Wellness Center: Pedagogical Peccadillo or Necessity?
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Here is a letter to the Scarsdale Board of Education from Scarsdale resident Robert J. Berg about the proposed 2013-2014 schoo budget that he read at the April 8, 2013 School Budget Forum.
Dear Members: What do the following public school districts in Westchester have in common: Edgemont; Bronxville, Chappaqua, Rye City, Rye Neck, Blind Brook, Mamaroneck, Byram Hills, and Pelham? These school districts all are considered excellent school districts, and include the districts to which Scarsdale generally compares itself.
What else do these same school districts have in common? Each of these districts has proposed a school budget for 2013-2014 that falls within the state adjusted tax cap.
These districts face the identical pressures as we do in Scarsdale. Yet their school boards have followed the only responsible course to protect their taxpayers from even more ridiculous property tax increases. Unfortunately, this Board of Education has yet to step up to the plate.
I have repeatedly stood before this Board this year and urged you to adopt a budget that falls within Scarsdale's adjusted tax cap. I have explained how such a budget can be attained without cutting any educational or extra-curricular programs and without increasing class size.
To reiterate, I have asked you to eliminate funding of about $1,000,000 for a fancy, new Wellness Center -- a number that undoubtedly will increase because the Administration will certainly want to finish the unfinished core into a classroom/lab.
I have also asked you to eliminate the $115,000 in funding for a second public information officer whose task would be largely to act as a Twitter blogger and webmaster.
These two expenditures are low hanging fruit in a budget approaching $150 million. They are easy to challenge because they epitomize the Administration's spendthrift "If we spend it, they will come" approach to our tax dollars.
By eliminating these ill-considered expenditures and by drawing down our wildly excessive reserves, the Board can present the community with a budget that falls within the adjusted tax cap and that, at least, tries to lessen the rate of increase in our property tax growth.
Fundamental fairness to our taxpayers requires this approach. At the present time, close to one half of Scarsdale households have no students in the school district. Yet they must bear the incredibly heavy burden of educating the other half's children. Already, many long-term residents find that the property tax burden makes it irrational for them to remain in Scarsdale after their children have been educated. I see it repeatedly on my street and all around town. As soon as their children graduate or within a year or two thereafter, my neighbors are putting their houses on the market and moving away to avoid Scarsdale's ever increasing taxes. This is not a theoretical construct – it is happening all the time. And soon, it will lead to the Bronxville "death spiral" where eighty percent of households have children in the Bronxville schools, raising property taxes inexorably higher.
I have a neighbor who is in her early 80s. She was literally born in Scarsdale, was in one of the first classes at Fox Meadow Elementary School, and has lived in Scarsdale her entire life. Her children graduated the Scarsdale Schools probably over forty years ago. In 2012, she paid $36,000 in property taxes, of which $23,000 was the school property tax. I paid $43,000 in school property taxes alone in 2012. This is madness, and at least, I still have two children in the district.
It is just plain wrong to fund unneeded luxuries and maintain excessive reserves for a "rainy day" at a time when Scarsdale's taxpayers are faced with crushing property taxes that are driving our residents away.
I urge the Board not to indulge Dr. McGill's pedagogical peccadillos any further, and to adopt a budget that falls squarely within the tax cap.
Respectfully,
Robert J. Berg
32 Tisdale Road
Scarsdale, New York 10583
Drug Take Back Day at Scarsdale Village Hall
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On April 27th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Scarsdale Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public yet another opportunity prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. Bring your medications for disposal to Scarsdale Village Hall at 1001 Post Rd. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
Last September, Americans turned in 244 tons of prescription drugs at over 5,200 sites operated by the DEA and its thousands of state and local law enforcement partners. In its five previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners took in over 2 million pounds—over a thousand tons—of pills.
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.
Four days after the first event, Congress passed the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010, which amends the Controlled Substances Act to allow an "ultimate user" of controlled substance medications to dispose of them by delivering them to entities authorized by the Attorney General to accept them. The Act also allows the Attorney General to authorize long term care facilities to dispose of their residents' controlled substances in certain instances. DEA is drafting regulations to implement the Act. Until new regulations are in place, local law enforcement agencies like [agency] and the DEA will continue to hold prescription drug take-back events every few months.
