Budget Discussions Continue at Scarsdale BOE - Tax Cap Could Be Above 3%
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Assistant Schools Superintendent Linda Purvis shared some interesting news about the estimated tax cap, the health reserve and elementary school expenses at the December 9th meeting of the Scarsdale School Board.
Tax Cap:
Recently released numbers from the NYS Office of Real Property Services shows that the total assessed value of Scarsdale real estate has gone up more than anticipated last month. The new estimate is an increase of 1.66%. When added to the state cap, this would make Scarsdale's cap around 3.25%, and would make it easier for the Board to propose a 2014-15 school budget that complies with the cap while including funds for building maintenance and improvements, staffing and programming.
Health Reserve
However, Purivs also reported that the district will need to dismantle the $1.6 million dollar health reserve that the district's external auditors have now ruled to be out of compliance. She gave the Board three options for liquidating the reserve:
1) Dismantle it over four years in equal increments
2) Take the entire reserve into income for 2014-15
3) Transfer $750,000 of the health reserve to the undesignated reserve to bring that fund up to4%, which is permissible by state law.
The Board will discuss these three options at a later date.
Elementary School Program Costs
Last, as part of a presentation about the elementary school program, the Board distributed a page of "Financial Facts and Figures" about the elementary schools and here are a few observations.
The five elementary schools vary in enrollment from a low of 383 students in Greenacres to a high of 492 students in Fox Meadow. Building square footage reflects enrollment varying from a low of 55,791 square feet at Greenacres to 81,577 to a high of 81,577 square feet at Fox Meadow.
Here are the statistics about the number of square feet per student at all five of the schools:
School Enrollment Square Footage Sq ft./Student
Therefore, Edgewood and Greenacres are the most densely populated.
Another interesting fact to note: for the elementary school program, salaries and benefits account for $34,726,781 in costs out of a total budget of $36,006,707, or 96% of the elementary school budget. This includes texts, supplies, extracurricular stipends, professional development grants, technology hardware purchase, student accident insurance and building utilities, but does not include special education costs or an allocation for Central Office expenses.
Public Comments
The news that the cap could be above 3% was not music to everyone's ears. During the public comments portion of the meeting, four men, who have frequently spoken out against tax increases, asked the Board to contain costs and minimize budget increases.
Here is what they said:
Former Board member Michael Otten urged the Board to use "zero based budgeting," to compare district costs with other comparable districts, to eliminate programs that are not working as expected and to undertake "a major review of the 2014-15 school budget." He told the Board, "We don't need reams of extra paper or more meetings. Reserves, professional development, and travel are areas that need more clarity. The tax cap is not the principal driver for a balanced budget."
Robert Berg, who led the movement to turn down the first school budget in May, 2013 warned the Board to "heed the message from last year's budget defeat." He said the defeat was "the voice of the silent majority who said, "I can't take it anymore." He claimed the vote was not just about the fitness center and read a letter from a 78 year-old retiree thanking Berg for his "profound analysis of the bloated proposed $144 mm school budget -- adding, "I do pray that the powers that be have heard the message "enough is enough."
Mitch Gross, another frequent critic of the Board said, "Scarsdale has passed the tipping point where there are decreased returns from increased taxes." He said, "The housing stock is static," yet the student population has grown. He continued, "Scarsdale has the lowest student teacher ratio and teachers are the highest paid ...
The more you tax, the faster people without children move out. They vote with their feet. We can debate if they are shirking their responsibility." Quoting Margaret Thatcher he said, "Educational experimentation is great until you run out of money." He argued that Scarsdale taxes were increasing at an "unsustainable rate" and asked the Board to reduce the total spend, to examine teacher compensation, course load, and capital expenditures.
Jim Labick of Brookline Road said "a rollover budget is a flawed way to come up with a budget." He told the Board that in his years in business, "We never started with the existing budget. We use zero-based budgets and determined what needed to be done differently." He asked the Board to "eliminate programs and scrutinize all programs for their true value added."
Though it is early in the budget process, many are already engaged in airing their views. The days in which the approval of the Scarsdale Schools budget was a forgone conclusion appear to be history. It could be another season of late nights for the administration, the Board of Education and the community.
New Dining Options in Scarsdale
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New dining options are on the horizon in Scarsdale with one new opening, and two more to come. Yamanoya Sushi just opened their doors at 56 Garth Road in the space formerly occupied by Asian fusion restaurant Tengda. Owner Yvonne Chen explained that this is her second restaurant – her first was in Hauppague Long Island. The interior remains the same as the former tenant and is spacious with a large sushi bar. The menu includes sushi dinners and special rolls as well as hot entrees and noodles and fried rice. The Yamanoya signature roll includes spicy tuna, avocado and crunch wrapped in seaweed and topped with snow crab. From now until March 31, they are offering 20% off on their lunch special, $10 off on orders of $80 or more and $5 off a purchase of $40 or more. Stop by and let us know what you think!
Currently under construction on Spencer Place is Namu Steakhouse, which will feature Korean barbeque. Slated to open around Christmas-time, the 60-seat restaurant will include a "treehouse" motif, as Namu means treehouse in Korean. The décor will include a large tree that will extend up to a skylight to bring the outside in. The menu will include kalbi, or Korean marinated short ribs, and bibim-bap, Korean rice bowls. The restaurant will be managed by Daniel Choe, who graduated from Pace with a degree in hospitality and managed Edo Japanese Steakhouse in Port Chester for three years. His father owns a Korean-Japanese restaurant in Armonk and his mother owns Iris Nails on Chase Road around the corner.
