AGENDA

BUSINESS MEETING

OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION, SCARSDALE UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT

MONDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2015

ROOM 170-172, SCARSDALE HIGH SCHOOL 2 Brewster Road, Scarsdale

6:00 p.m. – Board Meeting with Designated Group (Representatives of the PTAs of Elementary Schools) 7:00 p.m. – Work Session – Physical Education, Health & Athletics including Fall Season Wrap-Up

7:35 p.m. – Audit Committee 8:00 p.m. – Business Meeting

BOARD MEETING WITH DESIGNATED GROUP 1. ROLL CALL – 6:00 p.m. 2. Meeting with Representatives of the PTAs of Elementary Schools 3. Adjournment WORK SESSION 1. Physical Education, Health & Athletics – 7:00 p.m. AUDIT COMMITTEE MEETING 1. Board Members meet as Audit Committee with External Auditors - 7:35 p.m.

BUSINESS MEETING: 1. ROLL CALL – 8:00 p.m. 2. STATEMENTS, COMMENTS, AND PRESENTATIONS

2.1. President 2.2. Superintendent 2.3. Board Members

3. HEARING FROM THOSE PRESENT

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4. ITEMS REQUIRING ACTION - [CONSENT AGENDA] 4.1. Minutes. RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Approve the following minutes (sent to the Board on 12/11/15): 4.1.1. Executive Session, November 16, 2015 (Note: correction) 4.1.2. Business Meeting, December 2, 2015 4.1.3. Special Meeting, Executive Session, December 7, 2015

4.2. Settlement of Tax Certiorari. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Adopt the resolution for the following property: Section 5, Block 15, Lot 4 (79 Huntington Avenue).

5. PERSONNEL REPORT 5.1. Personnel. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Approve the actions listed on the following schedules:

5.1.1. Professional (APPENDED) 5.1.2. Paraprofessional (APPENDED) 5.1.3. Civil Service (APPENDED)

INFORMATION ITEMS/DISCUSSION

6.1. World Language - Mandarin

6.2. Busing Policy

7. ACTION ITEMS 7.1. External Audit. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Accept the audit report for

the 2014-15 fiscal year. (APPENDED) 7.2. World Language – Mandarin. (APPENDED) 7.3. Busing - District’s Transportation Policy. (APPENDED) 7.4. Google Agreement. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Accept the updated research

agreement. (APPENDED) 8. RESPONSE/QUESTIONS FROM THOSE PRESENT 9. GIFTS 9.1. Gift over $1,000: RECOMMENDED ACTION: Accept with thanks the following gift: (APPENDED) 9.1.1. $10,000 to be used toward the purchase of STEAM initiative equipment and supplies, a therapy station, and equipment to enhance capabilities for stage performances.

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10. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS 10.1. Between 11/01/15 and 12/ /15, (54) emails were received concerning Scarsdale Busing Policies. Lee Maude replied.

10.2. Between 11/17/15 and 12/ /15, ( emails were received concerning the Mandarin Initiative. Lynne Shain and Lee Maude replied.

10.3. An email received 11/12/15 concerning the school calendar. Dr. Hagerman replied. 10.4. An email received 11/30/15 concerning the school calendar. Lee Maude replied.

10.5. An email received 12/4/15 concerning questions regarding the Transition Plan vs. the District Strategic Plan. Dr. Hagerman replied. 10.6. An email received 12/6/15 concerning the Greenacres School. Lee Maude replied.

11. MEETING DATES FOR THE COMING MONTH

11.1. Board Meeting - Consent Agenda, Wednesday, January 13, 2016, 8:30 a.m., Room 170-172, High School

11.2. Administration and Board Portfolio, Wednesday, January 13, 2016, 9:00 a.m., Room 170-172, High School

11.3. Study Session, Wednesday, January 13, 2016, 10:00 a.m., Room 170-172, High School

12. ADJOURNMENT (INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION, IF NECESSARY) "for the medical, financial, credit or employment history of a particular person or corporation, or matters leading to the appointment, employment, promotion,

demotion, discipline, suspension, dismissal or removal of a particular person or corporation."

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CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

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CONFIDENTIAL

Board Meeting Agenda Item 4.1.2 12/14/15

DRAFT MINUTES

BOARD OF EDUCATION SCARSDALE UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT

Scarsdale, New York

BOARD MEETING DECEMBER 2, 2015 _____________________________________________________________________________ 1. ROLL CALL The School Board meeting was called to order by Board President Ms. Maude at 8:32 a.m. The meeting was held in Room 170-172 in the Board of Education wing of the High School. Ms. Maude noted that all Board members were present (William Natbony, Suzanne Seiden, Chris Morin, Scott Silberfein, Pam Fuehrer, and Arthur Rublin). Also present were: Dr. Thomas Hagerman, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Bernard Josefsberg, Interim Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources and

Leadership Development Lynne Shain, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction Stuart Mattey, Assistant Superintendent for Business and Facilities Eric Rauschenbach, Director of Special Education and Pupil Services Jerry Crisci, Director of Instructional Technology and Innovation Rachel Moseley, Director of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer Ray Pappalardi, Director of Physical Education, Health and Athletics Victoria Presser, Public Information Officer Honore Adams, District Clerk 2. STATEMENTS, COMMENTS, AND PRESENTATIONS No formal comments were made by Ms. Maude, Board President, Dr. Hagerman, Superintendent, or any Board members. 3. ITEMS REQUIRING ACTION - CONSENT AGENDA Upon proper motions, the following recommended actions of the Superintendent were approved unanimously by all Board members present, unless otherwise noted: Accepted minutes for the following MINUTES ACCEPTED meeting: (Consent Agenda) Business Meeting, November 16, 2015 (Moved, Mr. Natbony; seconded, Mr. Silberfein)

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Approved the new textbooks on the list NEW TEXTBOOKS presented. (Attachment #1) (Consent Agenda) (Moved, Natbony; seconded, Mr. Silberfein) Adopted the following resolutions STIPULATIONS OF in regard to settlements reached in SETTLEMENT special education matters: (Consent Agenda)

BE IT RESOLVED, that the Superintendent of Schools is hereby authorized and empowered to execute the Stipulation of Settlement for student #*****46 and the Superintendent is further authorized to take all action necessary to effectuate the terms of this Agreement.

BE IT RESOLVED, that the Superintendent of Schools is hereby authorized and empowered to execute the Stipulation of Settlement for student #*****58 and the Superintendent is further authorized to take all action necessary to effectuate the terms of this Agreement. (Attachment #2 & #3) (Moved, Mr. Natbony; seconded, Mr. Silberfein) 4. ADMINISTRATION AND BOARD PORTFOLIO Special Education, Pupil Services: Mr. Rauschenbach, in collaboration with Ms. Maude, reported on the K-5 survey expected to be sent out to elementary CSE parents in order to gain a better understanding of how parents view the current special education program, and how communication goals are being met and to assure receipt of various CSE paperwork. The survey will be sent out within the next week. The work on the emotional support program in the High School continues and is currently being reviewed by the staff. The Board will receive a presentation with further information at the January 13th Board meeting. The Special Education department is in the process of looking at the federally-mandated Committee on Special Education annual and tri-annual testing, setting up procedures to standardize that practice, and reviewing test materials to determine what the best practices are in terms of testing and aligning with the whole region. Mr. Rauschenbach announced that the Special Education office is in the midst of reassigning CSE chairs and beginning plans for the annual review season.