Girl Rising Premieres to a Full House
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March 7th marked the premiere of Girl Rising, a documentary that showcases the strength of the human spirit and the power of girl's education to change the world. Thanks to Jenny Glucksman and Julie Waxman, the Scarsdale community came together on this snowy night for the sold-out private screening at The Emelin Theater in Mamaroneck. The film premiered in over 400 theatres across the country. "Girl Rising is a call to action to inspire global and meaningful change for girls everywhere", said Julie Waxman. "By bringing Girl Rising to Scarsdale, we feel we are showing our community a beautiful film that demonstrates the impact education can have on girls' lives around the globe," said Jenny Glucksman.
Girl Rising is directed by Academy Award nominee Richard E. Robbins and narrated by Cate Blanchett, Priyanka Chopra, Selena Gomez, Anne Hathaway, Salma Hayek, Alicia Keys, Chloë Moretz, Liam Neeson, Freida Pinto, Meryl Streep, and Kerry Washington. It tells the stories of nine unforgettable girls born into unforgiving circumstances and gives us a glimpse into the struggles faced by millions around the globe. Girl Rising was produced in conjunction with the global 10x10 campaign to educate girls in developing nations.
A portion of Girl Rising ticket sales go to support girls' programs around the world through the 10x10 Fund for Girls' Education. The Fund goes to 10x10's high-impact network of non-profit partners and leaders in girls' education: A New Day Cambodia, CARE, Girl Up/United Nations Foundation, Partners in Health, Plan International USA, Room to Read, UNICEF, and World Vision.
Additional screenings are planned throughout Westchester and tickets can be purchased online through www.Gathr.com.
HUD Threatens to Reallocate $7.4mm of Westchester County Funding
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Westchester County stands to lose an estimated $7.4 million in federal HUD funding for failing to comply with the terms of the Fair and Affordable Housing Settlement. In a letter to County Executive Rob Astorino dated March 25, 2013, HUD Director of Planning and Development Vincent Hom chides the county for failing to provide "a satisfactory plan to overcome exclusionary zoning practices" or providing a plan to promote sources of income legislation that would bar landlords from discriminating against tenants who use Section 8 vouchers or other government income to pay their rent.
Specifically, the Federal Monitor has asked the county to:
- Identify local zoning practices that are having exclusionary impacts
- Develop a process for notifying municipalities of zoning issues that hinder the County's ability to meet the terms of the settlement and assign consequences for municipalities who fail to change their zoning
- Identify types of zoning practices that would lead the county to pursue legal action
- Provide a plan to promote source of income legislation that is consistent with the direction from the Monitor and the District Court.
According to the letter, if Westchester County does not comply with its "civil rights obligations", HUD will begin reallocating $7,440,184 in funds that were allocated for Westchester in the FY2011 and FY2012 budgets to "address housing and community development needs."
Ned McCormack, Director of Communication for Astorino issued a statement in response to the March 25th letter, arguing that the county is well ahead of schedule on building the units, and has met the benchmark of completing 305 of the 750 required homes by the end of 2013. According to the County Executive's Office, "the county has supplied volumes of data as well as a thorough legal analysis showing Westchester's zoning is not exclusionary." Furthermore, the issue about the source of income legislation is now before the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
The $7.44 million in funds had not been intended to build affordable housing but to communities in need and were going to be used for a pedestrian safety project in Bedford, a senior medical van in Eastchester, sewer work in Ossining, homelessness prevention and affordable housing.
Here is Astorino's response to Hom's letter:
The county's position is that it is in full compliance – in fact ahead of schedule – with the settlement's requirements and that HUD's most recent letter of March 25 is just one more example of the federal government trying to bully Westchester to do things that go far beyond the terms of the settlement and dismantle local zoning.
HUD's latest action of unilaterally demanding that the county give up either its constitutionally protected rights or $7 million that it was promised two years ago – money that goes not only to build affordable housing but to communities not involved in the settlement and most in need – shows that HUD has no regard or respect for fairness, due process and the judges of the U.S. Second Circuit who are charged with resolving this dispute.
