PT Council Executive Committee Comments on Proposed 2025-26 School Budget
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(The following statement was submitted to the Board of Education at the March 3, 2025 meeting)
The Scarsdale Parent-Teacher Council Executive Committee (PTC EC) and the PT Council Budget Study Chairs would like to thank the district administration and Board of Education for hosting Budget Study Session #1 and #2 for the community. We believe that transparency, and early and ongoing communication with District parents and the Scarsdale community is essential to a comprehensive and effective budget process. We would like to provide some general comments.
By way of background, part of our budget study process for the 2025-26 fiscal year, the PTC EC and Budget Study Chairs are working closely with representatives from all seven Scarsdale schools to identify key initiatives, issues, and budget items that reflect the priorities of the broader school communities. Additionally, you may receive input from school-based PTA Budget Study representatives regarding specific requests for individual schools.
The PTC EC and Budget Study Chairs appreciate the transparency in identifying areas for the community’s consideration as it relates to potential reductions to close the gap toward achieving a budget at or below this year’s Tax Cap. Controlled spending is now apparently needed as informed by the initial budget assessment coupled with the five-year projection to maintain fund balances, continued fiscal responsibility and to remain below the Tax Cap. Thank you for your continued focus on this effort as reflected in the Budget Study Session #2.
Given that the recent spending trajectory, as outlined in the Long-Range Financial Planning presentation, projects an operating deficit in the 2027-2028 fiscal year, the PTC appreciates the administration’s efforts to suggest prioritized spending cuts in an effort to avoid a negative fund balance. Along with setting expectations that a reduction in spending requires careful consideration of what can be left out of the budget the PTC EC and Budget Study Chairs request that the administration do this in a way that has the least impact to the student population and explore creative options that are strategic in nature and provide long term benefit. One such area is to explore further analysis to creatively provide employee benefits with guardrails to maintain it as a business and to pursue current and additional revenue streams. Sports are an important part of the student experience, well being and part of the school community, broader community and team spirit. Cuts at this level are less desirable than finding areas of budget reduction that don’t directly impact the student experience or uncovering creative ways to increase revenues. We appreciate the focus to maintain sports in general including those outside of the section 1 category.
Aging playgrounds have been included in the budget and should remain a priority since replacement is paramount for maintaining their safety as they have exceeded their expected lifespan. But all capital projects should be closely assessed to address a strategic rollout to spread funding out over time with consideration of the dwindling reserves and maintain a fiscally responsible bottom line.
The PTC is impressed with the district’s ongoing commitment to effective technology usage policies in the Scarsdale schools and staying attuned with state requirements. With the current "Off and Away" policy at the elementary and middle school levels, and the use of cell phone caddies at the high school, our practices are among the best in the region. We encourage the district to continue monitoring Governor Hochul’s priorities, particularly her focus on the rollout of the “bell-to-bell” ban on personal devices, understanding at this time the state will assist in funding.
The PTC EC and Budget Study Chairs are strong proponents of maintaining small class sizes, providing comprehensive student support, and promoting teaching practices that nurture the development of the whole child. We advocate for initiatives that prioritize student mental health, well-being, and the creation of an inclusive environment where all students feel a sense of belonging within our diverse community. Furthermore, we endorse a continued commitment to the creation and implementation of innovative, best-in-class curriculum practices, and encourage ongoing professional development to strengthen these critical elements of the student experience. We ask for continued transparency in new developments and curriculum changes as well as being informed of benchmarking demonstrating effectiveness of specific programming.
