Questions About the Largest School Bond Proposal in Scarsdale’s History, or What Are We Getting for $98 Million?

The Design Lab was built at SHS as a result of the 2014 bond.You may have received an email with a survey from the Scarsdale Schools requesting your input on a proposed $98MM bond. And if you have not been following the discussions, you might want to familiarize yourself with the plans for the largest bond in Scarsdale’s history. It’s a complex plan with many moving parts – and here are some questions about the proposed bond:

The Amount
The Board and Administration have reached consensus on a proposed bond just under $100mm. The debt that is rolling off, or the tax neutral solution would be $40mm. So the $98mm bond is almost 2.5 times the tax neutral amount – translating to a $500 annual tax increase for residents for homes assessed at $1.3mm. Is this increase for 20 years? 30 years? They have said they will provide a sliding scale rubric to calculate the tax increase for those with homes at greater assessed values.

Why this amount? Scarsdale has historically taken on greater than tax neutral debt to fund major initiatives such as construction of Heathcote School and the Scarsdale Middle School.

However, in this case, the administration says that the school buildings have a long list of infrastructure needs, upgrades and repairs. That list included ADA upgrades, electrical and plumbing work. There is $12mm for air conditioning which is needed in this time of global warming. However, there is no signature project, such as the Learning Commons or the Design Lab at the high school, which were included in the 2014 bond.

Elementary School Additions

There are two additions planned – one at Edgewood and another at Fox Meadow. Fox Meadow is at capacity and will receive a two-story addition to house a library and multipurpose room. Classrooms will be renovated as well for a total cost of $25.4mm. We have not seen any renderings of these new spaces at Fox Meadow -what will they include?

The Capital Projects Steering Committee, a committee of parents, educators and administrators who was formed earlier this year to make a recommendation to the district, did not include an expansion at Edgewood School in their plan. Instead they recommended interior reconstruction of the gym and multipurpose rooms and renovations of 28 classrooms. Their recommendation was for $10.6mm of work to Edgewood.

However, in October 2025, in response to requests from Edgewood parents, the administration reconsidered that plan. The administration asked for a new enrollment projection from the demographer who now projects a jump in enrollment at Edgewood. It is puzzling how they came to this conclusion since:

-Enrollment in the Scarsdale Schools overall has declined from 4,778 to 4,678 students in the past 10 years.

-Enrollment at Edgewood, was 411 students in 2016-17 and is 410 in 2025-2026.

-Home sales are at historic lows (205 homes sold in 2023 and 2024)

-495 students who reside in Scarsdale are attending schools out of the district, a five year high.

-No new housing developments are in the works and there are a fixed number of building lots.

But despite the trends, the demographer is projecting 440 students at the school for 2028-2029.

Using this data as a rationale, the bond project now includes a new two-story addition at the school with 6 classrooms and 5 small instruction spaces at a cost of $21.4mm.

Special Education

Why an expansive addition? What appears to be driving this need for more space is the presence of the Special Education program at Edgewood, which occupies three classrooms with 21 Scarsdale students (K-5) and 4 tuition-paying out of district students. The district made a decision to educate these special needs students in-district rather than outside, predicated on the potential cost savings from not paying out of district tuition and on the premise that there was space within current buildings to house the program.

But a $14mm addition? This would be the equivalent of spending $700,000 a student for a program with a highly variable number of students year over year. It’s an outsized spend that benefits the few, not the many.

Instead, the district should look for other solutions to house special need students. Greenacres Elementary School received an eight-classroom addition in the last bond, and the Greenacres population has remained relatively stable. Perhaps there is capacity there. In fact, in order to alleviate crowding at Fox Meadow, the district proposed moving 60 Fox Meadow students to Greenacres, indicating there is space available. This was rejected by parents but does raise a question. Has the district done an analysis of moving the Special Education program to Greenacres rather than spending another $12mm on an expansion at Edgewood? Since many of the students in the Special Education program do not reside in Edgewood, and it is not their home school, it would be easy to shift sites in order to save the district from an unnecessary expansion.

If the program were relocated, those three classrooms could be re-purposed to meet the schools need for space for specials like music and Spanish or serve as an additional classroom should there be a need due to a rise in enrollment. Funds could be used for a cafeteria, multi-purpose room and flex spaces requested by Edgewood parents.

Long Term Picture

This year, Assistant Superintendent Andrew Lennon provided a much-awaited long term financial forecast for the Scarsdale Schools. Due to higher than expected health care claims, an increase in the number of staffers over the past ten years and the tax cap, the district has been forced to use reserves to keep budget increases below the tax cap. This projection showed that in just three years, given the current spending levels, the district will have depleted their reserves. If the Board does add six classrooms and five instructional spaces to the footprint, how will this impact the bottom line? Have they accounted for increased staffing, custodial services, maintenance and utilities in their projections? We haven’t seen a long term financial plan that includes the expansion, but we should see one before approving this bond.

Vision

The Reading Hive Library at Smithfield Elementary School in North Richland Hills, TexasLast, what is the goal of this $100mm plan? Are we building learning spaces for future generations which will facilitate next-gen pedagogical thinking, or just adding more square feet of space to the floor plan? We have not seen any renderings of the new spaces, save some rough site plans to show where the additions will go. Where is the innovation that brought us the Heathcote Elementary School, the Design Lab and the Learning Commons at SHS. Where is the forward thinking about elementary school design for a premiere school district?

Residents need answers before it’s time to vote. If we sign on for a long-term tax increase, let’s be sure the work will further the district’s ability to provide a first-rate education to Scarsdale students along with keeping them safe, warm and cool too.

Make your own educated opinion about this major initiative. It’s up to you to ask the questions and be comfortable with the answers. See what you think. Take a look at the plans here and do complete the survey you received from Parent Square.