PTC Hosts Breakfast with Local Leaders

Frances Wills, Amy Paulin, Ben Boykin, Jane Veron and George LatimerCommunity leaders from the Village Board, the School Board, the School District, the state, the county and more gathered in the new multipurpose room at the Greenacres School for the annual legislative advocacy breakfast hosted by the Scarsdale PT Council on Friday morning February 3, 2023. The annual event returned after a lapse of several years due to COVID.

Frances Wills and Shelley MayerParents, teachers and administrators had the chance to hear what was top of mind in the area of education from Scarsdale’s representatives in the NYS Senate and Assembly, the Board of Regents, Westchester County and the Village.

The event was introduced by PTC President Lauren Grossberg and hosted by PTC Legislative Advocacy Committee Chairs Lauren Fields and Rachna Singh.

Opening the session, was Scarsdale’s State Senator Shelley Mayer who recently added Scarsdale to her district. She credited Governor Kathy Hochul with a $2.7 billion increase for education in the proposed budget and said funding for building aid and the transportation reimbursement remain, and overall, “even Scarsdale is getting a 3% increase.” She said two of her goals were to do more to fund mental health initiatives and to improve the formula for funding special education for districts like Scarsdale.

Assemblywoman Amy Paulin said, “We just got the state budget and we are analyzing it. What Drew Patrick and Ben Boykindoes it mean for Scarsdale?” She expressed concern about a proposal in the budget to build multi-family housing within a half mile of train stations, bypassing local zoning code. She said, “Each acre within a half mile of the train station would be zoned for 50 units … I will make sure this does not go too far.”

County Executive George Latimer said, “Most of the education issues that affect us directly are state issues. However The role of the county in schools was important during the COVID pandemic.”

Ben Boykin, Former Chair of the County Board of Legislators reviewed some of the recent legislation that was passed by the board including a reproductive health clinic access law that is currently being challenged in the courts, and a food safety law that requires restaurants with more than four employees to have one person trained in treating people with food allergies. The Board passed a hate crime bill and a salary transparency law that requires job postings to show the salary range for the opening and permits applicants not to reveal their current salary. He added, “County taxes have been cut for the fourth year in a row.”

Justin Arest, Jeremy Gans and Stacey GreeneNY State Regent Frances Wills discussed a few priorities for the Board of Regents including:

-A quest for universal meals in our schools – we understand the struggles faced by families.

-New graduation measures – are there other measures that state regents tests of being a qualified graduate? The regents tests are a narrow measure. We want a system that has multiple pathways to graduation.

-Career technological education.

-Advancing the arts. She said, “It helps mental health – for those involved with visual arts, performance arts and music. The regents are very conscious of the role of the arts in mental health.

-Equity, excellence and inclusion.

-Upgrading computer system for student evaluation and for teacher certification. Also The Regents need for a way for people to get a response when they contact them.Erica Papir, Dara Gruenberg and Debbie Bhatt

-Increasing opportunities for students to take advance placement courses and college courses.

Mayor Jane Veron was thankful for the Village’s partnership with community organizations and the support of the county and the state. She said, “the collaboration between the Village and the school makes us stronger. We don’t want silos. We are better when we get to work together.”

She reviewed some items on her agenda:

About safety and security she said, “Our police and fire departments are committed to school safety. We have live feeds from the schools whenever there is a security issue. Closing the telecom gap is a matter of public safety. Our service is not what it needs to be. I spoke to the carriers and underscored the need to close these gaps. We have got to make this happen.”

“We have lowered the speed limit to 25 mph – reducing speed 5 mph has a safety impact. Watch out for the signs.”

Sharon Hill and Edgar McIntoshShe continued, “People move here for our proximity to the city, our schools and our quality of life. We support our assets – including our new public library. It is bursting at the seams. Our pool has outlived its useful life. Now it’s our turn to re-imagine our future. We are going to schematic designs. I know we will transform the pool. And there are eight pickleball courts coming to Crossway this summer! We are considering a field study funded by the Village and school district. The Dine the Dale tent will return and we will have more activation of spaces including a Farmer’s Market on Sundays starting on June.”

School Board Nominating Committee Seeks Candidates

The School Board Nominating Committee (SBNC) is seeking potential candidates to serve on the Scarsdale Board of Education. The SBNC invites all Scarsdale School District residents to propose names of qualified individuals to serve on the Scarsdale Board of Education by email to [email protected]. A candidate must be at least 18 years old, a U.S. citizen, a qualified voter, and a resident of the Scarsdale School District for at least one year prior to the May 16th school board election.

Candidates should complete a biographical information form and submit it via email to [email protected] as soon as possible, but no later than 7:00pm on Thursday, February 16, 2023. The application form is available on the SBNC website www.scarsdalesbnc.com. Please see the “Join the School Board” tab or contact the SBNC Chair for further information.

Kathy de la Garza and Maria Stile