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Technology Portfolio: Mr. Crisci and Ms. Moseley, in collaboration with Mr. Morin, Board Member, gave an update on their progress and the completion of technology goals on the 2015-18 Transition Plan. Mr. Crisci noted that the goal of creating a new technology plan continues to be a priority for the Instructional Technology team. The plan will incorporate many dimensions of the program under one umbrella, including a K-12 STEAM sequence and details about coding in K-12. Work continues to move the STEAM program forward. A group of teachers have created a new collective, calling themselves the “Maker Mavens.” The purpose of the group is to discuss topics like ordering materials and sharing interesting practices. The Maker Mavens have plans to form a full committee called the STEAM Team. Mr. Crisci, in collaboration with Lynne Shain, will be working with this committee to document and further refine the K-12 STEAM curriculum. Mr. Crisci acknowledged the wonderful work that the PTA put into making an amazing STEAM Day for the District last month. He reported on visiting several workshops with Jennifer Kiley, Elementary Science Helping Teacher. It was impressive to see the variety of hands-on activities that engaged our students. The day served to highlight the tremendous interest in STEAM-related subjects that our students are interested in exploring. On Friday, December 4th, Northern Westchester BOCES is hosting the Region’s FIRST Coding Conference. Mr. Crisci will be presenting a workshop at the conference called “Design Thinking, STEAM, and Computational Thinking: Creating a Coding Context for your School.” Cameron Fadjo, who created Google’s website on Computational Thinking, is co-presenting with Mr. Crisci. The presentation will help teachers and administrators understand the need to provide a design ecosystem where coding does not stand on its own, but is connected to other areas of the curriculum. Ms. Moseley gave an update on the infrastructure projects and the implementation of the backup internet failover circuit. Failover testing has been completed and already proven to be functional during an actual internet failure. Projects at the Middle School and High School to upgrade the wireless network are anticipated to be completed by mid-January. Ms. Moseley reported on the installation of the 2-way speakers for the PA system. Installation has been completed, and the Information Technology department has assumed responsibility for the phone system. The Facilities department is assuming responsibility for the PA system this month. The reconfiguration of the support ticket system to expand the electronic reporting of technology issues and support requests is progressing and should be completed by January. However, the process of reporting issues or making requests electronically will take several months for staff to adopt the new process.

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The Data Services team, in collaboration with the Curriculum Center, is pleased to report that the development and testing of the new elementary report card was completed. The Data Services team is also working on resolving final issues with the integration of AESOP, the District’s new substitute and absence management system, and SMARTS, the District’s Personnel Recordkeeping system. Additionally, the roll-out of the SMARTS employee web portal to all staff will be a primary focus for the team during the next few weeks. This project is necessary for staff to verify and enter dependent and health insurance information to assure compliance with the Affordable Care Act. Finally, in the near future, the team will re-focus its attention on the development of Online Student and Census Registration. Human Capital and Leadership Development Portfolio: Dr. Josefsberg, in collaboration with Ms. Fuehrer, Board member, gave an update on the search process for a permanent Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources and Leadership Development. He reported that a number of applications have already been received through the online OLAS system. He noted that the deadline for responding to the posting is January 22, 2016, and that we are on schedule to complete the search to fill the position by the end of March or beginning of April. Finance, Budget, and Negotiations: Mr. Mattey, in collaboration with Ms. Seiden and Mr. Natbony, Board members, reported on the budget season and public discussions that will take place during the next few months leading up to the budget vote in May. Internally, discussions have begun with principals and department directors while they prepare their initial drafts for discussion with the administration. A more extensive report will be given during the Work Session later in the meeting. Communications, Community Involvement, and Political Outreach: Dr. Hagerman, in collaboration with Ms. Seiden, Mr. Rublin, and Ms. Fuehrer, Board members, reported that the first edition of the ‘Dale Dispatch was released on November 20th with article topics ranging from Center for Innovation Grants to Special Education Co-Teaching. The release of the new District e-Newsletter has received positive reviews thus far. Conversations with the PT Council have continued to determine the kinds of information that the District will send out, and that which will be sent out through individual PTA newsletters. Reports of teacher tenure and feedback will be included in the next edition of the Dispatch. Dr. Hagerman gave an update on previously reported work. The email list of community leaders that will have access to the ‘Dale Dispatch and Board Highlights has been completed, and is available for District staff and BOE use. The media press release prior to BOE meetings now includes more detailed information on any Work and/or Study sessions to ensure broad participation by folks interested in various topics.

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On the policy front, the BOE and Dr. Hagerman have been very active in discussions on efforts toward legislation to amend APPR law. Several members of the Board met with Assemblywoman Amy Paulin and Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins to hear their perspectives on the current political arena, and to solicit their on-going assistance with these initiatives. Ms. Paulin, Ms. Stewart-Cousins, and Congressman Eliot Engel also attended the Greenacres Diamond Jubilee Centennial Gala on November 20th, each of whom spoke. Dr. Hagerman reminded the audience that The Governor’s Task Force has been in their comment period and are now shifting their focus on making formal recommendations to the Governor by December 31st in preparation for Governor Cuomo’s January 6th State of the State address. He stated that, “We remain constantly optimistic that there will be changes that support local efforts and lift the unfunded mandates that continue to disrupt the important work of schools and penalize students and teachers.” Construction and Facilities Portfolio: Mr. Mattey, in collaboration with Mr. Silberfein and Mr. Morin, Board members, reported that the portfolio group met a number of times since the last meeting. Currently, the main focus is two-pronged: the 2014 bond project that was approved by voters last December is still being reviewed by NYSED and, as of now, we have not received an update; however, we do anticipate some answers in the near future. We are waiting for updated estimates and hope to report back to the Board at the January 13th meeting. As part of the 2017 bond project, the Greenacres Building Committee has been consistently meeting and will meet again next week. The meeting minutes are posted on the District website under Facilities. Mr. Mattey will report back to the Board on the progress being made at the January13th meeting. Additionally, the field condition survey work has been approved by the Board, and the work is pending. Building level committees have been formed and will be meeting as separate groups with the architect to do walk-throughs and building condition surveys of each building in order to determine facility, instructional, and other internal needs for future capital projects. Improvement projects that are funded through the budget that are pending and tentatively scheduled include the following: the bus compound parking expansion, middle school tennis court comfort station, and the middle school dust collector.

Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction: Ms. Shain, in collaboration with Mr. Silberfein, reported on some highlights since the last report. The newly formatted report cards were released in early December. In collaboration with the Data Services team, they have been working on how to use the technological possibilities to make assessments a centerpiece of the feedback that teachers give to students. They have also been exploring ways to use technology and Infinite Campus to organize assessment information for elementary students who are involved in the RTI (Response to Intervention) process. The teachers can enter data for newly entered Tier 1, (not identified) regular students who need additional support. Infinite Campus enables teachers to use assessment results and share the data which informs instruction.