Also opening on Garth Road is a new Greek restaurant called Petra that is currently under construction.
Now closed however is Villa Roma Pizzeria on Depot Place.
Julia B. Fee Sotheby's Supports AmeriCares in Delivering Aid to the Philippines
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Julia B. Fee and William Pitt Sotheby's International Realty announced that the company is contributing over $30,000 to support relief efforts in the Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan. The funds have been donated to AmeriCares, a nonprofit humanitarian organization that provides both immediate emergency response and long-term assistance programs for those in need all over the world. AmeriCares is participating in emergency relief efforts in the Philippines.
Julia B. Fee and William Pitt Sotheby's International Realty achieved its dollar amount goal one week after announcing the initiative, pledging to match all donations up to $15,000. With ongoing donations from company agents and staff as well as the public through philippinesrelief.williampitt.com reaching more than $15,000, the firm was able to contribute more than $30,000 in total to AmeriCares.
"I am happy to report that we met our goal for the Typhoon Haiyan Americares Relief Fund in only one week's time. Each gift will help to ensure that AmeriCares has the resources required to respond effectively and quickly to this crisis," said Jason Wilson, brokerage manager of Julia B. Fee Sotheby's International Realty's Scarsdale brokerage. "I am proud to be part of such an extraordinary and compassionate organization, and I know that together we can make a difference in helping the families and individuals affected by this devastating storm."
AmeriCares has arranged for an initial emergency shipment of medicines and aid for 20,000 survivors, and for emergency response staff members to travel to the Philippines to assess needs and speed the delivery of additional aid. Believed to have killed nearly 4,000 people, the storm has been referred to in the media as one of the worst storms in recorded history.
Julia B. Fee and William Pitt Sotheby's International Realty has partnered with AmeriCares several times in recent years, participating in the organization's humanitarian efforts in impoverished areas of Guatemala and El Salvador, as well as its work to assist those affected last year by Hurricane Sandy. For more information, contact Jason Wilson at Julia B. Fee Sotheby's International Realty, Jason.wilson@juliabfee.com or 914.713.2164.
Lulu's Shoe Boutique?
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Is Lulu Cake Boutique on Garth Road now selling shoes? ... Prada, Louboutin and Jimmy Choo's? Though the shoeboxes and samples look real, they are actually 100% edible shoes and shoeboxes, made from Lulu's signature cake and delectable icing. These stunning replicas of shoes you would normally find on Madison Avenue are displayed in the window of the bakery and are an attraction in themselves.
The shoes and their boxes make wonderful special occasion cakes for friends and family celebrating birthdays, anniversaries and Bat Mitzvah's -- especially those with a shoe fetish! Since there's no accounting for taste they come in a variety of flavors – suggestions for the Prada shoe are river hazelnut with Jimmy Choo in passion fruit and white chocolate. Even the heels are edible.
Stop by and take a look at the window. Victor's creations are pure artistry!
Lulu Cake Boutique
40 Garth Road
Scarsdale, NY 10583
(914) 722-8300
David M. Brodsky to Chair 2014 Scarsdale Bowl Committee
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David M. Brodsky has been named Chair of the 2014 Scarsdale Bowl Committee. The appointment was announced by Richard Toder, President of the Scarsdale Foundation. As Bowl Committee Chair, Brodsky will head the Scarsdale Bowl nominating committee and the community celebration dinner to be held on Wednesday evening, April 9, 2014 at The Fountainhead in New Rochelle. The Scarsdale Bowl is awarded annually each spring to a Scarsdale resident in recognition of his or her outstanding voluntary public service to the community. The Executive Secretary/Treasurer of the Scarsdale Bowl Committee is Deborah Pekarek.
Mr. Brodsky has been active in a range of community and volunteer organizations. He served as Chair of the Scarsdale Procedure Committee that nominates candidates to run for the Citizens Nominating Committee, Chair of the Joint and Administrative Committees of the School Board Nominating Committee (SBNC) that nominates candidates to run for the SBNC, and three years as a member of the SBNC. He is a member of the board, and incoming Chair, of the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy. He previously served as member of the Board and Chair of the Nominating and Development Committees of Equal Justice Works, and Chair of the Board of New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. He is also a member of the Audit Committee of the New York City Bar, a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, and a Life Member of the American Law Institute.
Brodsky, through Brodsky ADR LLC, is a mediator and arbitrator of complex commercial and financial disputes, and a Member of the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals. Formerly a partner at Latham and Watkins LLP, he also served as General Counsel-Americas, Credit Suisse First Boston, and was a partner at. Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP. A graduate of Brown University and Harvard Law School, he served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and Associate Independent Counsel in the Matter of Michael K. Deaver.
He and his wife Stacey, a Trustee of the Village, have been residents of Scarsdale for more than 20 years; their daughters Isabel and Nell graduated from Scarsdale High School and from Colgate and Brown Universities, respectively. David's son Peter resides in Dallas with his wife Lael and three children.
The Scarsdale Bowl is administered by the Scarsdale Foundation which operates as a not-for-profit community foundation to promote the civic welfare. It does so by supporting institutions and individuals in a manner that encourages educational and human development in the community. The Foundation provides need-based financial aid to Scarsdale High School graduates who are entering their sophomore, junior and senior years in college and to children attending the Recreation Department summer day camp. It also administers a number of special purpose funds, and makes grants for various community needs which have included the Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps and the Scarsdale/Edgemont Family Counseling Service.