Over the next few weeks, as the Board of Education and the District work through the Budget Priorities for the 2025 -2026 school year we ask that you continue to keep our students as the driving priority. Our planning must allow for us to maintain the current instruction levels as well as allow for the growth in areas previously defined but to also give consideration to resources needed to successfully communicate and rollout new programs strategically while allowing us to properly finance the infrastructure and capital projects that continue to increase year over year and while maintaining the safety of the schools through technology and keeping with changing and advancing trends. We ask that you assess the health plan cost increases to get to the root cause of growth and look at possible guardrails that may put reasonable caps on claims. While we want staff and teachers to have the best plan possible we ask that you consider changing practices that may best serve the budget and long term balance sheet. We ask that you look at cutting spending on physical materials that can be postponed to next year or beyond such as desks or other office furniture that are not essential to learning, reasonable comfort or safety. While fields are important to support our sports programs we ask that the administration look at the responsible rollout of spend on field work that will come from the school budget. Understanding that flooding is a concern at the High School it is important to look at how this flood mitigation budget responsibility is shared with the town and made transparent through any spend The town has put aside some funds and the school budget for 2024-2025 has indicated $950,000 for stormwater mitigation projects at the High School. We encourage you to continue engaging the community this budget season so that the budget reflects a shared goal for our District as we move forward. The PTC EC and Budget Study chairs look forward to engaging in this work with you.
The PT Council Executive Committee and Budget Study Chairs:
Meryl Satler, PT Council President
Erica German, PT Council President-Elect
Jeanette Rosen, PT Council Secretary
Shilpa Spencer, PT Council Treasurer
Cindy Yau, SHS PTA President
Emily Hira, SMS PTA President
Andrea Burinescu, Heathcote PTA President
Eul Hui, Fox Meadow PTA Co-President
Katy Goldman, Fox Meadow PTA Co-President
Tulika Khemani, Greenacres PTA President
Katie Garvey, Edgewood PTA Co-President
Jessy Li, Edgewood PTA Co-President
Lindsay Forschner, Quaker Ridge PTA President
Irena Turner, PTC Budget Study Co-Chair
Ranjana Saini-Chandarana, PTC Budget Study Co-Chair
Dredging at the Duck Pond Will Restore Its Natural Beauty
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We noticed some men submerged in the Duck Pond on Heathcote Road and stopped by to see what was going on. It turns out that work to restore the beauty of this Scarsdale landmark is now in process. The pond is privately owned by the Heathcote Association. For the past few years it has been clogged with algae which prevented the fountains from running and the water from recirculating.
We received several complaints from residents. Here’s one from 2024:
“The water is now covered with a film of algae, with a foul order and is no longer an attractive destination for residents. For decades there were 2 or 3 water fountains that every spring, summer and fall sprayed and circulated water and were illuminated at sunset. This little park was a beautiful setting for locals to walk or drive to in the evening and weekends and was often a backdrop for pictures of wedding parties, etc. We would also see many ducks and other birds in the park. This is not possible today because of its swamp-like decayed and deteriorating condition.
I was astonished to learn this property is privately owned and the Village has no authority to maintain it in the dignified and appropriate manner so appropriate as the center of our “Village in a Park.” The Village advised the pond and surrounding land are owned by The Heathcote Association, a private entity.”
At the time, the President of the Heathcote Association acknowledged that “the neighborhood association does own the pond and maintained it for years. But now there is considerable sediment on the bottom and it needs to be dredged. If not, the sediment will clog the fountains (bubblers) and break them."
In December 2024 a permit was issued by the DEC to the Heathcote Association and currently New England Aquatic Services is dredging the pond. They are there now, waist deep in the water, removing debris to allow the fountains to run. 
Some of the work is being done by hand, with help from larger equipment to clear the bottom of the pond which appears to be made of clay.
The work is expected to take a few weeks and hopefully the fountains will run again and keep the pond clear of algae and debris.
Students and Parents Ask BOE to Keep Non-Sanctioned Sports
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The specter of the elimination of three non-sanctioned sports from the athletic program at Scarsdale High School brought a defense from students and parents. At the Board of Education meeting on February 3, 2025 there were comments about a proposal to eliminate crew, squash and fencing. Students waited almost two hours to speak at the meeting which followed a budget study session.
Kabir Bhalija said, “I am a member of Scarsdale and PCRA rowing teams. There is a misconception that top team members were asked to stay behind for a scholastic event – we were given a choice to do that or go to nationals.” “He continued, “There was no boys Scarsdale coach – there is just one Scarsdale coach. All coaching is received by PCRA… A lot of Scarsdale rowers go on to do great things – something really special. Rowing is every single season including summer. It is a big part of our lives.”
