Schulhof and Pascutti Welcome Community Engagement

School Board Leaders Suzie Hahn Pascutti and Ron SchulhofFresh off a successful year at the Scarsdale School Board, newly elected leaders Ron Schulhof and Suzie Hahn Pascutti met us at the dining tent in the Village to look back and forward to the coming school year. Schulhof, who had served as Vice President for 2022-23 was elected to be the Board President, and Pascutti, who was elected to the board in 2022 will serve as Vice President.

Together the two form an upbeat and optimistic team, poised to take on new challenges, to work with Dr. Patrick and his cabinet and to respond to whatever new requests or concerns they hear from the public.

Looking back at the 2022-23 school year, they reflected on what had gone well. Among notable developments were:

The passage of a $4.7 million bond to renovate the Scarsdale High School auditorium, which was stalled on the school’s to-do list since 2014. Worn carpet, broken seats, poor acoustics, dangerous rigging and inadequate dressing rooms were just a few of the many issues that plagued the high school’s primary performance space. However with pressure to keep the tax increase below the state tax cap, financing the renovation without bumping up taxes was challenging. With little pushback, a separate bond was proposed, passed by the Board and passed with an 83% approval rate.

Another subject was the inclusion of Asian holidays in the school calendar. The board heard many pleas from parents and students wishing to be given time to observe their holidays without missing school or being pressed to complete homework assignments. The 2023-24 calendar includes celebrations of Diwali, Lunar New Year, and Eid al-Adha, with Eid al-Fitr observed as a Superintendent’s conference day. In addition, in order to accommodate requests from elementary school families, the school calendar for the upcoming year moves school conference days to be contiguous with weekends.

The team was proud of a new budget process where several budget scenarios were proposed and examined to permit the Board to review various options for the use of fund balance, financing facilities improvements and the resulting tax increases. The process permitted collegial conversation of the budget rather than a yea or nay disagreement.

Probably their most significant accomplishment was the search for a new school superintendent which ultimately led to the appointment of interim superintendent Dr. Andrew Patrick as the next Superintendent of the Scarsdale Schools. Dr. Patrick’s promotion left a vacancy in his prior position of Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources and Leadership Development. A search for that opening concluded with the appointment of Scarsdale Middle School Principal Meghan Troy to the district cabinet. Furthermore, Assistant Superintendent for Business, Stuart Mattey announced his retirement earlier in the year. After a search to fill that key job, the district hired Andrew Lennon. So, many of the faces around the dais at the July 6, 2023 organization meeting were new ones.

Other developments were the completion of work on auditing of the payroll system, the addition of mental health staff and the acceptance of gifts from the PTA’s at four of the five elementary schools to improve courtyards and exterior spaces for outdoor learning. The District worked in partnership with the Village on a number of projects, including cell service improvements around the High School and Fox Meadow (which should be completed in the coming months), funding a joint athletic field study, and safety and security initiatives.

Most notable was the change in the vibe since this time last year, when the board faced a financial and leadership crisis due to errors in the payroll process system, a lack of transparency, the resignation of the Superintendent and low community confidence. This team appeared to be commited to open communication with the administration and the community and resolved to learn from past mistakes.

What’s next?

The board will meet in August to discuss their goals for the coming year and to begin the process of designing a strategic plan.

Public input into the process and priorities is welcome. The two encouraged residents to attend board meetings this year where they can speak at two public comments sessions or to write to the board at [email protected].