School Board Considers Ways to Reduce the Tax Levy for 2013-14

The Board of Education got some good news on Monday night when they were told that they had an additional $965,000 to play with in the 2013-2014 budget. The biggest windfall came in the form of lower than expected mandated contributions to the teacher retirement system and employee retirement system, for a savings of $765,000. In addition, Scarsdale will be receiving an additional $100,000 in state aid, and the district will also have a surplus of $100,000 in the oil and gas budget line.

The meeting began with Board of Education President Liz Guggenheimer welcoming everyone and reiterating that the BOE was "seeking input from the community...we appreciate a wide range of views." And input was given, as public comment went on for approximately one hour. The high school athletic community was well-represented, as student-athletes came out to voice their support for the proposed Wellness Center. Sophomore James Nicholas said, "The wellness center would be good for the entire student body as it will be larger...(there is) no space for students other than raiders to use it." Senior Jacob Cannon concurred, "I've learned a lot here over the past four years, but I felt the time in the weight room was invaluable...though I won't be able to enjoy it, to see new students being challenged physically is something that I think will be invaluable." Female student-athletes came out to voice their support for the Center as providing equity to female athletes, saying that they had friends who didn't feel comfortable in the existing setup, where a new center would be better because there would be more space and more equipment that girls would be interested in using.

Parent Steve Nicholas questioned how the district was able to ignore the state-mandated 120 minutes of physical exercise per week, providing only 88 minutes, and suggested that the proposed Wellness Center would help the district meet the mandate, while enhancing the academic aspects of wellness and fitness. Maroon and White co-presidents Charlotte Carr and Liz Whitney came out once again to voice their support for the Wellness Center. "When the gym was built ten years ago," Carr said, "it was proposed at that time, but there was no money for it...the funds were budgeted five years ago...but it still hasn't gotten done." Carr compared the current "woefully inadequate" facility to the facility at the Middle School, which she said was filled with students using a variety of equipment and "learning about fitness and wellness for life."

Resident Rippy Phillips compared the process to the process of putting the turf field on Butler Field, reminding the Board that there was push back on the installation of the turf, and "it is a smashing success. As a resident and a taxpayer, I am embarrassed" by the current weight room, said Phillips. He went on, "The Wellness Center would be a fantastic place to educate our kids... Whatever the price, it will be there for a long time."

Stacey Wierl, Fox Meadow physical education teacher and part of the team that used a Center for Innovation grant to propose the Wellness Center, aimed to bring clarity to the idea. "The current space can hold 30, or 35 uncomfortably, while the new space will be able to house 80 to 85 students...We have taken a hard look at curriculum design. Currently we teach gross motor skills without a holistic wellness program, We want to move from gross motor skills to holistic wellness. We're working with the science department for a cross-curricular approach...we hope that we can use the space to inspire the new program."

Those outside the athletic community weighed in as well. The League of Women Voters was reserved in its support of the proposal to move forward with the Wellness Center as part of the 2013-2014 budget, instead asking that it be held off until a comprehensive master plan could be unveiled to the community. Pam Rubin spoke on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Scarsdale. "The League commends the Board and the Administration for its commitment to investing in facilities, particularly in the context of the Scarsdale Education for Tomorrow, in order to provide students with opportunities for growth in academic, athletic and extracurricular areas," she said. "The League is concerned, however, that the Budget presents only a plan to relocate the existing fitness center and construct a new Wellness Center without addressing the other immediate needs and solutions for the High School contemplated in the Preliminary Facilities Plan. The Wellness Center should be part of a comprehensive master plan for the High School, designed to address all the needs of the High School over the near, middle and long terms. The League agrees with the Board and the Administration that in addition to the inadequacy of its fitness center, the current High School facilities lack adequate dining facilities, library space, independent and collaborative study space and envisioned classrooms of the future needed to accommodate current and anticipated enrollment. A comprehensive master plan is needed to address all of these issues and will further the community's understanding of how and when each of these issues is intended to be met. In the absence of a comprehensive master plan, the League recommends that the Board explore the feasibility of reallocating the monies earmarked in the Budget for the relocation of the existing fitness center and construction of a new Wellness Center to other needs that have been identified by the Administration (such as deferred plant improvement items)."