Matthew Bodner, a senior and member of PCRA club said, “Rowing has given students the opportunity to get recruited to top universities. My life has changed thanks to the opportunity to row.”
Dafna Erenstein said, “I am speaking for the girls – most of us started last year as freshman. We have grown as people. It teaches you valuable lessons – community and team building….You are rowing yourself but also teambuilding… In just a year and a half this has been lifesaving and lifechanging.”
Anya Ahuja said she is a sophomore who joined the squash team a year and a half ago. She said, “This is my first team sport – why are we considering cutting these three sports? If everyone can play a sport that they love, why can’t I and everyone else on the team? We have gone to every practice and every match and shown so much dedication. The team is growing in so many positive ways and just needs more time. This team has already affected by life emotionally, socially and physically. It has given me connections to other people in my culture in all grades. I hope you consider keeping this for everyone who plays.”
Her father Sameer Ahuja spoke next. He said he was also a member of the Village Board and leads Game Changer a sport streaming platform. He said, “The presentation felt like a foregone conclusion. We could go through and assign costs to every sport. As a resident and tax payer I ask for you to say the real message. Don’t tell the kids it’s because they are not showing up. The bus experience is terrible. Present the facts as they are.
Here are some reasons why you should keep these sports going.
-They are opportunities for equitable access and inclusivity for those who don’t gravitate toward popular sports.
-They are unique pathways to college.
-They are small teams with personalized coaching. A coach can change a person’s life.
-It costs money but it’s worth it.
He continued, “Some of these sports have just gotten going. We should invest in the future. Sports participation is the US is flat. So if we believe in sports, we should think about ways of improving participation. Niiche sports are just one way of doing that.”
Sima Ahuja, Anya’s mother spoke next. She said, “This is my first Board of Education meeting. When I was growing up sports were discouraged for girls. My immigrant parents did not understand sports. Sameer introduced Anya to the sport and we are so happy when we learned that the high school had started a team. The profile of the students who are on these teams represent a diverse group. Taking away that outlet would take away from the diversity of student experience that we care about here. I deeply believe in what athletics does for the community. Please do the right thing, do an analysis and speak to all the constituencies.”
Alex Scharf of 80 Wheelock Road said he raced in two crew boats named for Scarsdale students who passed away, Brian Lilly and Tyler Madoff. He said, “Scarsdale crew has helped me find myself.” He said he looked forward to the bus rides to practice where he bonded with other teammates. “Scarsdale crew has meant the world to me and helped me find out who I am. I want to give others the same opportunity.”
Moira Crouch said she was there to support crew as a crew parent. She said, “Crew is a sport that the district could never afford to do itself due to the cost of the boats which is $30 -$50,000.” She said, “It’s a nurturing environment as a freshman. It’s a lot of bang for your buck. It has such an impact on these kids.”
Tara and Jeffrey Scharf of 8 Wheelock Road said, “We had a choice of crew programs in the area and PCRA’s association with the Scarsdale Schools was important…. Being an athlete for the school is crucial… Crew brings male and female athletes together, even on the same boat... They learn to work together… The district offers excellence across the board. Offering sports that are not the money-making sports allow students to develop and be different. I would encourage you to brainstorm to keep these sports for future generations of students.”
Shirley Dugan echoed other comments about crew. She said it has been a transformative experience for her daughter. She noted the “camaraderie, team spirit and the coming together.” She said, “It has given her a great feeling of accomplishment.” “It is a close-knit community that we have not experienced here…. The kids are very committed to it. “It has elevated her self confidence and her sense of belonging."
In other public comments, Lena Yang from 22 Farrugut Road spoke as a representative of “Guardians of the Heart” in favor of including CPR training at Scarsdale High School.
Claudine Gecel of 10 Kent Road discussed the increase in healthcare costs and suggested that the district should look into working with a re-insurance company that insures “special risks.”
Other Board Business
Legal Update
Superintendent Drew Patrick announced that the Board of Education is being asked to approve a settlement brought as a result of the extension of the Child Victims Act in 2019. The case dates back to the 1970’s and does not involve any personnel employed in the Scarsdale School system in over 35 years.
