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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 23 February 2022

Created: 23 February 2022

Last Updated: 23 February 2022

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With a proposed increase in staffing of 10.5 full time employees for the 2022-23 school year and a projected decline of $1.9 million in the projected fund balance as of June 30, 2022, this could be a challenging year for the Scarsdale School budget.

At a budget study session on Monday February 14, 2022, the administration presented their first draft of the proposed 2022-23 school budget. Though projected revenues from the 2021-22 school year were up $2.9 mm or 1.82% over the prior year, expenses were also up by $3.7 mm or 2.31%. Assistant Superintendent Stuart Mattey projected that the district would end this financial year with $1.96 mm less in fund balance then they had on June 30, 2021, completing the year with $23,577,258 in fund balance which is 3.05% of the 2022-23 draft budget. State law allows the district to maintain up to 4% of the subsequent year’s budget in fund balances.

The most significant change in the proposed budget is staffing. In this initial budget the district is proposing to add 10.5 full time employees, including psychologists and social workers in the middle and high schools, two special education teachers, clerical support for the high school psychologist, a half time CPSE Chairperson for case evaluations along with an elementary school math teacher, a computer science teachers, a grounds person, a cleaner and the transition of clerks from part time to full time.

District enrollment is estimated to decline by 63 students from a total pupil population of 4,609 in 2021-22 to 4,546 in 2022-23.

The initial proposed budget for the entire district is $174,379,876, which is 4.5% higher than the 2021-22 budget and would mean a 4.04% increase in the tax levy. This translates to a 3% increase of Scarsdale taxpayers and a 4.28% increase for those in the Mamaroneck strip. The projected tax cap is 3.5%, so this would exceed that limit and be a good deal higher than the 2.54% increase for 2021-22.

However, that same night, realizing that this increase may be too high for some to support, the district also presented a list of reductions to consider, including $141,000 in efficiencies, $547,483 in new items that would not be included and another $168,501 in savings from the Employee Retirement System from a refined calculation. Combined, these three savings lines total almost $857,000 and would reduce the budget to $173,291,393. That would mean a tax levy increase pf 3.45% which falls just below the estimated tax cap.

Commenting on the proposed budget, both the presidents of the high school and middle school PTA’s supported the additional mental health staffing.

High School PTA President Joey Silberfein said, “The pandemic has left its mark on students and faculty. We strongly encourage the board to keep all resources in the budget. We are advocating for mental health professionals who are district employees ... and staff to conduct more in depth IEP’s. Current staff is stretched beyond their band width… Having someone who can work with students and staff can lead to resolution in a timely manner.”

Leah Dembitzer, speaking on behalf of the PTA executive committee concurred. She shared the following remarks for publication:

The Scarsdale Middle School PTA Executive Committee (SMS PTA EC) and Budget Study Chairs strongly support the increase in staffing related to Mental Health support at Scarsdale Middle School as requested by Principal Troy at the January 10th Board of Education meeting.

These needs include staffing for an Emotional Support Program as well as an in-house Social Worker.

As Principal Troy previously explained, “we have seen a rise in the number of students managing depression, anxiety and other mental health issues, which limits a student’s ability to access an equal education.” The support and structure that the High School Emotional Support Program has given students for six years is a model for the Middle School. Bringing this program down to the Middle School will give students who are struggling to access the general education curriculum due to emotional difficulties the support necessary to succeed.

Principal Troy also requested an in-house social worker as a result of the significant rise in students currently struggling with mental health issues. Through the addition of a social worker to the SMS staff, the Middle School would be able to foster a greater degree of familiarity, continuity and a consistent touch point for both families and students. Due to the increase in mandated counseling and the significant, growing mental health needs, current social workers do not have the time to focus on proactive, preventative work, rather they are addressing students in crisis.

The impact of living through an ongoing pandemic upon our student community is immense. Our Middle School students require more mental health staff time and support than is currently available to them. The SMS PTA EC and Budget Study Chairs strongly support an additional school-based social worker in order to meet the mental health needs of students before they enter crisis mode.

Thank you for your time and consideration and we beseech you to contemplate the very real and immense mental health needs at Scarsdale Middle School in your budget process.