Resident Bob Berg stood up to reiterate his opposition to the proposed budget, and specifically to the presentation of a budget with tax growth over the cap. "This board has failed to step up to the plate," he said. "This can be done without cutting programs or increasing class size. Eliminate the wellness center and the communications officer position. Draw down excessive reserves...fundamental fairness requires this approach." Berg went on to remind the board that half of the residents in the village have no children in the school, and these people feel the need to leave to avoid rising taxes. He gave Bronxville's experience as an example, where 80% of households have children in school, leading to overcrowding in the school and greater expenses.

Resident Susan Groner said there were still many unanswered questions. "We need answers about the funding for (Wellness Center) staff, equipment, and future facilities expenses," she said. She also asked the Board to explain to the public what would happen if the budget is voted down.

If the budget put up for a vote has a tax levy growth of over 3.46%, this would be in excess of the state-legislated tax cap, and the budget would need to pass by a super-majority of 60%. If the budget put up for a vote is at or under the 3.46% tax cap, the budget would only need to pass by a simple majority. If the budget does not pass on the first try, the BOE can re-propose a budget to be voted on in mid-June, or can just use the current year's budget with no growth. If this budget does not pass a second vote, then the district would be required to use the current year's budget again next year, with no growth in spending. This budget would still have to cover budget growth over which the district has no control, including unfunded state mandates and pre-negotiated salaries, etc., and so cuts would have to be made in the variable costs, including extracurricular activities, plant improvement, etc.

The Board thanked all those present for their comments, and Guggenheimer was especially effusive regarding the presence of so many students, saying how excited she was to see them "taking part in the civic process."
The meeting went on until midnight, and topics discussed included staffing at all levels, proposed changes to library management, security aides at the high school and middle school, the proposed communications officer, additions to technology staff, professional development and consultant usage, and enhancement of dining space for students.

New information included kindergarten enrollment numbers, which is up over the last two years. Enrollment at Heathcote is nearing the point where an additional class would be needed, though no final decision will be made until the district-imposed cutoff date of August 15. The BOE has held firm to its class size practice in the elementary schools and so agreed that the potential to break into an extra K class at Heathcote would necessitate consideration of adding an unassigned elementary teacher into the budget.

SMS PTA President Pam Fuehrer, during the public comment portion of the meeting, asked the Board to reconsider their decision not to assign a security aide to the middle school. The Board agreed that having a greeter at the door of SMS made sense in light of the distance from the door to the main office and the desire to maintain control of those gaining access to school buildings. Given the extra $965,000 added to the budget, the Board agreed that some of this could go to funding the additional aide with the caveat that the utility of the security aides be assessed during next year's budget process.

The Board also agreed to use part of the $965,000 to fund the addition of a science teaching position at the high school, in an attempt to reduce the percent of classes with more than 25 students. No decision was made regarding librarian staffing, as the Board and administration went back and forth over whether there could be tradeoffs made between hiring capable aides versus replacing retiring librarians. A decision was made to cut the proposed communications officer from the budget, instead relying on funding work on a project-by-project basis. Finally, the administration asked for $40,000 to increase seating in the cafeteria and the existing commons area at the high school. The funds will cover furniture and minor construction work, and would be completed by the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year.

The BOE and the administration agreed to seeks ways of reducing the growth in the tax levy. "It should start with a 3," suggested board member Lew Leone. Guggenheimer said she wanted "to do what was best for Scarsdale and not be held to an arbitrary number."  As the clock reached midnight, all those present agreed to delay discussion of the Wellness Center until Monday, April 15 at 6:30 pm when the Board will reconvene.

Tracy Jaffe is a graduate of Brown University and Columbia University's Graduate School of Business. A past president of Heathcote's PTA and Scarsdale PT Council, Tracy has 3 children in the Scarsdale school system.