Committee Nominates Maude, Natbony and Cannon for Scarsdale School Board

The Scarsdale School Board Nominating Committee has announced their nominees for election to the Scarsdale School Board of Education; they are Leila Maude, William Natbony, and Nina Ledis Cannon. If elected on May 17, 2016, Maude and Natbony will be returning to the School Board for second three-year terms. Cannon will fill the seat vacated by Suzanne Seiden, who is completing her second and final term on the Board at the end of this school year. New trustees assume their roles effective July 1.

This year the SBNC was led by Chair John Spiro and Vice Chair Jeannine Palermo. The SBNC is comprised of 30 voting members and 4 non-voting members, all of whom are residents of the Scarsdale School District. The thirty voting members serve staggered 3-year terms and are elected directly by the residents of their election units, which correspond to the five elementary school neighborhoods. The 4 non-voting members consist of a Chair and Vice Chair who are selected from the previous year's graduating voting members, and one appointee each from the Scarsdale Forum and the Confederation of Scarsdale Neighborhood Association Presidents (SNAP). Collectively, the SBNC undertakes the process of recruiting and vetting prospective candidates to serve as trustees on the Board of Education.

Over the course of Sunday meetings between January and March, this year's SBNC interviewed and conducted due diligence on all applicants. Through discussion and careful consideration, and pursuant to the SBNC Resolution, the SBNC then judged and selected individuals "solely on their qualifications to serve the community."

For more information on the SBNC, including the governing Resolution, information on the nonpartisan system, and a list of the current SBNC members, please visit the SBNC website here: 

Here's some information on the candidates:

Leila Maude, Current President of the Scarsdale Board of Education

Here is a statement from Lee Maude: I am honored to have been nominated for a second term on the Scarsdale Board of Education. Serving on this Board has been very rewarding and always thought-provoking as we take on many challenges facing our District. It has been an absolute pleasure to work with my fellow board members, the District faculty and administration. This year the Board had has an opportunity to visit each of the schools and observe teaching and learning in action. It is very important that we remain focused on this as our ultimate goal in leading the Scarsdale School District.

Clearly the highlight of my first term was the hiring of Dr. Thomas Hagerman and observing and participating in his entry to the School District. As we know, Scarsdale is a high-performing district. Dr. Hagerman has introduced a Scarsdale Transition Plan that is focused on keeping Scarsdale at the forefront of public education. Here are some of the other accomplishments of the Administration, Faculty and Board over the last three years:

• We passed an $18.12MM bond referendum with an 86% approval. Proceeds will be used to create a Learning Commons and Design Lab in the High School, a new orchestra rehearsal space in the Middle School, a new Library and office in the Edgewood elementary school and an additional multipurpose room in the Heathcote elementary school.
• Next year the Scarsdale High School will be rolling out the first year of STEAM-sequence classes (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) as part of a continuum of STEAM classes for our new Design Lab.
• We have also added two English Language Arts helping teachers to serve the elementary schools and reading specialists to help our youngest readers.
• This is the first year that all our elementary schools are using the same curriculum for writing -- the Teachers College Writing Workshop. It was a challenging curriculum to implement and we thank all the elementary school teachers for taking on this new endeavor. It is very rewarding to see this district embrace change and move forward.
• Next year the 6th grade world language program will be increased from every other day in the first half of the year to every day in order to allow additional time for conversation.

Over the next three years, I look forward to working with Dr. Hagerman and the Board on the Scarsdale Transition plan. Dr. Hagerman has been able to implement new programs and staffing without adding significant dollars to our school budget (and, in fact, there was a budget decrease last year). As a Board member it is gratifying to see improvements made that do not necessarily result in additional expenses.

One of the District's challenges over the next 10 years will be to create and fund a master plan that addresses all of our facilities. This effort is long overdue and we hope to be able to accomplish this with little or no increase in taxes.

