Two New Faces Join the Scarsdale School Board

There are two new, underage faces at the table at meetings of the Scarsdale School Board. Under a new law, drafted by State Senator Shelley Mayer and signed by Governor Kathy Hochul, school districts in NYS are required to have non-voting student members on their Boards of Education.

As a result, last spring the SHS student body held an election, and selected two students and an alternate to serve. Junior Lucy Eisenberg and Senior Anish Mehta won the two seats and have been in attendance at school board meetings, serving as the eighth and ninth members of the board for the 2025-26 school year.. They have both given the student body a voice on matters before the board, weighing in with a student perspective on important issues such as the upcoming school bond.

We had the opportunity to question Board of Education member Lucy Eisenberg, who spoke on behalf of herself and Anish. Here is what she had to say:

How has the experience been so far as the first students on the Board of Education? Is it what you expected?

So far I've really enjoyed my time serving on the Board of Ed. All of the school staff and other board members have been so kind and welcoming, and I really feel like they appreciate, and take into account, what Anish and I have to say. Going in, and given it was the first year, I wasn't sure how much of an opportunity Anish and I would have to add value and provide input at the meetings, but I've been pleasantly surprised how much of a "voice at the table" we've had.

What are some things this experience has taught you?

This experience has taught me how important preparation is before meetings, how vast the school board scope of work is, and how interested and passionate people in the community are, outside of the board, regarding Scarsdale school issues. I've also learned a lot about the procedure of school boards and the best ways to gather feedback from a large student body.

What motivated you to apply for this position?

I thought this was a great and unique opportunity to not only learn further about the inner workings of our schools, but also to give the student body a voice on important decisions.

The meetings are quite long. Are you finding it challenging to balance the meetings with schoolwork?

Everyone on the Board has been so accommodating with allowing Anish and I to leave early if we need to. I try to plan ahead and complete my work in advance, when possible, but I've never felt pressured to stay very late from any Board members. Over time, I've gotten more familiar with the agenda of meetings and have been able to further approximate what topics would most benefit from having a student's perspective in the discussion.

Has this experience impacted what you might want to do professionally in future years?

Yes, it's definitely piqued my interest in the operations of a school district and civic engagement in general. I have a much larger understanding and appreciation for what goes into operating a school system like our own.

Commenting on the addition of student board members, Coleen Brown, Vice President of the Scarsdale School Board said, “Having students as part of the Board of Education has been a real asset. It provides us with hands-on student perspective and feedback during our discussions. It has also been a wonderful way to keep the student community informed about Board of Education work. Student members provide updates to their peers through the school newspaper, Maroon and meet regularly with student government. This involvement is strengthening the BOE–student relationship, which can only enhance our work.