Scarsdale School District Staffing: ICT Faculty Continues to Grow, Retirements Announced

The district is recommending an additional 4.3 FTE's for the 2026-27 school year.The District unveiled its staffing recommendations for the 2026-27 school year during a detailed budget presentation that highlighted enrollment trends, instructional priorities, and the growing complexity of student needs across all grade levels Board of Education meeting on February 2, 2026.

Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources and Leadership, Meghan Troy, emphasized that every staffing request undergoes a rigorous review process, including written rationales from principals and district leaders and multiple rounds of discussion within the Administrative Council.

“We ask our leaders to think deeply about what they are requesting and what the impacts are, both financially and programmatically,” Troy said. “These rationales are an important part of ensuring that our recommendations are thoughtful and aligned with the district’s mission.”

Elementary Staffing: Slight Section Reduction, Continued ICT Growth

Enrollment projections indicate the district will need 104 elementary class sections next year, one fewer than the current year. Integrated Co-Teaching (ICT) and special class staffing is expected to remain steady at 25 classes, with three ICT kindergarten sections anticipated based on early registration.

The district also plans to budget two contingency positions to address unexpected enrollment shifts. “These positions give us flexibility if a grade level suddenly exceeds class‑size guidelines,” Troy explained. “They ensure we can maintain the norms that are so important to our instructional model.”

Middle School: ICT Expansion Drives Special Education Request

At the middle school, the district is recommending one additional special education teacher to support the expansion of ICT into 7th‑grade English and math. “Right now, sixth graders have ICT in all four core subjects,” Megan said. “This addition allows us to maintain continuity as they move into seventh grade.” No additional staffing is expected for eighth‑grade ICT expansion next year.

High School: Math Enrollment Surges, Free Periods Shrink

One of the most significant staffing needs is at the high school, where administrators are requesting one additional math teacher.

Over the past six years, the math and STEAM departments have added popular electives such as Financial Literacy, Linear Algebra, and Digital Logic, while enrollment in AP Physics has grown from 64 to 84 students. “We’re seeing more students take more than one math class, sometimes up to three at the same time,” high school principal Ken Bonamo said. “That’s a wonderful reflection of student interest, but it creates real scheduling challenges.”

Bonamo also pointed out that the data shows that students now average 4.54 free periods, down from 5.37 in 2018-19. Juniors have been hit hardest, dropping from 5.35 free periods to 3.92. “What this means is students are in classrooms more frequently than ever before,” Bonamo said. “Some math classes have exceeded our target class size of 25, and that impacts the quality of instruction.”

Student board representative Lucy Eisenberg echoed these concerns. “My AP Statistics class has 27 students,” Eisenberg shared. “We often run out of time to ask questions, and office hours don’t always line up with our schedules because we’re taking so many classes.”

Another student representative Anish Mehta added that larger classes undermine the collaborative, discussion‑based approach that defines Scarsdale’s advanced math courses. “One of the most beautiful things about these classes is the Socratic style of learning,” he said. “When classes get too big, teachers are forced to lecture more, and that experience starts to fade.”

Elementary Social Work Support to Expand

The district is also proposing a 1.5‑position increase in contracted social work services through the Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling Center. The goal is to ensure daily social worker coverage in every elementary school.

“The impact of our current social workers has been tremendous,” Troy explained. “But with only two serving five schools, their availability is limited. This expansion would allow every building to have consistent support.”

Unlike teaching positions, these roles are contracted services and do not add FTEs with benefits.

Requests Deferred for Future Years

Troy also made clear that several staffing requests were considered but postponed, including:

-A high school special education teacher for LRC expansion
-Reinstatement of the high school head computer teacher
-A special education office assistant

Administrators said these areas require further study, including workload analysis and civil service title review.

Board Members Praise Transparency, Raise Questions About Class Sizes

After Troy’s presentation, board members expressed appreciation for the clarity of the presentation and the district’s commitment to maintaining class‑size norms.
“These norms are more important today than ever,” one board member said. “With more hands‑on learning and performance‑based assessments, reasonable class sizes are essential.”

Another board member highlighted the uniqueness of Scarsdale’s high school scheduling model. “In many districts, if a class fills up, students are simply turned away,” she said. “Here, students can build schedules around their interests and academic goals. That’s something we should protect.”

Board members also took the time to ask questions about custodial staffing, ICT expansion timelines, and the distribution of psychologists, nurses, and social workers.

Overall, the district is recommending a budget‑to‑budget increase of 4.3 FTEs, including:

4.0 certified FTEs (elementary, middle, and high school)

0.3 districtwide special education FTE

This brings projected certified staffing to 488.8 FTEs and total districtwide staffing to 669.7 FTEs.

