Scarsdale School Board Encourages You to Vote on Tuesday May 21

(This letter was submitted by the Scarsdale Board of Education: Pictured above)

Dear Scarsdale School Community:

The Scarsdale Board of Education is pleased to present the proposed budget for the 2024-25 school year. The vote for the 2024-25 budget will be on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at Scarsdale Middle School from 7 AM - 9 PM. Parking is available throughout the day at the lower circle, reached from the school driveway on Kelwynne Road.

The proposed budget is the culmination of a thoughtful and collaborative process, led by the Administration and Board. Deliberations and decisions by the Board were guided by a focus on students and with thoughtful input from the school community, including principals, teachers, students, parents, residents, and community groups.

We believe this budget reflects prudent fiscal management while continuing our focus on providing an educational experience that reflects our community’s core values and prepares our students to succeed and thrive.

Budget Accomplishments

The proposed budget preserves our tradition of excellence in teaching and learning while expanding programming based on student and parent feedback and addressing important safety and capital needs:

● New STEAM Courses: Scarsdale High School will introduce two new STEAM courses - Financial Literacy and an advanced calculus course.
● Special Education: Continuum of Services & CSE Process Improvements: Expansion of integrated co-teaching (ICT) into 7th grade and an additional administrator position to improve CSE and related student and family functions.
● Addressing Flooding and Stormwater: Major rehabilitation of Brewster Road stream to address flooding.
● Safety and Security Improvements: Installation of door-ajar sensors for high-priority locations throughout the district and a new emergency communication platform.
● New Website and Communication System: The website and mass communication system will be fully replaced and upgraded to provide a better experience for our students, parents, faculty, and community.

Budget Process and Community Engagement

This year’s budget was especially challenging, given the desire to continue and expand our educational programming while managing many fiscal headwinds. The Board’s budget process began, as in past years, with a public listening session for the community to share their budget priorities for the upcoming school year. Details of the budget were presented and discussed at Board meetings throughout January, February, and March. Throughout these discussions, the community provided thoughtful feedback which helped inform items that were added to the budget as well as areas where reductions were made.

Public Vote on the Budget

The vote for the 2024-25 budget will be on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at Scarsdale Middle School from 7 AM - 9 PM. The projected tax levy is 4.45%, which requires a 60% voter approval. This levy equates to a $1,060 increase for the median assessed home in Scarsdale, which is $187 more than the tax cap. For homes in Mamaroneck, the median assessed home would see a reduction of $2,355 in their tax levy, which is $203 more than the tax cap.

Whichever way you vote, participation is an important way to show your involvement in our schools.

Sincerely,

The Scarsdale Board of Education
Ron Schulhof, President
Suzie Hahn, Vice-President
Colleen Brown
James Dugan
Robert Klein
Jessica Resnick-Ault
Amber Yusuf