Bond and Capital Project Planning
Superintendent Drew Patrick announced the formation of a facilities committee to develop a list of priorities for capital projects to be funded by the upcoming bond offering to be voted on in a referendum in 2026. The committee will be composed of members of the Board of Education, administration, teachers, parents, community, a student, architect/engineers and the construction management team. The PTA’s may lead the parent selection process and the community can apply to participate on the committee directly to the administration. A comprehensive facilities study will be done by BBS to assess the state of the buildings.
District Calendar
The Board adopted the following calendar for the 2025-26 school year.
Taking it to the Streets: Rallies Against Voter Disenfranchisement and Con Edison Rate Hikes
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On Wednesday February 19, U.S. Representative George Latimer (NY-16) was joined by local elected officials and voting rights advocates in White Plains to denounce the Safeguard American Voting Eligibility (SAVE) Act. This legislation is expected to be brought up in the U.S. House of Representatives next week.
“This bill would be better named the Stop Voter Engagement Act because that is what it will do. U.S. citizens have the right to vote in national elections, period. We should be making it easier for people to vote, not harder,” said Rep. Latimer. “It is already illegal for noncitizens to vote, it happens incredibly rarely, and if it does, there is a legal penalty. Instead, this disastrous bill will make it harder for women and college students to vote.”
The SAVE Act would require documentary proof of citizenship, like a birth certificate or a passport to register to vote and require states to remove an individual’s registration from a voter roll if there is not documentary proof or verified information that the person is a U.S. citizen. This legislation could disenfranchise many voters in our state and around the country, lead to citizens being taken off voter rolls, and undermine trust in our election system. It also increases the burden on state and county election officials to implement and ensure compliance, without any additional funding.
"With the SAVE Act, legislators are proposing changes to our elections that would severely limit access to the ballot for eligible Americans, especially voters of color, rural voters, military members, and women. The proposed SAVE Act's requirement of providing documentation to prove American citizenship to vote in federal elections is voter suppression. Laws are already in place to thwart illegal voter registration by non-citizens,” said Kathy Meany, President, League of Women Voters of Westchester. “The SAVE Act would put up barriers to voting by requiring every single American citizen to provide very specific documents, by either presenting a passport or an original copy of their birth certificate in person when registering to vote, and anytime they update their voter registration. The SAVE Act is not about safeguarding elections - it is about silencing voters. We must join together to oppose this legislation and protect people's freedom to vote. Every citizen should contact their Congress member to oppose the SAVE Act. Do not delay. Take action now!”
State Senator Shelley B. Mayer said, “It is unacceptable that Congress is considering a bill that, under the guise of election protection, will prevent tens of millions of Americans from voting and fulfilling their constitutional rights. There is no evidence to support that non-citizens are attempting to vote in the United States, as H.R. 22 claims. We must be clear that this bill will do real harm against tens of millions of American citizens who are entitled to vote. We should never create unnecessary, politically motivated barriers to voting, whether to those who changed their names, those whose names are different from others, or for any other made-up reason. New York has gone to great lengths to reduce barriers to participation, and this bill is a stain on our democracy and our right to vote. I urge every American and every New Yorker to call their Congress member and tell them to vote no on this bill.”
"I thank Congressman Latimer for taking on this important issue. The SAVE Act is not just unnecessary—it’s an outrageous attack on voting rights built in ignorance. This legislation is a solution in search of a problem, and the real threat to our democracy isn’t noncitizen voting—it’s the continued effort to suppress legitimate voters under the guise of 'election integrity.' The SAVE Act disproportionately impacts marginalized groups, including married couples who changed their last names, young voters without passports, low-income individuals, and elderly voters who lack original birth certificates. These people are all citizens, and they all have a right to vote,” said Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins.
Rally Against Con Edison Rate Hikes
State Senator Shelley B. Mayer was joined by over 100 Westchester residents on Friday, Feb. 14 for her ‘No Love for Con Ed’ press conference and rally to call out Con Edison (ConEd) and the New York Public Service Commission (PSC) for unaffordable delivery rates currently faced by New Yorkers and to urge rejection of ConEd’s rate application for another major rate hike. Senator Mayer and the attendees demanded changes to the way rates are approved and for the PSC to put ratepayers first when setting rates.