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 16 February 2022

Created: 16 February 2022

Last Updated: 16 February 2022

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(This letter was written by Karen Ceske and Amber Yusuf, President and Vice President of the Scarsdale Board of Education:

Dear Scarsdale Community,

At Monday night’s Board meeting, the Board of Education discussed succession planning for a new superintendent. After deliberation, the Board agreed to the following next steps: (1) appoint an interim superintendent for the 2022-2023 school year, and (2) begin the process of identifying a professional search firm to conduct a national search for a permanent superintendent.

These decisions are based on the understanding that a change in leadership is significant; input from the entire school community and broader community is critical to the search for a permanent superintendent; and time is needed for a thoughtful and comprehensive process. The Board will work to identify a search firm with substantial expertise to conduct the search process for a permanent superintendent and will update the community as this step progresses.

The Board will also work to identify an appropriate candidate to serve as interim superintendent for the 2022-2023 school year. The Board will seek a candidate who will provide stability and lead the Scarsdale Schools through this transitional period. We will look for an individual who can maintain positive momentum over the next year to provide the best educational experiences and outcomes for our students, continuing the current work being done in support of the Strategic Plan, DEI, mental health, and the overall mission and culture of the Scarsdale Schools. The candidate should possess the following characteristics: proven educational leader; exceptional interpersonal and communication skills; creative and flexible problem solver; and a willingness to collaborate with, and be responsive to, the Board, faculty and staff, students, parents, and community members. This individual will also need to have the appropriate New York State certification.

The Board invites you to send feedback on the criteria and priorities for the interim superintendent as set forth in the above paragraph. Please respond by Wednesday, March 2, 2022, using this link: https://bit.ly/ScarsdaleInterim

The Board recognizes that selecting a superintendent is one of the Board’s most important responsibilities. We are dedicated to working with and supporting the entire community during the search process and transition.

Warm regards,

Karen Ceske, President
Amber Yusuf, Vice President
Scarsdale Board of Education

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 31 January 2022

Created: 31 January 2022

Last Updated: 31 January 2022

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Under the direction of Assistant Superintendent Eric Rauschenbach Scarsdale’s Special Education Program has grown dramatically in the past seven years. Since that time, the number of special education students has increased by 127, bringing the total to 564 or 12% of the district’s population. Not only has the total number of students grown, but the count of these students who are served in district, rather than placed in outside schools at the district’s expense. For the 2021-22 school year, 93.5% of special needs students are served within our schools in a variety of classroom types and programs. The number of students who are placed out has fallen from 50 in 2014 -2015 to 35 this year.

Staffing for special education and emotional health is expected to continue to grow in the 2022-23 school year with plans to add school psychologists, social workers, special needs teachers and support staff for an estimated total of $810,000. At the Board of Education meeting on Monday January 24, 2022 Rauschenbach and his team explained what is currently being offered and how the program will be enhanced next year.

The district now hosts 18 integrated co-teaching classes, (ICT) that comprise a mixture of special education students and general students along with two teachers. This count has risen from just six ICT classes in 2014-15.

An ICT classroom has no more than 12 special needs students or 40% in a class and allows for more students with disabilities to be educated in district. The district has found that this model improves outcomes and assessments for those with disabilities, while promoting understanding of disabilities and acceptance from the general population. The special needs students benefit from individualized attention and specially designed instruction. The two teachers co-plan and co-teach all lessons.

In terms of their distribution across the district, here is where the classes are held:

Kindergarten – 3 sections at Greenacres
First Grade – 4 sections at Quaker Ridge
Second Grade – 3 sections at Heathcote
Third Grade – 3 sections at Quaker Ridge
Fourth Grade – 2 sections at Edgewood
Fifth Grade – 3 sections at Quaker Ridge

In addition to the ICT classrooms, at the elementary level there are now two special class sections, a Bridge Program at  Quaker Ridge and an Intensive Support Program at Edgewood, called 8:1:2 which includes a maximum of eight students one teacher and two aides. The Bridge Program at Quaker Ridge focuses on academics as well as adaptive school and living skills.

At the middle school level there are a range of support systems for students with special needs.

At the Learning Resource Center students are taught how to focus and organize their work, time management, strategies and skills for breaking down information and approaching assignments and meeting challenges. The center fosters a sense of support and increases student confidence.

The Parallel and Push-In Program allows students with special need to attend general education classes in science and social studies with the support of a special education teachers who “push into” these classrooms. These students receive math and English instruction in Parallel classes with a maximum of 12 students to one instructor. A separate testing center is provided to allow special needs students to take exams in a “warm, stress-free environment.”

