the buildings and grounds are like, and what improvements might be of benefit to our school communities. As [the Board] prepares to begin work on the next bond, these visits will be especially helpful,” she said.
In addition, the Board will hold its first board coffee of the year on October 30th, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the high school. “It is the Board’s hope that the community will benefit from this less formal way of interacting with Board members,” President Hahn said. As second coffee will take place on November 6th from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
SHS AUDITORIUM RENOVATION UPDATE
“We’ve now fully installed the scaffolding unit that is allowing to contractors to work at the ceiling height of the auditorium, which is an impressive feat,” said Superintendent Dr. Drew Patrick. “We are meeting weekly with our contractors to keep track of the project,” Although the project is still slated to be finished on time, acoustical panels are a long-lead item. They are being monitored closely for timely delivery.
TRAFFIC CHANGES NEAR TWO SCHOOLS?
Eric Rauschenbach, Assistant Superintendent for Special Education and Student Services, shared that changes may be coming soon to roads by the Greenacres and Fox Meadow Elementary Schools. In Greenacres, there is a discussion underway to make Sage Terrace between Putnam and Brewster Roads a one-way street to ease congestion.
In Fox Meadow, there is an effort underway to change the signs along Hampton Road from “No Standing” to “No Stopping,” which will allow the police to cite parents who try to drop off their children there. “We [are also looking] to move Chesterfield Road to a one-way street, which would allow for a safer crossing for all of our walkers coming into the school,” Rauschenbach said.
A THANK-YOU FROM THE PTC
During the first public comments session, Erica German, president of the Scarsdale PTC, acknowledged the hard work and efforts of the Board. “On behalf of the whole community, I’d like to tell you that we recognize the tremendous effort, time, and care that all of your work represents, and thank you for your service to our children, to the school district, and to public education,” she said.
STUDENTS SHOWED THEIR FINANCIAL SAVVY
Among many educational initiatives this year, Scarsdale schools have focused on improving students’ financial literacy. Dr. Edgar McIntosh, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, introduced several students to talk about the success of the program.
Amelia was the first to speak. She shared that even though it’s early in the year, “students have learned a substantial amount of incredibly helpful advice and skills that we are easily able to apply in real life,” she said. Right now, juniors and seniors are in the classes, “but we are hoping we can expand this to the broader Scarsdale High School community,” Amelia added.
Money basics Amelia shared what she studies in her financial literacy course.
A student named Matan was next to speak, and explained how the classes educate students about amortization. “We learned these formulas by hand, and sort of understood how they were derived and what they really mean in the context of a loan,” he said. Next, he and his classmates used automated tools to make the figures easier to understand. “We also learned how monthly payments are distributed between interest and principal over time,” he added.
Mer, a third SHS student, talked about how the course allows students to gain insight into debt. In particular, the focus has been on different types of financial aid and student loans, she said. “We’ve been able to learn about public and private loans and the difference between them…and the difference between unsubsidized versus subsidized loans, and who can apply for those and the different benefits of [each].”
Next to take the podium was Stacey, who said that the class has helped students learn about banking and budgeting. “We were provided with a sheet detailing various costs and choices, such as cars and homes. Each cost had several options with varying values…so this activity forced us to weigh the importance of different necessities and nonessentials, which meant we made critical decisions,” she explained.
Following Stacey came Zach, who said he has learned about how financial literacy improves people’s lives. Among other sources, he cited an article in The New York Times which states that financial instruction in high school improves credit scores, lowers loan delinquency rates, and reduces the use of services such as payday lending.
INCREDIBLE STUDENT SCORES AND ACHIEVEMENTS
Dr. McIntosh next spoke about Scarsdale students’ outstanding educational performance, using slides such as the ones featured in the beginning of this article “Scarsdale continues to maintain and demonstrate high levels of achievement through several standardized means,” he proudly announced.
ABOUT OUR DISTRICT’S BUSES…
The fleet manager at Highland gave a report on the status of the district’s buses. “New York state has a zero-emission vehicle mandate,” she shared. “One-hundred percent of new school bus purchases must have zero emissions starting in 2027, and then by 2035, the state is mandating that schools flip their fleet to be fully electric or fully zero-percent emission.”
Fortunately, Scarsdale was awarded $800K by the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program towards this goal. The transition will still be expensive, however, because electric school buses are three to four times more expensive than a traditional diesel or gas vehicle. There are other extra expenses as well, such as maintaining a charging depot. It’s hoped that the costs will decrease before the mandate comes into effect. Emily recommended staggering the transition of the bus fleet.
TREASURER’S FINDINGS
Switching topics to the district’s investments, the school treasurer then addressed the Board. Although interest rates have been dropping, “We’re still comfortable with the estimated revenue budget of one-point-seven-five million,” she said. Tax revenues have been flowing in faster than last year, so the school has $17 million more right now than at the same time last year.
Soon after, the 3 1/2 hour meeting ended, having provided everyone present in person or via Zoom abundant insight into our schools as we head into the second half of the fall semester.