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Additionally, teachers are going to be given access to Level 1, a NYS reporting system. This is part of the next training cycle on which Mitch Crasson will take a lead role. Ms. Shain reported on the progress of the Balanced Literacy implementation and the favorable feedback from teachers in terms of what they can elicit through their students’ writing. She reported on the progress of the 2.5 additional reading teachers at the elementary level, who are working with first grade, non-classified, but struggling students. A recent meeting with principals, teachers, and helping teachers confirmed that students are making progress in small groups, perhaps more than anticipated. In terms of coalescing the elementary principals group, the elementary principals, Teacher College (TC) consultants, and Ms. Shain have been engaged in classroom walk-throughs and observations of elementary classrooms, where the writing workshops are being implemented. The goal is to fine-tune what they are looking for and to assure that the TC writing workshops are successful and being implemented in a robust manner. The work and observations of the top quality consultants have been an integral part of coalescing the elementary team. Ms. Shain reported on the GLA (Global Learning Alliance) of which Scarsdale School District is a founding partner. They are in the midst of organizing the third summit which will be in Singapore August 24- 26, 2016. In preparation, Chris Sipe, High School Science teacher, has been working on the pilot program for planning an assessment and what it will entail. The focus of the assessment is to be able to record attributes of student’s problem solving collaboratively across continents through technology. More information will follow as the assessment evolves.

Ms. Shain concluded her report by addressing the Board regarding the World Language report that will be discussed at the December 14th meeting. She emphasized that if any additional information is needed, she will provide it. Mr. Rublin remarked on all of the great work happening in the elementary schools with the writing program, new reading teachers, and coalescing of the elementary principals. He inquired about the role of the new ELA helping teachers in all of this work. Ms. Shain explained that they are expanding their roles as they go and providing real time professional development in the classroom for the teachers and grade-level teams, which is different from what the TC consultants are providing. BOE Development Portfolio: Ms. Maude in collaboration with Mr. Natbony, reported that the Board Mid-Year Retreat is scheduled for January 23rd. The Board and administration will discuss and review the portfolio system and changes to the meeting format for Board meetings, among other topics. On January 24th, the School Board Nominating Committee

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(SBNC) is meeting. Ms. Maude urged the Board to give their thoughts on questions and issues to be discussed at both meetings. Additionally, Ms. Maude reported that the Board will take action on the following issues at the December 14th Board meeting:

● Whether to introduce Mandarin in the Middle School for the 2016-17 school year. ● Whether to change the District’s busing policy.

5. STUDY SESSION Ms. Shain gave a presentation on the recent release of the revised K-5 report card. Mr. Mattey reported on the budget process. K-5 Report Card Revision Report: Ms Shain provided a detailed report on the release of the newly-formatted elementary report card. The presentation is available for viewing on the District’s website through the following link. The elementary classroom report card re-design began in the spring of 2015 with the formation of a committee of teachers and administrators from all elementary grades and buildings. The committee developed surveys to gather input from all the elementary teachers in the District and from the elementary parent community. The surveys asked for the grade level of students, the preferred grading scale, and preferences on the frequency of distribution of the report cards. Survey results were compiled and utilized when the committee met during the summer of 2015. In late August, before the start of the school year, committee members shared the redesign suggestions by grade level. Each grade level's additional suggestions were incorporated into the new design. The new Scarsdale elementary report cards include the following features:

● Descriptors: Streamlined to create a clear and concise report card for parents. Consistent language is used throughout the report cards and a comment narrative is provided to address specifics.

○ Holistic scoring by major skill area reflects a developmental learning approach. ● Narrative: Each term’s comment space was increased to allow teachers the option to

write a more detailed and descriptive narrative. ● Progress Scale:

○ Reporting based on curriculum expectations ○ Replaces the 1-4 scale with developmental descriptors

Ms. Shain noted that there was no change recommended for the number and timing of report cards nor Parent-Teacher Conferences.

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A question-and-answer period followed Ms. Shain’s report. Ms. Fuehrer inquired about the results of the teacher’s survey and their interest in changes. Ms. Shain explained that the teachers were mainly interested in consolidating the descriptors and having a holistic scoring approach. Ms. Seiden expressed thanks and appreciation for Ms. Shain’s presentation and inquired about parental feedback. Ms. Maude asked about what files are kept for each student in addition to report cards. A conversation ensued regarding the current procedures in place for elementary students including writing and math folders and the possibilities of expanding and utilizing current technology such as E-Portfolio, Infinite Campus and Google Drive for K-12 students. Budget Process Update: Mr. Mattey gave a broad overview of the budget process which included the following: The presentation is available for viewing on the District’s website through the following link. .

● The 2016-17 School Budget planning follows the BOE Policies that are available on the District web site. NYS educational law sets parameters that are met in the budget planning and calendars.

● Mr. Mattey explained that the budget is a financial estimate of funds necessary to

operate our schools. The education program, operations, facilities, faculty, and staff are all factored into the budget. The budget provides funds to achieve the goals and objectives of the school district as set forth in the District Transition Plan. Budget influences are reviewed and considered, such as changes from the governmental level, citizen and staff input, etc.

● Sequence of the Budget Process: There is continuous discussion with the BOE,

administration, staff, and community in budget development. The goal is to get feedback on all of the decision points along the way. Some of the key budget factors that are reviewed are revenues, expenditures, and the tax levy as well as employer pension contribution rates, the tax base growth factor, and capital exclusions.

● Additionally, Mr. Mattey reviewed the timeline for the budget development, the fund balance for the year end 2014-15, and the key budget components summary for previous years and the 2015-16 budget.

A question-and-answer period followed Mr. Mattey’s report. Mr. Natbony stated that he had been asked whether the budget process will be different this year. Mr. Mattey responded in the affirmative. He noted that various discussions about particular issues will take place prior to the preliminary budget being released. It was also mentioned that this will be a real

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collaborative effort including the feedback from the Wednesday morning portfolio meetings which feeds into the budget proposals. 6. WRAP-UP

● Questions or information requests relative to the busing issue or Mandarin should be sent to Ms. Maude and Mr. Natbony.

● The Communications Committee will discuss ways to promote the ‘Dale Dispatch.

● Ms. Shain confirmed that the Mandarin Research Report was shared with the Committee, Board, and principals.

● Ms. Maude confirmed that Mr. Crisci will share his BOCES conference presentation in January.

7. MEETING DATES FOR THE COMING MONTH Mr. Natbony announced the following upcoming meetings:

7.1. Special Meeting, December 7, 2015, 6:00 p.m., Board Conference Room, Central Office, Scarsdale High School. 7.2. Board Meeting with Designated Group (Representatives of the PTA’s

of Elementary Schools), December 14, 2015, 6:00 p.m., Scarsdale High School 7.3. Work Session, Monday, December 14, 2015, 7:00 p.m., Room 170-172,

Scarsdale High School 7.4. Business Meeting, Monday, December 14, 2015, 8:00 p.m., Room 170-172,

Scarsdale High School 8. ADJOURNMENT (INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION, IF NECESSARY) On a motion by Mr. Natbony, seconded by Mr. Silberfein and unanimously carried, it was voted at 10:40 a.m. to adjourn.