Finally, I would like to add that the Board began a partnership with the faculty two years ago to repair our frayed relationship after the last STA contract was signed. We have been meeting as a group and individually with members of the STA leadership and we have learned much about their issues and their work.

As a Board we committed ourselves this year to listen to the community. The community dialogue for the most part has been informative and respectful. We do value the opinions of residents and hope they understand that we cannot address all issues in any one year and to be patient, informed and involved. We as a Board believe that focusing on our goals in the Scarsdale Transition Plan will ensure a more successful future for all of us.

William Natbony, Current Member of the Scarsdale Board of Education

Tell us about your background:

Public school education has always been an extremely important part of my life. I am the proud product of a public school education through 12th Grade, having attended PS 40, JHS 104 and the High School for Performing Arts (made famous in the movie "Fame") in New York City. I graduated from Princeton University in 1980, majoring in economics, and obtained my law degree from Georgetown thereafter. Through the Justice Resource Center in New York City and through my extensive pro bono activities relating to education, I have taught in public school classrooms, served as mentor and coach to hundreds of public high school students over the years, and designed and implemented programs that partner corporate and governmental entities with public schools to enhance programs within the public school system.

I have lived in Scarsdale for more than twenty years and, with my wife Cheryl, have raised four children here, each of whom has benefitted greatly from the fine education that Scarsdale's public schools provide, with one child still in the High School. In that regard, I have seen it all and experienced it all within our schools. From a different perspective, I will soon be an empty nester, except for my dog Molly.

Aside from my passion for public school education generally, my education, professional and community service experience have provided me with certain tools and lessons that have been, and will continue to be, of great use as a School Board Member. Having been a litigator and attorney to numerous corporate and not for profit organizations, I have been involved in searches for Chief Executive Officers, attended numerous Board meetings and provided day to day advice on governance, financial, legal and operational issues raised before such Boards. In Scarsdale, I have previously served on the Board and as President of Little League, with responsibility for the development of policy, budgeting and programs. As a Parks and Recreation Council member, and Chairman for several years, I had the opportunity to deal with budget issues, development of broad policy, and the resolution of numerous issues raised with great emotion by parents, children, and representatives of Independent Sports Organizations. I also have served on the Scarsdale Bowl Committee.

What were some of the highlights of your first term?

During my service, with my active participation, the Board has worked its way through several successful and thoughtful budgets, and developed an evaluation of our facilities' needs and a capital program initiative culminating with a successful bond vote to provide facilities essential for 21st century learning. We have also reconstructed the debate over how to address the Greenacres School to provide for more constructive community input. During the same period the Board has strengthened curriculum in reading and STEAM programs has focused on possible World Language modifications. The Board also concluded successful searches for new key administrative positions, including our new Superintendent, Thomas Hagerman.

If I had to choose one significant accomplishment, in which I have had a significant role, I would point to a marked improvement in the dialogue and information flow to our community. Whether the issues are budgetary, curriculum, process or other, I think we as a Board have nurtured a reputation as listeners and independent thinkers open to creative solutions. As a Board member, there remains the ever-present need to balance the needs and desires of often seemingly competing interests -- but the key questions remain -- what is "right", and what is "fair" given the goals of our flagship educational programs. To answer those questions, listening and having a real dialogue with our community, the School Administration and staff, untainted by personal or professional bias, is essential.

Over these past three years, I am very proud of the significant progress our Board has made in insuring open and meaningful dialogues with all those who have an interest in what we do. Regular visits to classrooms by Board members, answering every written communication we receive with substantially more than a pro-forma response, increased and enhanced collaboration and partnership with the District Administrative Cabinet through the implementation of detailed transition plans and portfolio groups, and a focus on civility and listening at our meetings and otherwise, have all resulted in a truly collaborative and cohesive effort to do what is right for our community and our students, which is the ultimate goal. Additionally, over the past three years, at various times, I have served as the Board's liaison to entities such as the Center for Innovation, the Scarsdale Teen Center, the Scarsdale Schools Education Foundation, the Village Committee on Youth, and the Village Advisory Committee relating to senior citizens, keeping those lines of communication open and vibrant. However, I don't think anyone on our Board sees the work we do, or our accomplishments, as individual in nature; they are the result of working together and listening. I am excited about the prospect of doing and listening even more together over the next three years.