These support programs extend into the high school, where the Learning Resource Center provides support to students of all grades, with the older students becoming unofficial mentors to the younger ones. The center teaches students strategies and skills to move forward, and transition from “I Can’t” to “How Can I?”

Team teaching is used to integrate general students and special needs students in classrooms and both teachers and students benefit from the collaboration.

For those who require therapeutic intervention, the district offers the Scarsdale Support Program at the high school, which provides:

-Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)
-Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
-Traditional “talk” counseling

This allows the district to educate these students rather than placing them outside. It helps students with social/emotional issues so that they can succeed in school, helping them to perceive situations and deal with difficulties. The program has been instrumental in helping students graduate and gain admission to top colleges around the country.

Next year the district plans to launch a similar support program at Scarsdale Middle School which will be staffed with an additional school psychologist, a full time teacher and an aide.

Learn more about what Scarsdale has to offer here: 

We followed up with a few questions for Eric Rauschenbach, Assistant Superintendent for Special Education and Student Services and here is what we learned:

Question:

For the proposed Scarsdale Support Program to be launched at SMS, how many students would that serve - and how much would it cost the district for out placement of those students?

Answer:

As a rule of thumb an outside placement costs between 60 and 75 thousand dollars annually. The program proposed would serve a max of 15 students. For implementation next year we expect to bring back some students in outside placements although at this moment I can't give you a solid number but it should be between 2-4 students. In addition to those coming back, we have a group of MS students that would benefit greatly from increased support

Question: 

For the two proposed social workers to be added at SMS and SHS, how do these positions differ from the work of SFCS counselors? Why do we need full time social workers in district at this time? Can SFCS expand their service to meet the need? If so, how would those costs compare to hiring two full time staffers?

Answer: 

The Youth Services Project was developed originally as a suicide prevention project which has expanded to prevention of at-risk behaviors. The main focus of those counselors should be outreach and ad-hoc counseling for students that are not classified under CSE/504. Given the rise in students needing more regular counseling and the rise in mandated counseling, the SFCS counselors have had to start doing more traditional school counseling roles leaving less time for outreach and prevention. An on-staff social worker whose focus would be on our identified students would also be a benefit to families as their training is more family systems based and they would bring a particular point of view to our counseling team. I would also encourage you to take a look at the rational sheets from the 1/10 BOE meeting attached to the presentation of staffing as they have more detail from the school teams.

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 16 January 2022

Created: 16 January 2022

Last Updated: 16 January 2022

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At the same time that student enrollment in the Scarsdale Schools has declined by over 200 students staffing has gone in the other direction, increasing by 52 employees from 596 in 2014 to 648 full timers for the 2021-22 school year.

This trend is poised to continue if the Board of Education approves the administration’s proposal to add more staff for the 2022-23 school year.

At a budget study session on Monday January 10, the administration proposed to add staff to address growing mental health needs and to implement a new math program in the elementary schools as well as hiring additional cleaner and a a grounds person. Also in the proposal is the transition of 14 part time office clerks to seven full time positions. All in the requests would add more than $1 million to the budget for the next school year.

When asked why mental health and special education needs were growing at the schools, Assistant Superintendent Eric Rauschenbach provided a few contributing factors:

-First, the stigma about mental health is decreasing and more students are requesting help.

-The special needs student population has grown, and in the past five years the program has increased from 10 ICT (integrated co-teaching classes) to 19.

-The pressure to achieve is adding to student stress.

-The COVID crisis and remote learning has caused isolation, alienation and depression.

-In addition, the district is seeking to offer services in-district to students who were previously outplaced at the district’s expense.

Specifically, the administration proposed the following Tier 1 requests for staffing in the 2022-23 school budget.

One elementary school math teacher to help the district roll-out a new Next Gen standards aligned math program. This person would work with the current math coordinator. This program is estimated to last only two years. Cost $110,000

One Special Education teacher to work with students on life skills in the Bridge Program, during their transition from elementary to middle school. Cost: $110,000

One Psychologist, one Special Education teacher and an Aide to staff a new student support program at the Middle School, similar to a program at the High School. The program is designed to “help students manage anxiety and depression while providing coping skills and immediate feedback for certain behaviors. The focus is on maintaining a stable, positive environment while helping students to develop their self-advocacy skills.” Cost $235,000.