Respectfully submitted, ___________________ Honore Adams District Clerk

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Board Meeting

Agenda Item 4.1.3 12/14/15

DRAFT

MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING

OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION SCARSDALE UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT

Monday, December 7, 2015

BOARD CONFERENCE ROOM, SCARSDALE HIGH SCHOOL 2 Brewster Road, Scarsdale, New York

CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by William J. Natbony, Vice President, in the Board Conference room in the Board of Education wing of Scarsdale High School at 6:15 p.m. on Monday, December 7, 2015. The following members of the Board were present: Leila Maude, President William J. Natbony, Vice President

Pamela Fuehrer Christopher Morin Arthur Rublin

Suzanne Seiden Scott E. Silberfein

Also present were: Dr. Thomas Hagerman, Superintendent of Schools Mr. Ronald Longo, District Legal Counsel Dr. Bernard Josefsberg Mr. Stuart Mattey

Upon a motion made by Ms. Maude, APPOINTMENT OF seconded by Ms. Fuehrer, and unanimously SECRETARY PRO TEM. carried, Mr. Natbony was appointed secretary pro tem.

Upon a motion made by Ms. Maude, EXECUTIVE SESSION

seconded by Ms. Fuehrer, and unanimously carried, the Board voted to enter into Executive Session at 6:16 p.m. to discuss Collective Bargaining Negotiations.

Upon a motion made by Ms. Seiden, seconded

by Ms. Fuehrer, and unanimously carried, the Board voted to leave Executive Session at 8:25 p.m. There having been no action taken MOTION TO ADJOURN following the Executive Session, on

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Minutes, Special Board Meeting Page 2 December 7, 2015 a motion made by Ms. Maude and seconded by Ms. Fuehrer and unanimously carried, it was voted at 8:26 p.m. to adjourn .

Respectfully submitted, ________________________ Honore Adams District Clerk

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CONFIDENTIAL

RESOLUTION RE: CERTIORARI SETTLEMENT - Matter of Kevin Lilly

v. The Assessor of the Town of Scarsdale, et al. (Sup. Ct. West. Cty. Index Nos. 67985/2014, and 66278/2015 et seq.) -

AUTHORIZATION TO SETTLE ASSESSMENT YEARS 2014 AND 2015

WHEREAS, there are presently pending before the New York State Supreme Court, County of Westchester, a series of tax certiorari proceedings, entitled Kevin Lilly v. The Assessor of the Town of Scarsdale, et al., (Sup. Ct. West. Cty. Index Nos. 67985/2014, and 66278/2015 et seq.); and

WHEREAS, these proceedings contest the assessment of properties located at 46 East Parkway within the Village of Scarsdale (the “Village”), which is designated as Section 5, Block 15, Lot 4 on the Tax Map of the Town of Scarsdale, for Assessment Years 2014 and 2015; and

WHEREAS, proposed terms of settlement have been formulated; and

WHEREAS, pursuant to these terms of settlement, the projected refund to be paid by the Scarsdale Union Free School District (through the 2015-16 School Budget Year) will equal approximately One Thousand, Eight-hundred Sixty-Eight and 18/100 ($1,868.18) Dollars (subject to calculation of the impact of STAR or other exemptions filed);

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education authorizes the settlement of the proceedings so as to adjust the assessed valuation for the subject premises at 79 Huntington Ave. for Assessment Years 2014 and 2015 as follows:

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the President of the Board of Education and District Administration are hereby authorized to undertake such actions as are necessary to effectuate this settlement, including the execution and entry of a Consent Judgment and the payment of any and all refunds required under the above authorized terms of settlement.

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Board Meeting Agenda # 5.1 12/14/2015

BOARD OF EDUCATION AGENDA December 14, 2015

CONTENTS PERSONNEL ITEMS

5.1.1 PROFESSIONAL STAFF

A. Probationary Appointment B. Part-time Appointment C. Extra-Curricular Assignments D. Coaching Assignments E. Rescind Coaching Assignments F. Appointment of STI Assistants to the Director G. Additions to Substitute List

5.1.2 PARA-PROFESSIONAL STAFF

A. Appointment of Teacher Aides for the 2015/16 school year B. Resignation of Teacher Aides for the 2015/16 school year

5.1.3. CIVIL SERVICE STAFF

A. Probationary Appointments B. Change of Assignments C. Separation of Service

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Board Meeting Agenda # 5.1.1. 12/14/15 5.1.1 PROFESSIONAL STAFF

A. Probationary Appointment (see supplementary material) Cohen, Emily, Elementary Teacher, Fox Meadow School, effective 11/13/2015 Tenure area: Childhood Education (Grades 1 – 6) Commencement of probationary service: 11/13/15 Expiration date of appointment: 11/13/19 Certification: Initial: Childhood Education (Grades 1 – 6)

B. Part-time Appointment (see supplementary material) Cotty, Ann, Physical Education Teacher, District-wide, effective 11/30/2015 Tenure area: Physical Education Commencement of probationary service: 11/30/15 Expiration date of appointment: 11/30/19 Certification: Professional: Physical Education

C. Extra-Curricular Assignment In accordance with Article 15 of the BOE/STA Negotiated Agreement for the 2015/16 school year the following should be appointed:

Name Position Points Maldarelli, William HS Assist Speech & Debate Coach 30

D. Athletic Coaching Assignments In accordance with Article 14 of the BOE/STA Negotiated Agreement for the 2015/16 school year the following should be appointed.

Name Position Points DeNunzio, Inga Boys’ Swimming Assistant 50 Parkes, Terrence Boys’ Freshman Basketball 46 Proudian, Thomas Boys’ Varsity Basketball Assistant 40 Scagnelli, David Boys’ JV Basketball 50 Synowiez, James Ice Hockey JV 40 Szerlip, Jeremy Wrestling Assistant 48

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Board Meeting Agenda # 5.1.1.

12/14/15

D. Athletic Coaching Assignments (continued) The following Middle School intramural supervisors are recommended:

Marking Period Hours

Kaitlyn Schmier 1st 35 Josh Marrero 1st & 2nd 35 William Maldarelli 1st 27 Cara Forray 1st 18 Jorge Marcel 1st 18 Robert Cazzoli 1st 51 Tina Foley 1st 35

E. Rescind Athletic Coaching Assignment Name Position Lynch, Kevin Boys’ Varsity Swimming Assistant Scagnelli, David Boys’ Varsity Basketball Assistant.

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Board Meeting Agenda #5.1.1.

12/14/15

F. Appointment of STI Assistants to the Director Lisa Scavelli and Jodi Giroux, Assistants to the Director of the STI, for a stipend of $5000 each for the 2015/16 school year effective September 1, 2015. The funding source for this expense is the New York State Computer Training Center and Teacher Resource Grant.

