Come Together for Scarsdale Schools

As the administrator of Scarsdale10583.com I believe I have a unique vantage point on my neighbors and the ability to take the pulse of the community. Through your frequent comments, articles and phone calls I catch wind of your pride in our unique Village, our first-rate schools and involved citizenry. You send news of your children's accomplishments and your own volunteer activities so that we can all celebrate what makes Scarsdale the stellar community that we love.

You also use the site to vent your frustrations and express your disappointment when the agenda doesn't go your way. Whether it's a disagreement with a neighbor, discontent with development or dismay about rising taxes, Scarsdale10583 is an open forum for discourse.

I have been proud to provide a venue for discussion and have attempted to moderate a healthy back and forth on pertinent issues. However, the recent campaign to vote down the Scarsdale Schools budget for the first time in over 40 years and to discredit our administrators and faculty has changed the tenor of some of the discussion and is deeply disturbing.

Until this point, the excellence of our schools was a point of pride to all. Our superintendent, a recognized world-class educator, was treated with respect, as were the school administration and the teachers who nurture our children. Their integrity was beyond question and they were extended a level of civility. Members of the Board of Education were thanked for their countless hours of service and lauded for stepping up to accept a second full time job without pay. They were considered stewards of our community and deemed to have our best interest at heart.

But in this past month the winds have shifted. Angry residents with a host of complaints, have come together to threaten what makes Scarsdale great. Unhappy about rising taxes -- primarily due to state policy -- they have focused their energies on dismantling the Scarsdale School District. They began with an effort to take a mere $325,000 out of the school budget and are now gunning for administrators, teachers and the educational program.

Rather than airing their concerns with the Board and administration before the vote, they launched a secretive campaign and scored a stunning budget defeat on May 21 leaving many dumbfounded. The cost of a second election will fall squarely on the taxpayers' backs and could have been avoided if the dissenters had come forward as a group before the election.

Following the defeat, the School Board and administration did everything possible to revise the second school budget to meet these objectors' expectations. Rather than thanks they were chided with new complaints. Most shocking was Mitchell Gross, who condemned Superintendent McGill for holding a health insurance reserve fund for the self-insured health plan that has saved the district millions. He called the reserve a "fictitious account" in violation of NYS law and said it was a "material and serious violation" made by the district to "mislead and misrepresent the public to obtain a positive outcome on the budget." He then conjectured that this "may constitute securities fraud" and called for Dr. McGill's resignation. He made this statement in public after McGill offered a complete explanation of the reserve and how NYS auditors view it.

I am certain that Gross could have posed his questions to the administration privately or more constructively. It sounded as if he was building a case for legal action rather than offering a comment about crafting a revised budget that would meet community approval.

Even after the Board trimmed expenses and cut $1.4 million from the second proposed budget, it appears that the conflict continues. The second budget vote will be held on June 18 and if it does not pass, the $5 million budget cut that will ensue will have draconian effects on our children and our schools. All the bells and whistles, the specialized offerings and the enhanced opportunities for our students could soon be gone, risking Scarsdale's national reputation and our real estate values.

These critics complain that taxes are too high and that empty nesters will be forced to move out of town if expenses are not cut. But, based on their complaints, perhaps it is time for them to consider a move. If they are discontent with the community and their taxes and no longer wish to support the schools, no one is keeping them here. ... and there are so many other communities with inferior school districts from which to choose.

As an empty nester myself, I look back at the education my children received and credit the Scarsdale Schools with making them the creative and ambitious adults they are today. All three have grown into "critical thinkers," eager to take on new challenges and excel at whatever they do. Was it the debate team, the student government, the student newspaper, the art teacher or the tennis coach who set them on their way? I can't say. All I know is that a combination of academics, extracurriculars, sports, teachers and peers provided them with a formative experience that is not available elsewhere.

I want to continue to encourage the teachers and administrators to offer that same experience to my neighbor's children today. I urge you to vote yes on Tuesday, support our faculty and administration and take pride in Scarsdale.

Joanne Wallenstein is the founder and owner of Scarsdale10583.com. The article above represents her point of view.