An Instructional Technology Specialist or computer teacher for the middle school to teach computer science and support technology needs. Cost: $110,000

A full-time Social Worker to be based at the middle schools to supplement the work of the three social workers from Scarsdale Family Counseling Services to provide preventative programming and avert crises. Cost: $110,000

A full-time Psychologist for the high school to meet increased demand for counseling, evaluations and address anxiety, eating disorders and more. Cost: $125,000

A full-time Secretary to support the high school psychologist. Cost: $65,000

A full-time Social Worker at the high school to support increased mental health needs and “school programming around topics regarding character development, wellness, and mental health.” Cost: $110,000

A half time district-wide CPSE Chairperson to correspond to the increase in the number of children in the district with special needs which has risen from 409 in 2016-17 to 562 in 2021-22. Cost $55,000

The administration is also asking for an additional cleaner at the high school at a cost of $50,000, an additional grounds person at a cost of $55,000 and to transition 14 part time clerical workers into 6 full time positions.

Board members asked probing questions after Andrew Patrick, Edgar McIntosh and Eric Rauschenbach explained the rationale behind the requests which would add more than $1,000,000 to the budget.

Amber Yusuf inquired about the staffing of the Student Support Program at the high school and whether the current staff was handling the demand. Rauschenbach said, “That program has been at capacity since we started it. We are perilously close to exceeding the capacity of the staff.” About the additional of a similar program at the middle school, Rauschenbach said, “Expanding this program down to the middle school will allow us to intervene earlier. And having a “Life Skills teacher at the Middle School will allow some of these kids to gain a regular High School diploma and get work experience prior to graduation.”

Asked how many students this new program would support, Raushenbach said it would serve “Five students who are moving up to the middle school.”

About the hiring of an elementary math teacher to support the new math program rollout, McIntosh said, “The assignment should be for the launch and rollout of a new math program and support that in the next two years.” This new position is in addition to another district wide Math Support Teacher – or “helping” teacher.”

Karen Ceske asked, “What is the long-term financial impact of increasing staffing. How many of these are permanent or tenure track positions? Drew Patrick answered, “If they are full time appointments they are tenure track.”

Carl Finger said, “We have had a reasonable increase in staffing with enrollment dropping over the last five years. Can you show us the different categories of staffing that has been added – in addition to breaking them down by school?”

He asked, “Is the math helping teacher permanent?” Mcintosh said, “It would be a current classroom teacher who would fill this role for two years.”

Finger also asked, “What will be the total net dollar difference for moving these 14 part time people to seven full time positions? Patrick responded, “The maximum will be $105,000.”

Rauschenbach said that he will outline more specifics about the number of students who have been transitioned into the district in a presentation about Special Education at the next Board of Education meeting. However, he said, “There is about a savings of $65,000” for each student who is served in the district, rather than outplaced.

Bob Klein said, “I understand there is a general trend toward moving services and students back to the district. Is there an analysis of the long-term costs of using outside vendors vs. providing services in district to see what’s most cost effective for functions such as food service and transportation?

Stuart Mattey said that “Yes the business office does do these analyses”

Rauschenback explained the growth in the need for special needs staffing, saying “Part of the attraction of moving here is our skill set for special needs education – so it continues to grow. We have moved from 10 sections of ICT (integrated co-teaching classes) to 19 sections in the past five years.”

Ron Schulhof asked, “Is this proposal to address the mental health needs during COVID – or ongoing? Will mental health needs normalize?”

Rauschenbach replied, “We have seen the trends moving in this direction pre-COVID, but COVID has increased that trend… if not we would not be asking for a psychologist and a social worker at the high school. We will continue to look at these positions. This is not a need specific to COVID.”

Schulfhof said, “What is going on with our kids in the schools? I would like a deeper dive into what is going on.”

About school enrollment projections, Patrick said, “Right now we’re at 4,612 students. Enrollment is based on the replacement of the outgoing senior class with the incoming kindergarten class. The trend has been smaller kindergarten classes relative to the graduating classes. For next year we are projecting the same number of sections as we have this year.”

On the question about the increase in the number of cleaners, Stuart Mattey said, “Our enhanced routine we used during COVID has become our regular routine. That’s why we are asking for additional cleaners.”

This presentation was an initial request, the first in a series of budget meetings in the months to come. Watch the presentation here.