What do you most enjoy about serving on the Board of Education?

Serving on the School Board has allowed me the opportunity to collaborate with so many other talented and dedicated community volunteers and School Administrators and staff as we strive to achieve the common goals of preserving and enhancing our schools. Touring the classrooms in our schools and actually seeing the results of our collaborative efforts have been the most enjoyable moments over the past few years. After all, in the end, what we do has the most impact on our children and their ultimate happiness and success.

What do you see as the challenges facing the Scarsdale Schools?

There are a number of challenges our School District, and thus the School Board, will face over the next few years. We will need to continue preserving and enhancing our educational programs while balancing the need for fiscal prudence. We will need to move forward with the community and District Administration on essential capital improvement programs, including deciding how to address the needs of the Greenacres Elementary School in a manner that provides an updated learning environment and preserves important open space. We will need to continue looking at ways to innovate in terms of programs and process while maintaining the integrity of our cherished liberal arts education. Finally, we will need to continue exploring ways to minimize the stress levels of our students while balancing the necessity of an academically rigorous program.

Anything else to share?

I want to take this opportunity to thank the members of the SBNC for their trust in re-nominating me to the School Board. If elected, I will continue to serve with an open ear, an open mind and with dedication to serving the goals of our community and the interests of our children.

Nina Ledis Cannon, New nominee for the Scarsdale Board of Education

Nina Ledis Cannon is currently on the faculty of Hunter College as the Pre-Health Professional Schools Application Advisor where she assists seniors applying to graduate schools in the health professions with their personal statements, applications, and committee letters. Ms. Cannon also provides college essay and advising services to high school seniors in the tri-state region. She volunteers her college essay and advising services to juniors and seniors at the Harlem Village Academies, a New York City charter school. In addition, Ms. Cannon works in the publishing industry as a freelance copy editor for Penguin Random House and Macmillan, as well as other publishing concerns. Prior to her involvement in the fields of education and publishing, Ms. Cannon was a corporate attorney for ten years at several large New York based law firms. Since moving to Scarsdale in 1992, she has participated in a variety of school and community programs including running the afterschool clubs program at Greenacres Elementary School, serving as environment chair of the Scarsdale League of Women Voters, committee member for the Fox Meadow PTA Fundraiser, parent coordinator for the Scarsdale High School Varsity Raiders, and Benefit Committee member of the Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling Service. Ms. Cannon graduated summa cum laude with honors in political science from Dickinson College and received her juris doctorate degree from Duke University School of Law. She also received her Certificate in Copyediting from the New York University School of Continuing Education. Ms. Cannon and her husband David, a Scarsdale native, have three children who all attended the Scarsdale schools and went on to matriculate at MIT, Princeton University, and Bucknell University.

Why did you decide to put your name in for this position?

I decided to seek a position on the Scarsdale Board of Education because of my passion for education and student welfare and because I believe in the importance of maintaining the high-quality standards of academic learning in the Scarsdale Schools for all students at all levels in the community.

What do you hope to experience or accomplish?

I hope to gain closer connections to members of the community and to collaborate and build consensus with the other school board members in order to approve policies that create positive, forward thinking, and lasting changes for our Scarsdale Schools for the benefit of all students.

What do you see as the main challenges facing the Scarsdale Schools?

I see the main challenges facing the Scarsdale Schools as balancing the necessity to produce a curriculum that will meet the demands of preparing students for twenty-first century learning, and becoming productive citizens in a global community, with the continued importance of developing the critical thinking and analytical skills that can only be achieved through exposure to the liberal arts.

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