G. Addition to Substitute List Celestino, Michelle Sick, Tyler Blackhurst, Lyndsey DeGiglio, Wendy

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Board Meeting Agenda #5.1.2 12/14/15 5.1.2. PARA-PROFESSIONAL STAFF

A. Appointment of Teacher Aides for the 2015/16 school year

School Name Hours Step Rate Fox Meadow Monaco, Angela 15 1 $16.45

Middle School Shelon, Ifat 25 1 16.45 High School Melo, Luciana 25 1 16.45 Greenacres Zohar, Janet 25 1 16.45

B. Resignation of Teacher Aides for the 2015/16 school year

School Name Date_____ Fox Meadow Manganiello, Lucille 10/19/2015 Middle School Ederer, Michelle 11/18/2015 5.1.3. CIVIL SERVICE STAFF

A. Probationary Appointments (see supplementary material) Christina Solano, 0.8 Office Assistant (Auto Systems), Fox Meadow Elementary School, effective December 2, 2015. Maykel Gil-Bravo, Bus Driver, effective November 24, 2015. B. Change of Assignments

Luanne Diamond, from Office Assistant (Auto Systems) to Senior Office Assistant, Information Technology Department, effective December 15, 2015 with a 12 months probationary period. Gerson Katuemutima, from Head Bus Driver to Supervisor of Transportation, effective December 15, 2015 with a 12 months probationary period. John Antonicelli, Custodian to Head Custodian at Edgewood Elementary School, effective December 15, 2015 with a 12 months probationary period. Michael MacDonald, Purchasing-Transportation Agent, reduced from 1.0 to 0.6., effective December 31, 2015 C. Separation from Service (see supplementary material) JD, Network Specialist, effective December 31, 2015.

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

District Position Paper on Mandarin

December 14, 2015

Administration’s recommendation: Uphold our expressed position that any successful implementation of Mandarin requires the following: a wider understanding of student interest and participation, a deeper consideration of a developmentally appropriate program sequence, as well as a clearer sense of related staffing and system considerations.

● Belief Statements: ○ We value the work of the parent Mandarin group. We appreciate their commitment, hard

work, and perspective. We also believe that much of this work has merit. ○ We also value the importance of the study of World Language for our students. ○ We are committed to providing students with an appropriate 21st century education that

includes a strong focus on globalization and interdependence. ○ We also believe in implementing high quality programs with appropriate staffing,

curriculum, resources, and professional development. Introducing a Mandarin program at the middle school will take great care to get all of these pieces right.

○ Any new curricular endeavor should further the mission of the District, but also have the threshold of interest on the part of students to sustain the program.

● Noteworthy Factors:

○ Although we recognize that Mandarin might be an appropriate choice as a major language offering in the District at some point, we do not believe there is adequate data to support this at this juncture. Although we have some survey information from some parents, we don’t believe we have the frequency or nuance to make a major change based on this information. Moreover, the most important stakeholder in this decision is our students, who need to have a much stronger voice in this work.

○ Upon investigating the possibility of beginning a Mandarin program, some key findings emerged. First, other districts experienced with Chinese programs have shared the difficulty with finding and retaining qualified Mandarin teachers who are effective in American classrooms. Programs exist to facilitate selecting and hiring native-Chinese speaking teachers on visas. The level of support needed for these teachers include providing life coaches, housing and transportation. In addition, Chinese is identified as a Level 4 language, the most difficult to learn requiring the most amount of dedicated time for language proficiency.

○ We have been offering Mandarin at the High School for the past four years with lackluster participation. This is not true of other courses that have burgeoned with student interest (including some of the most difficult AT and STEAM courses).

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○ Likewise, we offered After School Mandarin for elementary and middle school students in January 2011- May, 2012 with initial interest and subsequent drop off.

○ There is little research on the efficacy, impact or value of teaching Mandarin at the Middle School, outside of a fairly consistent body of research that validates studying any language at younger ages are most beneficial.

○ As all parties have acknowledged, Mandarin is a very difficult language to learn, especially for non-native speakers. The body of literature on this is clear: it takes a lot of time, practice, and focused attention over many years. A romance language can be mastered in approximately 750-800 hours of study. Mandarin takes much longer. This in and of itself does not preclude it from consideration, but it does require us to be very thoughtful about the needs of students to be successful in this as a language option. Prior to its adoption, it would need at least a year of prior planning with an appropriate consultant who had particular expertise in implementing an effective Mandarin program for middle school students of various ability levels.

○ In the past, new programs were considered because of their educational value and after extensive curriculum review and development. This is a significant precursor to individual course and program sequence development. Although a consultant worked with the District back in 2008, the focus was on introducing a High School Mandarin sequence. Little work has been done on this at the Middle School level outside of some potential scheduling scenarios.

○ There are a wide variety of scheduling and other logistical issues to address. The Middle School issued a response that details their concerns. While many issues can be addressed with time and patience, allowing a single program to deconstruct the philosophical core of the school remains problematic.

○ Additionally, there are District staffing and other budget implications. It is not simply a matter of adding additional staff. We do have a fixed number of students taking languages, meaning that adding an additional language will mean a correlating decrease in the other languages. This will require a reduction of force in French or Spanish, or both, immediately at SMS, and eventually at SHS.

● Our recommendation leads us to propose the following:

○ Create a World Language Committee (to include teachers and other District staff) to study the issue of World Languages across the District and present its findings and recommendations to the BOE. This will likely take a full year of in-depth research, student surveying, and other study.

○ Reinforce that Mandarin is offered as a first choice language at the High School. ○ Include any new recommendations in the next strategic visioning process (2018-2021)

Mandarin Background in the District: In December, 2007, Superintendent, Dr. Michael McGill, initiated the formation of a World Language Committee with a charge: “To recommend which world language(s) would be added to the curriculum in

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Scarsdale, if such an action were to occur, and at what point in the course of study such additions would begin.” The issue of Mandarin was first seriously entertained in April, 2008, by the Board Education through the “World Language Report to Board 2008”: “Executive Summary” Major findings from this report are as follows:

1. That we offer one additional world language in the Scarsdale curriculum; 2. That the world language offered is Mandarin; 3. That instruction in Mandarin begins in the sixth grade, with the possibility of additional entry

points as outlined; 4. That instruction in Mandarin be supported by online resources and the use of a language

lab; 5. That the further development of the elementary Spanish program (currently in third grade

and arriving at the middle school in September 2010) be considered as a significant factor in how we implement the Mandarin program;

6. That a consultant for Mandarin be hired in the academic year 2008-2009 to begin planning and developing the program;

7. That the Mandarin program be introduced in the academic year 2009-2010; 8. That the program begin with two Mandarin teachers in place to facilitate collaboration and

solidification of the program. Download the full 2008 World Language report Later that year, in December, 2008, another report was furnished to the Board of Education, entitled “World Language Committee Report to Board: Executive Summary”. Major findings from this report are as follows:

1. The World Language Committee recommends that Mandarin – Level 1 begin in the high school for the 2009-10 school year or as soon thereafter as practicable.

2. Mandarin remains the Committee’s language choice for its strategic importance in the world

economic scene, its connection to 21st century skills, and its interest to Scarsdale students and the community. This recommendation requires one teaching professional, one consultant, program improvement and curriculum funds, textbooks and materials, at an estimated total cost of $122,048.

3. The Committee recommends postponing a decision regarding a change to the current

middle school world language offerings pending further review of the implications of such a change for the middle school program. With the initial cohort group of students who started the FLES Spanish program in first grade arriving at 6th grade in the 2010-11 school year, there is adequate time to consider the complexities involved in the various scenarios described later in this report.