Despite sky-high bills due to ConEd’s last rate hike beginning in 2023 ($457.5M electric rate increase over three years and $187.2 million gas rate increase over three years for ConEd), on January 31st, ConEd filed another $2 billion request to increase rates. If approved, the proposal would increase electric bills by an average of 11.4% and gas bills by 13.3% starting in 2026. According to Con Ed’s filing, the typical gas heating customer would see an increase in their gas delivery averaging over $550 more for heat per year. This amounts to a 25.1% increase on the delivery bill or a 19% increase on the total bill. Even without these additional increases, Westchester residents are seeing delivery charges that are often double or triple the cost of the actual usage.
State Senator Shelley B. Mayer said, "I hear daily from constituents who, despite every effort to conserve energy, face outrageous utility bills with unaffordable delivery charges. The Public Service Commission is not fulfilling its responsibility to establish delivery rates for gas, electric, and other regulated utilities that are ‘fair, just, and reasonable.’ The PSC and ConEd must be held accountable.
"I am proud to sponsor legislation in the State Senate that will directly address the high utility costs, including my bill to prevent utility companies from recovering from ratepayers salaries greater than the Governor's salary (currently $250,000) and legal fees and other costs incurred during their participation in the rate case in excess of $100,000; and another bill (which has passed the Senate three times) that targets key elements of the rate-setting process – the rate of return on equity and common equity ratio – to reign in the profits utility companies earn at the expense of ratepayers.
"I am grateful to every constituent who has reached out to me about their outrageous ConEd bills and to every person who attended the event. The PSC has failed to adequately protect consumers and the utility companies have protected shareholder profits at the expense of New Yorkers. It is shameful, and I will keep fighting and advocating for every New Yorker and especially Westchester residents."
Village Trustees Ask Architects to Provide Schematics for an Indoor-Outdoor Pool Complex
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Will Scarsdale build an indoor pool? After years of surveys, community feedback and public forums that was the question before the Scarsdale Board of Trustees at a work session on January 28, 2025. The time had come to move to schematic designs of the new facility to replace the obsolete pool complex that is overdue for an overhaul.
Before “diving in” to the four programmatic options, Village Trustee Karen Brew reviewed a summary of the most frequently heard public comments:
-The pool is a valued recreational hub and a community asset.
-Opinions were evenly divided between a year-round facility and maintaining the current set up.
-Requests for essential upgrade include better heating, improved filtration and enhanced accessibility.
-There was concern about pool shapes – i.e. dolphin design and their impact on functionality, safety and maintenance costs.
-Enhance the pools appeal with multipurpose spaces, recreational features and family-friendly amenities.
-Align project costs with realistic expectations, reduce non-essential features and ensure transparency in budgeting.
-Concerns about long term tax implications and financial sustainability.
-Membership decline attributed to competition from private pools and demographic shifts.
After a meeting of the Village working group on the pool with architects Lothrop Associates in December, the group came up with four options for programmatic plans. These were presented to the trustees on Tuesday night so that they could select one and then move to schematic designs. From there, cost estimates can be done.
The four options range from the most bare bones to an indoor/outdoor pool facility with enhancements.
Take a look at each one and preliminary cost estimates:
Program 1 includes a full indoor pool complex, 3 additional season pools, a splash pad, expanded and enhanced bath house facilities, community spaces, food service and other amenities. Estimate cost: $53mm.
Program 1a is the same as Program 1 without the indoor pool. It has 3 pools and splash pad, upgraded bathhouses and multipurpose rooms. The lap lanes and diving area will be in the main pool. Estimated cost: $38 mm.
Program 2 proposes to rebuild the existing complex as it is sited today. Everything would be built to code but there would be no enhancements or expansions. Estimated cost: $31mm.
Program 3 is for just one pool with no children’s pools. Bath houses would be rebuilt but there would be no additional amenities. There would be no community space. Estimated cost: $26 mm.