The county is a year ahead of schedule in meeting the key benchmark of having 300 affordable units with financing in place by the end of 2013. As of today, the county has 305 units.
In all matters, the county has complied with the dispute resolution process outlined in the settlement. On the issue of source of income, the matter is now before the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals, where the county is confident that the U.S. Magistrate's ruling in its favor will be upheld.
On the zoning issue, the county has supplied volumes of data as well as a thorough legal analysis showing Westchester's zoning is not exclusionary. The county would not be ahead of schedule in developing affordable housing in the 31 eligible communities if the zoning in those communities was exclusionary. The impasse is over HUD's refusal to accept the county's well documented conclusions.
However, the Anti-Discrimination Center who originally brought the lawsuit against Westchester County argues that HUD has not gone far enough and wants HUD to hold the county in contempt.
Here is an excerpt from a March 26 letter on their site:
But the real story is not that HUD is exercising authority that it is supposed to exercise in respect to any of more than 1,000 jurisdictions that receive federal housing funds, it's that HUD still is not prepared to act on the fact that Westchester is uniquely situated: the county, unlike those 1,000+ other jurisdictions, has obligations pursuant to a binding federal court order. HUD just won't act on the fundamental principle that obligations arising from a court order that haven't been fulfilled need to be vindicated by going back to court and seeking to hold the non-complying party in contempt. This is Law Enforcement 101.
Sadly the dispute between the county and HUD has now reached a critical point where the impasse is depriving Westchester residents of badly needed Federal funds. While the verbal sparring continues the real cost to the county is now painfully evident.
Students Speak Up to the Board of Education
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The Civ Ed program, school clubs, interdisciplinary courses, stress and the competitive environment at Scarsdale High School were all discussed on Wednesday March 6, when a select group of students met with the Scarsdale Board of Education and administrators. Board members and school leaders, including Principal Kenneth Bonamao and teacher and school government leader Neil Ginsberg, were present at the meeting and encouraged honest opinions from the students.
Civ Ed, a program designed to help freshmen transition to high school through interaction with upperclass advisors, received high praise from the students. "Civ Ed makes school friendlier and warmer," said Freshman Harry Gale. "I know I have people looking out for me." Other Civ Ed students agreed that the program made a huge difference in their transition to the high school.
Another topic raised was interdisciplinary courses, which are classes that connect two subjects. Students present at the meeting generally favored these classes. "If someone is passionate about one subject, it is good for them to see it through a different lens to enjoy another subject," said Solange Azor, SHS student president. The courses allow students to master subjects in which they are weak by learning them through subjects in which they may be stronger.
The importance of "real-world" learning experiences to complement traditional classroom learning was also discussed. Ginsberg spoke of a course about old age that he taught in 1979. He took students to nursing homes to spend time with the elderly. His students and the elderly formed unexpectedly strong bonds that helped bring the subject to a personal level. When an elderly woman who the students were actively visiting died, the whole class mourned. Ginsberg reflected on this time as a critical and personal learning experience for his students. "The stuff we do inside the school is great, but getting outside the school is really important to learn things that cannot be taught in a classroom," said Ginsberg.
When asked what the students would change about SHS, most students seemed generally content with the schools' organization. Azor spoke of ideas under discussion by the school government including music rather than bells on the P.A. system between classes, the implementation of a "hug day," and a school day starting at 10 am instead of the usual 8 am.
The topic of a new fitness or "wellness" center was also up for discussion. If built, the center is planned to be a more gender-neutral environment than the current fitness center that largely attracts boys. It would also include labs where students would study health-related issues. Most students agreed that the old, cramped fitness center needed a change, but some thought a new wellness center may not be used by a lot of students because they are so busy with sports, clubs, and other activities.
Despite the divergence of opinions on many issues, both students and board members embraced the school's motto of "Non Sibi," or "not for oneself," and agreed that Scarsdale as not just a town of 17,293 people, but a strong community.
Contributor Isabel Klein is a sophomore at Scarsdale High School where she can be found using an abundant amount of exclamation points, writing for Scarsdale10583 and dreaming about wandering the streets of Manhattan, Africa, and hopefully one day, the moon. Follow her on twitter @isabel_ellis.
