Public Hearing on Proposed New Law Regarding Gravel Surfaces and Voter Registration Day
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On Monday night 9-21 the Scarsdale Village Board will hold a hearing on a proposed change to village code regarding gravel surfaces. They will consider whether or not to treat gravel as an impervious, rather than a pervious surface. This distinction will affect the calculation on floor area ratio (FAR) and will impact the size of homes and outlying structures on Scarsdale properties. If you're concerned about development, home sizes or property rights, attend and listen to the discussion.
Scarsdale Village Hall
8PM Monday September 21, 2015
National Voter Registration Day
Tuesday September 22, 2015 is National Voter Registration Day. Voting is the best way to have your voice heard. Make sure that you, and all household members over the age of 18, including college bound seniors are registered.
For all the information you need on how and where to register, please visit the Leagues of Women Voters website at http://lwvs.org/voterinfo.html.
Scarsdale Remembers Those Lost on 9/11
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A memorial service was held at the Public Safety Building in Scarsdale on 9/11 to remember those who lost their lives in the terrorist attack. The service is held annually, and begins at 8:45 am sharp so 8:46 a ceremonial bell is rung to mark the time when the first plane hit the World Trade Center. The ceremony includes a joint Honor Guard Unit from the PBA (Police Union) and UFFA (Firefighter Union) who march in to begin the ceremony and march out to signify the conclusion of the ceremony.
Monsignor Ferry from IHM gave an opening and closing prayer and the national anthem was sung by SHS student Samuel Rosner. Three wreaths were placed to commemorate those who died, one at the large flag pole, one at Police Memorial for all Police Officers who lost their lives that day and one at Fire Department memorial for all the firefighters who passed away. There were several readings from Village dignitaries and a serenade from a bagpiper.
Thanks to Fire Captain Jim Seymour for the text and photographer Jon Thaler for the photos. See more of Jon Thaler's photos here:
NYS Education Department Releases Spring Test Results
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New York State has released the results for the state testing from Spring 2015, and Scarsdale kids continue to score far above state averages. According to the data, in NYS overall, 31% passed reading tests and 38% succeeded in math. In Scarsdale, results for the ELA range from 55% to 72% for grades three through eight and 71% to 80% for math.
There continues to be controversy about the tests, which are aligned with the Common Core curriculum. In Scarsdale 5% of students opted out of the ELA testing, and 6% opted out of the math. But the state average is far higher – the data shows that only 80% of eligible students took the tests, meaning 20%, or 200,000 students opted out. Since federal law requires that 95% of students participate, districts could face sanctions for falling so far below the benchmark.
The analysis from the state shows some interesting data.
-Performance on the ELA and the math tests among racial and ethnic groups improved this year over last year, with Asians outperforming white students.
-Statewide, girls do better than boys on the ELA and on math tests.
-The 20% of students who opted out of testing were much more likely to be White, much more likely to be from low need or average need districts, more likely to have scored at Level 1 or 2 in 2014 and much less likely to be economically disadvantaged.
Take a look at the report here.
We asked Scarsdale's Assistant Superintendent Lynne Shain for comments and data on Scarsdale and here is what she shared:
Scarsdale School data, this year vs. last year:
1-How does their performance compare to the prior year?
Some scores went up some scores went down, but overall there was not any statistically significant change.
2- Were there changes to the tests that may explain variations in results?
No
3-Have parents received their results? What should they do if they have questions?
I will be sending a message to parents about who to contact for more information when I announce the exact date when they may access test results through the parent portal.
4-Is this data used to decide which students qualify for extra help or time in the learning center?
Yes. The state sets the scores for students who qualify for AIS support (Academic Intervention Services). Parents of students who qualify will be notified by their school principal or designee.
Ben Levine Weds Sheli Steinberg
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Benjamin Simon Levine and Sheli Steinberg were married on September 7 at the Estate at the Florentine Gardens in River Vale, New Jersey, by Rabbi Lester Bronstein.
Mr. Levine, 28, works at Morgan Stanley, where he structures and executes derivatives for the firm's investment banking clients. He graduated from Scarsdale High School in 2004 and Tufts University in 2008. He is a son of Eric Levine and Terri Simon of Scarsdale. His father retired as an attorney with Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz. His mother, also a retired attorney, served on the Scarsdale Board of Education from 2001 to 2007 and is currently President of Scarsdale Public Library.
Ms. Steinberg, 27, is a partner manager with MediaMath, a digital advertising technology company. She graduated from Barnard College in 2010. She is a daughter of Marc and Dalia Steinberg of Bellmore, New York. Her father is president of DMS Diamond Co., a diamond trading company, and her mother is the bookkeeper at Merrick Jewish Center.
Masked Man Escaped with $8,000 from CVS
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More details have been shared about the robbery that occurred outside the CVS store at 807 White Plains Post Road in Scarsdale on Saturday August 15. It turns out that the suspect never entered the store, but left with $8,000 in cash. And though the robber claimed to have a gun, the manager never saw one.
According to a report from the Eastchester Police, the store manager was approached by the suspect outside the store when the manager stepped out to do his daily inspection of the exterior of the building at 8:45 am on Saturday. The manager heard someone call for help from the side of the building, opened a gate and saw the suspect who he described as 6 feet tall, wearing a white baseball cap, a mask that looked like an old man, a long sleeve black shirt, black latex gloves, black pants and black shiny boots.
The suspect was holding a white piece of paper and a white cloth bag and his left hand was placed inside the waist band of his pants. The suspect greeted the manager, saying "Hi Harry," and the manager explained that his name was not Harry. The suspect then handed the manager a note that said, "Get the money from the store. I have a gun." He then demanded that the manager hand over his drivers license and he did so. The suspect then told the manager not to call the police, because he said he knew where he lived.
The manager went inside, grabbed a bag of cash that contained about $4,000 and then went to the safe, opened it and took out another $4,000. He went outside to hand the suspect the money. The suspect then said, "You called the cops," and when the manager denied it, the suspect sprayed the manager's face with pepper spray. The manager grabbed the suspect's hand, forcing him to drop the bottle of spray. The manager was in pain from the spray, shut his eyes and did not see the man leave.
After police arrived, they cleared the store of customers, searched the area and found the note and the pepper spray. The police reviewed video footage from other stores in the area and brought in a K-9 team to investigate. A witness came forward and said that at around 9 am he had seen a 6 foot tall male dressed in black running westbound on Parkway Circle and north onto Maple Street.