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December, 2008 Full Report December, 2008 to November, 2015 October, 2009: World Language Committee Report to the Board This report presented the options available for implementing World Language in Grade 6 in 2010-2011, the year the FLES cohort reached the middle school. During the 2010-11 school year, the district, with the support of the PT Council, offered an After School Mandarin Program from January, 2011 to May, 2011. This initiative had been recommended by our 2008-2009 consultant, Robin Harvey from NYU, who thought an After School Mandarin Program would an excellent way to introduce the Scarsdale community to offering Mandarin in our World Language program. During the 2011-2012 school year, the program was offered from the week of October 3 through the end of May for students in Grades 3-12. Each of the three levels of the program , elementary, middle school, and high school, offered one beginner and one intermediate section, with the intermediate section designed for those students who participated in the 2010-2011 After-School Mandarin beginner program. Each section in the elementary and middle school program met twice a week for two forty-five minute sessions. All classes ran for thirty weeks, from late October through May. For the 2012-2013 school year, there was insufficient enrollment and hence insufficient revenue to warrant the continuation of the program. The PT Council in conjunction with the administration, canceled the After School Mandarin Program. Note: The Mandarin Program began in the high school during the 2011-2012 school year, which may be a factor in the decline in interest in the After School Mandarin Program by 2012-2013. In both January 2013 and 2014, the initial budget proposals included a tentative 1.0 MS Mandarin Teacher for each of the respective years; however, these items were cut early in the budgeting process in light of recession-driven budget constraint and competing interests. During the 2015 Budget, a group of concerned citizens asked the Board of Education to include this in the budget; however, it was not added in light of other needs. However, several recommendations were put forward to continue exploring this issue. It was embedded as a major curricular goal in the Superintendent’s Transition Plan for the administration to engage in a comprehensive World Language review to determine current student interest, program feasibility and logistical issues, and how this works fits into the larger school and District initiatives. Assistant Superintendent Lynne Shain and a World Language Committee developed a plan to conduct a comprehensive review of our current World Language Program, which included the following elements:

● Review current world language offerings, student schedules, and staffing requirements

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● Survey students and parents for interest.in adding additional World Languages, especially Mandarin at the Middle School

● Set a timeline to gather and analyze data, meet with principals, department chairs, teachers and other administrators to gather further feedback and weigh options.

● Report to the Board of Education in Fall, 2015. This comprehensive and collaborative process precluded the implementation of Mandarin at the Middle School for the 2015-2016 school year, as student scheduling was already underway. There have been significant changes in the District from the initial proposal of Mandarin inclusion at the High School and Middle School since 2008:

● Entry & Transition Plans are guiding District-wide work; ● Strong focus and professional development on balanced literacy and TC Workshop at the

elementary school, STEM and Makerspaces across the District, school-based initiatives at each level

● Mandarin is in its 5th year in the HS with somewhat low participation rates ● Elementary and Middle School After School Mandarin clubs experienced initial interest/and

subsequent drop-off of interest Major concerns of the “Mandarin in the Middle School Initiative Team” report:

● Was received via email by the BOE, Dr. Thomas Hagerman, and Ms. Lynne Shain on December 1, 2015, revised December 5, 2015.

● The report raised multiple issues, including the following:

1) Language Faculty Composition Per the report: Presently, the World Language department at the Scarsdale Middle School has a staff of eleven FTEs in support of approximately 1,100 students. This is an average of 100 students per teacher. There are seven dedicated Spanish teachers, two dedicated French teachers, one French and Spanish teacher and one ENL teacher (English as a New Language) Actual: 5.2 dedicated Spanish teachers, 2 dedicated French teachers, 2 French and Spanish teachers, 1.4 ENL teachers Ann Marie Barron - Spanish 6, 7 Elizaveta Dukalskaya - French 6, 7 Kiersten Henry - French 6, 8 Steve Jackson - Spanish 6, 7 Shaun Johnson (.2) - Spanish 6

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Ana Lopez - Spanish 6, 8 Melanie Millard - Spanish 6, 8 Carole Mirville - Spanish 6, 7/French 7 Jose Toscano - Spanish 6, 8 Sarah Whittington - Spanish 6, 7/French 6, 8 Dana Lipton ENL 6, 7, 8 Josh Marrero ENL (.4) 6, 7, 8 2) Proposed Schedule Per Report Solution: Entire house takes languages in the same period • Periods 1, 2, 3, 7 and 8 do not conflict with lunch for any grade. • Students within each house are enrolled in classes on the basis of their language ability and not grade.

o Use four of these to teach world languages. o Placement tests (oral and verbal) would determine student distribution among levels at the start of each school year.

• “Heritage speakers” in any language could place above their “grade” level if their language skills warrant it. • Languages with greater student participation are able to offer more levels.

o However, a minimum of only 60 students in the school are required to justify a FTE for a language. Thus, each grade of each house only needs five students to create a minimum class size. This makes it possible to add not only Mandarin, but other languages if there were enough interest. Response: Staffing issues:

● The 7th and 8th grade teachers also teach the 6th grade World Language classes. If all grades were scheduled into one period, the current staffing level would not be sufficient. Our shared staff would not be able to go between Heathcote and MS based on the difference in scheduling.

● The students that are scheduled for the Learning Resource Center classes during the World Language period cannot be combined into one class because:

○ Federal laws limit the number of students in each class to a total of 5 students/teacher. ○ While it is possible for one teacher to support 3 grade levels of academic work in the

same period of time, it is not the best way to meet the academic needs of those students at this level.

○ This proposal can only be accommodated with a change in teaching assignments (rather than House specific LRC teachers, LRC teachers would have to cover the entire school). In effect, this change would compromise the House/Team structure because it would require LRC teachers to serve students on three Teams in four Houses rather than three Teams in one House. Such an arrangement would make it very difficult, if not impossible, to schedule the LRC teachers into Team meetings on a consistent basis. The

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effect is that the coordination of curriculum and testing between the LRC teachers and the Team teachers would be compromised.

● If placement tests were given and a small number of students qualified for a more advanced class, the MS would not have the staffing to run the course.

● Additionally, if a 6th grader placed into the most advanced class at the MS, what would they do in 7th and 8th grades? (Implication: either the MS would have to provide potentially 5 levels of instruction, not just 3, or we would have to bus students to the HS for the next course. Busing students to the HS would disrupt their schedules and affect their attendance in their other MIddle School classes. We would also have to do the same for French and Spanish students.

● Given the complexity of learning Mandarin, if a student found it too difficult in 6th grade and needed/wanted to drop the course, what would that student do? We do not have introductory levels of French and Spanish in 7th grade. The implication at the Middle School is that the student would have to make a three year commitment to the language.

● Per the report, one of the schools listed is Mamaroneck (which has had Mandarin for many years) but Mamaroneck only offers their languages in 6th grade as “exploratory” courses, with students then making a choice of which they want to take in 7th and 8th grade. Students are not allowed to change languages after they make the choice for 7th grade.

● It is not developmentally appropriate to have 11 year olds mixed with 14 year olds. That is why we don’t follow that practice for any other subjects.

● The Middle School does not have unlimited staffing to adjust to the different levels of language study.

● Rather than 4 sections per grade of WL, based on the enrollment in the higher level courses, we may have to add sections without the flexibility to eliminate sections.

● The current configuration of World Language in 6th grade as an every other day class supports the belief that 6th grade is a transition year for students.

Potential facility issues:

● If World Language for a House is scheduled in the same period, then we will not have enough classrooms in The Center to accommodate this arrangement.

● Teachers’ traveling from room to room is inefficient, especially if rooms are in the Houses rather than their present location in The Center. We organized all languages in The Center to make teacher and student movement as efficient as possible. We learned during renovations and construction that when teachers had to move throughout the building it was inefficient and educationally disruptive. Travel time reduces student-teacher pedagogical contact time as well.