The budget process continues with additional study sessions, culminating in:
-March 23 Community Budget Forum
-April 13 Board adoption of the final budget
-May 19 Community budget vote

“We’re committed to delivering a fiscally responsible budget that reflects community values and supports our students,” Superintendent Dr. Patrick said. “We look forward to continued engagement throughout this process.”

The slideshow presentation is available for viewing here 1. Budget Development & Staffing - Jan 26 2026

District Expands Technology Guardrails and Warns of AI Risks

Later in the meeting, board members presented cabinet updates and Director of Technology and Innovation Jeannie Crowley was invited to share a presentation about technology use in the schools. More specifically, Crowley described how the district is tightening its approach to artificial intelligence and digital tools and unveiling new technology guardrails for faculty.

Crowley outlined the guidelines, developed with Digital Learning Coordinator William Yang, to help staff navigate rapidly evolving technologies while protecting student privacy and well‑being. “We don’t expect everyone to stay on top of every new tool,” Crowley said. “Part of our role is to condense the information and communicate it in a way that’s purposeful for the community.”

Crowley emphasized that any tool collecting student data must have a district‑approved Data Protection Agreement. Staff are encouraged to use Google Gemini for documents containing student information, as the district has a formal agreement with Google.

She noted that many AI‑related behaviors are already covered under existing policies, including academic integrity, responsible use, and the student code of conduct.

Crowley went on to warn that AI tools can change quickly, sometimes in inappropriate ways. She cited a tool marketed to schools last spring that allowed students to chat with historical figures. “Within a few months, the site shifted almost entirely to dating or intimacy chatbots,” she said. “It’s a reminder to revisit sites before using them with students.”

She also highlighted a growing trend of students turning to AI chatbots for emotional support. “Chatbots are designed to be highly agreeable, which becomes concerning when students seek advice about mental health or risky behaviors,” Crowley explained. “Just because students aren’t coming to us doesn’t mean the need has decreased.”

Crowley urged educators to focus on learning goals rather than pressure from tech companies to adopt new AI tools. “Student learning is the goal, not the technology itself,” she said.
The district continues to support thoughtful experimentation through AI inquiry groups, Community for Inquiry and Innovation grants, and building‑level study groups.

As Data Protection Officer, Crowley also reported an incident involving student data where 11 students entered passwords into a fake job‑posting link in a A phishing attack on Nov. 11. Crowley also warned of a recent wave of fraudulent Google Docs with urgent subject lines and encouraged the community to report suspicious messages. “We’re here to help,” she said. “If you accidentally click a link, let us know right away.”

Crowley’s presentation, including an outline of technology guardrails, can be viewed here Scarsdale Technology Guardrails - Google Slides

Math Workshop for Parents

Other highlights from the meeting include that the district will host an elementary math fluency parent workshop at Quaker Ridge on Thursday, February 26 from 9:00 to 10:15, with school leaders, math curriculum leaders, and teachers presenting and sharing at-home support tips.

School Calendar

The Board also voted to adopt the proposed school calendar for the 2026-27 school year: 2026-2027 School Calendar

Retirements

During her cabinet update, Meghan Troy announced the retirement of 19 faculty members from the Scarsdale school district, including 17 teachers and two administrators. Troy noted that “Retirees are celebrated for their long-standing service, with tenures ranging from 18 to 33 years”. The retirees include:

At the elementary level, special education teacher Julie Abbe from Edgewood is retiring after 18 years, and Jeanette Pierro is retiring after 28 years.

The Middle School congratulates PE teacher and coach Cecilia Berger, who has served for 24 years, and special education teacher and coach Chris Pierro, retiring after 30 years alongside his wife.

English teacher John Van Cott, who taught at Quaker Ridge for 19 years, and music teacher Nick Lieto, who served for 21 years, are also retiring.

At Fox Meadow, elementary classroom teachers Sarah Berger (30 years) and Kate Marshall (28 years) are retiring.

Heathcote congratulates assistant principal Kathy De La Garza for her 20 years of service and elementary teacher Glenn Weill, retiring after 28 years.

Greenacres teacher Cathy Manin is retiring after 27 years, and Enrique Orengo, a music teacher at Quaker Ridge, is retiring after 19 years.

World Language teacher Amy Laffey and ENL teacher Meredith Nowak, both with 20 years of service, are also retiring.

Fifth grade teacher and social studies coordinator Amy Kenney is retiring after 32 years.

English teacher Josh Gaylord is retiring after five years at Scarsdale High School.

Dina Hofstetter, a teacher for 33 years, is also retiring.

Oren Iosepovici, Dean and Director of Counseling, is retiring after 19 years of service.

Troy concluded the announcement with a heartfelt, “Congratulations to all of our retirees on really amazing and impressive careers in Scarsdale. We can't thank them enough for their dedication to the Scarsdale community, and we look forward to hearing about their amazing next phases of life.” Troy also announced that the retirees will be celebrated at a ceremony later this spring.

For other board highlights you can watch a recording of the meeting here.