3) Other Issues

● Placement tests would have to be given at the end of the school year for 5th graders in order to schedule and staff the classes in September. Adding competitive testing is contrary to District goals and is educationally regressive. The current educational thinking nationally and in New York State is to reduce testing, not increase it. Competitive placement tests also introduce another source of anxiety and stress for students, something the District and PTA has been focusing on reducing, not increasing.

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4) Shared Resources Per Report: The Scarsdale School system should consider organizing the world languages department by district and not by school. This would allow for resource sharing between schools. Resource sharing would also allow the school system to migrate teachers with students as they advance to High School if warranted. Response:

● The three levels (elementary, middle school, high school) operate under different time schedules and day rotation schedules. The time schedules are impacted by the transportation of students and the day rotation schedule is based on the curricula at each level.

● Faculties that are shared across buildings limit the school’s ability to create special schedules during the year. Currently, the Middle School shares a Spanish teacher with one elementary school. Whenever a change in schedules at the Middle School occurs, substitute teachers have to cover the classes in the building, resulting in some loss of instructional time. Sharing staff also has to include the factor of travel time, which reduces a teacher’s availability for students and the number of classes that teacher can teach. .

Q&A from December 5, 2015, email to The Scarsdale Board of Education from the “Mandarin in the Middle School Initiative Team” 1. Will Board members vote before or after they hear public comments from Community Members coming to the December 14th meeting? The first public hearing occurs after opening remarks. The second public hearing occurs at the end of the meeting. The board will hold a discussion on this topic (and busing) and decide if we need to pass a resolution, which would then occur in the action items of the agenda. 2. Who were the members of the 2008 World Language committee? Co-Chairs: Sarah Whittington (MS WL Department Chair) and Gerry Young (former GA Principal). Dr. Mike McGill, Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Joan Weber, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources and Administration, Robert DiYanni, Director of the Arts at SHS, Sylvie Corten, Head of SHS Language Department, Mike Hiller, Dean at SHS, Duncan Wilson, then Assistant Principal at SMS, Jose Toscano, SMS Spanish Teacher, Sue Peppers, SHS Assistant Principal and Lynne Shain, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum 3. Composition of the 2015 committee? It is district practice to have only district educators on curriculum committees. It is also an accepted past practice by the Scarsdale Teachers Association.

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4. Allowing parents to teach Mandarin is similar to Learning to Look. Can we allow non-certified teachers to teach a language course? No, we cannot use non-certified parents. We can only used certified teachers with correct subject certification to teach in our schools (NY State Law). Learning to Look is taught by parents who are "visiting" classes as part of a PTA program. The classroom teacher is present as the official teacher. 5. Why was there no follow up on the 2008 report? During budget discussions in the subsequent years between 2009 and 2014, the administration did revisit the proposal to add Mandarin to the MS WL choices. However, because of economic constraints, the goal of budget preparations was to eliminate positions through attrition rather than adding new positions for new programs. 6. Can a teacher be certified in both HS and MS Mandarin? The certification for WL teachers for Mandarin is not specific to level and can be used for MS or HS teaching. 7. Can we share a Mandarin teacher with another district? Sharing a Mandarin teacher with another district could be done if schedules between schools involved would permit, although we suspect that would be next to impossible considering there is no standardization of school days, classes, or the like. 8. Moving a French teacher to K-5? There are no plans to do this. We teach Spanish in the elementary schools. In summary I hope that you recognize that this Board and administration will do what it believes is in the best interest of the students of this community. One of the hallmarks of our School System is our Middle School House system. Created by Thomas Sobel our former Superintendent and copied throughout the United States, the House system provides a more intimate learning environment for our students and allows teachers to focus on fewer students than in a junior high school model. Many of your suggestions in your December 1, 2015, proposal could not be accomplished in our House System. Budget Implications for 2016-2019 Cost/ Year Item Total Notes: 2016-2017 1.0 FTE Mandarin Teacher $110,000 This would be would be one

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teacher across four houses, per grade, unleveled

Language Lab $25,000 Professional Development $10,000 Textbooks/Materials $2,500 Consultant $15,000 2017-2018 1.0 FTE Mandarin Teacher $112,200 This would be would be one

teacher across four houses, per grade, unleveled

Language Lab $10,000 Professional Development $5,000 Textbooks.Materials $2,500 Consultant $10,000

2018-2019 1.0 FTE Mandarin Teacher $114,400 This would be would be one

teacher across four houses, per grade, unleveled

Language Lab $10,000 Professional Development $5,000

Textbooks.Materials $2,500 Consultant $5,000

$439,100

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Transportation Report December 2015

To: Scarsdale Board of Education From: Dr. Hagerman and Mr. Mattey Re: Bus Policy 8410 District administration recommendation: To maintain the current busing policy 8410. Moreover, there has been no recommendation nor discussion by administration to change the current special education transportation, which is required by law, nor the current private or parochial transportation process. Facts

● Per Board policy 8410 transportation is provided to all students in the District to the District schools, and to schools outside the District, provided that the student resides within the Scarsdale School District and resides more than 1.5 miles from the school s/he attends up to a distance of 15 miles.

● The distances in each case are measured using the nearest available publicly maintained route from home to school. Transportation is also provided to District athletic events, extra-curricular programs, and school-related field trips. Students attending a Pre-K program are not eligible for transportation.

● A small portion of State aid would be lost by transporting students who reside less than 1.5 miles from their school. The District received approximately $300,000 in Transportation Aid per year.

● Eligibility is based on distance alone which is based on board policy or special education IEP, as stated below:

○ The Child Safety Transportation Act of 1992 (Chapters 69 and 403 of the Laws of 1992) allows school districts to transport students for distances less than the statutory transportation distance requirements. These guidelines have been developed in consultation with the State Education Department, the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Division of State Police in order to identify conditions under which walking to and from school may endanger the safety of children. Using these guidelines, school districts can authorize the establishment of a child safety zone.

○ The criteria used for determining child safety zones are very stringent. I would not anticipate any areas of Scarsdale meeting these conditions

○ The guidelines identify factors for each of these type of standard hazards. These factors, each with assigned point values, are added together to determine if a hazardous zone exists. If the total points equal or exceed the values then the school district may choose to create a child safety zone.

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● 2015-16 Transportation Budget is $4.183MM and includes $350M for Bus Purchases. ● Approximately ⅓ of the transportation budget supports the transport approximately

1,845 children within the District per BOE policy. ● Approximately ⅔ of the transportation budget supports the transport of approximately

350 children to and from out-of-district special education programs and private schools as required by State law based on BOE policy.

● Cost per mile of approximately $4.50 for all students ● The fleet travels over 625,000 miles annually

New York State Law

● According to current New York State law, non-city school districts must provide school bus transportation services to all students enrolled in grades K-8 who reside a minimum of two miles from the school they attend. Students in grades 9-12 must reside a minimum of three miles from school. The maximum distance from home to school is fifteen miles for grades K-12.

● According to New York Education Law Section 3635(1)(a) a district would be required to have the approval of voters in order to lessen the distance to qualify for busing. This would be accomplished through a voter referendum process.

Important Considerations ● If the District wished to move forward with a referendum, the BOE would be required to

approve a resolution which would set new desired mileage limits and to legally advertise for a vote date. This first public notice must occur 45 days prior to the actual vote.

● The approximate cost to hold a referendum for this sole purpose is $30,000. ● The referendum may or may not be combined with the May budget vote; however, the

timing would impact the implementation of any changes. ● If a change in policy were approved, extended busing service would not occur until the

2016-17 school year due to budget impact. ● Only the purchase of buses would be excluded from the tax cap calculation. The first year

only of implementation would effect the tax levy percent increase and the tax cap formula.

Estimated Costs Related to Expanded Service

● The table below provides an analysis of the number of students who would be eligible as a result of lowering the distance requirements.

School Current

1.5 Miles

1.25 Miles

1.0 Miles

0.5 Miles

0 Miles (ALL)

Edgewood 0 0 0 176 412 Fox Meadow 91 167 213 345 484

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Greenacres 0 0 0 208 385 Heathcote 62 66 112 266 369 Quaker Ridge 256 284 302 416 441 SMS 765 871 971 1,102 1,142 SHS 671 846 1,122 1,446 1,484 Total 1,845 2,234 2,720 3,959 4,717

● All students who attend Edgewood and Greenacres reside less than one mile from school.

● Decreasing of eligibility limits would require the addition of buses, drivers, and other

associated operational costs to accommodate the increased ridership. The following table provides the estimated additional cost of providing transportation service to the above students at 1.25 miles, 1.0 miles, 0.5 miles, and 0.0 miles.

Estimated Additional Cost for Transportation Service*

1.25 Miles 1.0 Miles 0.5 Miles 0 Miles (All) Bus Purchase $ 318,000 $ 676,000 $ 2,120,000 $ 3,500,000 Operational & Employee Costs $ 245,000 $ 436,000 $ 760,000 $ 1,200,000 Total $ 563,000 $1,112,000 $ 2,880,000 $ 4,700,000

● *The estimated cost for providing transportation is based on all eligible students in grades K-8 and 60% of eligible high school students riding the buses.

● The cost of additional drivers and vehicles are included in the estimated total cost. ● The bus purchase cost would be incurred during the first year only (however, there would

be increased overall maintenance costs over time). It should also be noted that a larger bus replacement program would have to be implemented in future years (at an increased cost).

● This cost does not take into account enrollment decreases/increases and/or additional

overtime costs for mechanics and other associated staff. ● Other factors to be considered for increased ridership would also include the effect on

local traffic patterns, environmental impact, and bus storage spaces. Would congestion improve or get worse? A portion of parents would still decide to transport students via personal vehicle.

Recommendation: Expanded Explanation Expanding the District’s transportation program would steer new tax dollars to a non-mandated operational segment of the school budget. Competing for available dollars above and beyond the status quo in any year’s budget include the following:

● contractual salary increases

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● mandated special education needs ● inflationary increases for current programs and systems ● capital needs ● programmatic enhancements ● staffing requests

After contractual obligations, mandates and inflation there are only limited dollars available for capital needs, programmatic enhancements, and staffing additions. The tax cap levy limit also places a limit on the amount of funds that can be raised without subjecting the budget to possible defeat. This is especially true in years when the CPI is projected to be at or near 0%. One percent of tax levy raises $1.4 million dollars for the Scarsdale school budget. As an example of this annual competition, using transportation versus educational program, budget dollars for a new teacher would cost district taxpayers approximately $110,000 while decreasing the mileage limit to 1.25 miles would equate to about 5.0 F.T.E. new teachers. It should also be noted that if these limits were reduced it would be near impossible to reverse thereby forever increasing the base operating budget of the district. Based on (1) the anticipated costs of expanding transportation to a level which is not mandated; (2) the continuing need to enhance the educational program, and (3) other demands on the budget, it is the administration’s recommendation to maintain busing policy 8410 as is.

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Board Meeting Agenda Item #7.1 12/14/15

SCARSDALE UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT

Scarsdale, New York

MEMORANDUM

DATE: December 11, 2015 TO: The Board of Education FROM: Thomas Hagerman RE: Resolution Accepting Auditors’ Report Background: Education Law requires each school district to have an independent audit con-ducted annually. State law also requires that the Board take formal action to accept the report. The audit for the school year ending June 30, 2015, was conducted by the accounting firm of Toski and Co., CPAs, Rochester, NY. This is the second audit this firm has conducted for the District. A copy of their audit report with accompanying management letter was received by the Board on December 10, 2015. The Board will meet as the Audit Committee with representatives of the accounting firm to review the audit at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, December 14, 2015. Recommendation:

I recommend that the Board of Education adopt the following resolution: RESOLVED, that the Board of Education of the Scarsdale Union

Free School District accepts the audit report of Toski and Co., CPAs, Rochester, NY, auditors, for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2015, and that a copy of the audit report be annexed to the minutes of this meeting.

TH:lqr

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Board Meeting Agenda Item #7.2 12/14/15

SCARSDALE UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT

Scarsdale, New York

MEMORANDUM DATE: December 11, 2015 TO: The Board of Education FROM: Thomas Hagerman RE: Discussion – Adding Mandarin to Middle School World Language Program Background: At its November 16th meeting, the Board received the World Language Committee Report in three parts: curriculum review process; review of data collected; and recommendations from the committee moving forward. At that time, Lynne Shain reviewed the charge to the committee and gave an extensive report on the results of the surveys sent to parents of grade K-11 students and students in grades 6-11. Based on all the data and feedback, the administration recommended to continue the current World Language offerings at the Middle School and High School for the 2016-17 school year. The Board made no final determination at that time.

The Board received public comments and e-mailed messages in support of adding Mandarin to the Middle School program. Accordingly, this matter has been placed on the agenda for further discussion on Monday night and a decision.

If the Board votes to approve the addition of Mandarin to the program, the following resolution should be adopted: RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approve the addition of Mandarin to the World Language Program at the Middle School beginning with the 2016-17 school year and allocate the funds needed

to support the program. TH:lqr

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Board Meeting Agenda Item #7.3 12/14/15

SCARSDALE UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT

Scarsdale, New York

MEMORANDUM DATE: December 11, 2015 TO: The Board of Education FROM: Thomas Hagerman RE: Discussion – Changing the District’s Transportation Policy Background: The Board has been asked to consider revising the District’s Student Transportation Policy (#8410) by reducing the mileage limits currently in place. Accordingly, this matter has been placed on the agenda for Monday night’s meeting for discussion and a decision. A copy of Policy 8410 is attached for ready reference. If the Board decides to pursue a revision, according to New York State Education Law, Section 3635(1)(a), voter approval through a formal referendum process would be required. TH:lqr Attachment

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Board Meeting Agenda Item #9.1 12/14/15

SCARSDALE UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT Scarsdale, New York

MEMORANDUM DATE: December 11, 2015 TO: The Board of Education FROM: Thomas Hagerman RE: Gifts Background:

The Board’s gift policy provides that the Board approve gifts valued in excess of $1,000. The following gift has been offered and is in line with the Board’s revised policy:

$10,000 to be used toward the purchase of STEAM initiative equipment and supplies, a Therapy Station, and equipment to enhance capabilities for stage performances. Recommendation:

I recommend that the Board accept the gift with thanks. TH\ha Attachment

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