What would the indoor pool look like during the summer months? Architects explained that in the summer the natatorium would be designed to be as open as possible. There would be sliding walls and at least one side would be completely open in the summer. Panels could be removed to allow people to go inside and outside. And in case of rain in the summer, swimmers could still use the facility. See the photo on top of a natatorium at Mt. Airy Lodge in Pennsylvania.
How would it be financed? The buildings and locker rooms could be funded by issuing 30 year bonds while the pools would be paid for through the sale of 20 year bonds. The Village will provide more refined numbers once they have cost estimates based on the schematic designs.
Board members were polled on their preference for which option to select:
Mayor Justin Arest said, “I think from all the data and feedback there is a desire to do Program 1. We have to run the numbers. Right now I am not comfortable with the 20 year numbers. And we do have a lot of other needs …. I am comfortable with $37 mm – but I prefer to go ahead with Program 1 hoping we get donations or funds from a public private partnership.” He added, “We could also build it without the indoor pool and leave room for it. Let’s move forward with Program 1 and the option to move to 1A. We could phase the building of the indoor pool.” He added, “Some people thought it didn’t make sense to spend $38 million for an outdoor pool that is only used for 3 months. The town was evenly split on indoor vs. outdoor.”
Deputy Mayor Dara Gruenberg said, “I struggle with spending so much money for a three-month facility. If we were building this today I think we would build an indoor/outdoor pool that people can use 12 months a year. If we do design Program 1 we can go with this or just build the outdoor portion. It allows us to get refined costs and a design that the community can review.”
Karen Brew agreed, saying “Spending $38 mm for three months a year is a lot. With creative bonding I am hopeful we could make this (Program 1) work.”
Trustee Jeremy Gans said, “I am skeptical of true community demand for a year-round facility. But $38 mm is a lot for a 3 month facility so I think we should design Program 1 and we can scale it back if we decide not to move forward with the indoor pool.” Gans also favored building some irregular shaped pools to align with the contours of the property.
Trustee Sameer Ahuja said, “I favor Program 1, but I will not be voting on any of this. (His term expires in March.) We need to be thinking about making the kids happy. This is a town. Our property is worth $10 billion. A great facility will improve our properties even more. Remember why we are doing this. It will be a nationally recognized facility in a nationally recognized town.”
Karen Brew said, “the seniors also want it,” and Gruenberg said, “the seniors want to be able to swim at a Scarsdale facility.”
Mayor Arest said, “I think we have consensus to move forward with Program 1.”
Asked about next steps, the architect explained, “Schematic design will give us dimensions, layouts, elevations, and views from different angles. We will have actual measurements for our cost estimates. Next we will select materials. Then we will go into construction documents – for further refinement. When we have the schematics, we will need to decide between Program 1 and Program 1A.”
Village Manager Alex Marshall said, “Once we have the schematic, we can present it to the Health Department and they will tell us how many people we will need to run it. We can also look into management companies to run the pool.”
Wilson and Sons donated a new clock to Scarsdale Village.
Paul Zaicek, the Director of Capital Projects for the Village said, “We might lose two summers – we don’t know yet. We might be able to phase it to have some of the pools open.”
In other business, earlier at the work session, the Board heard a budget request from the Scarsdale Business Alliance for $20,000 to organize and execute robust Sunday activations including the farmer’s market, live music in the Village, family fun activities, pet events and more.
And at the Village Board meeting that followed, the Mayor opened by acknowledging Holocaust Remembrance Day and the celebration of the Lunar New Year for the Year of the Snake.
Village Manager Alex Marshall reminded residents that the second payment of their school taxes is due no later than January 31. She said taxes could be paid in person at Village Hall, online or by mail.
Trustees approved a resolution for $14,000 for a fire alarm upgrade at the Supply Field building to be done by Scarsdale Security.
Another resolution was approved for 46 Lincoln Road where two lots have been subdivided into three lots. The contractor is replacing an underground drainage pipe with a new pipe and the resolution calls for the new property owners to clean and maintain the drainage pipe. If they fail to do so, the Village can do the work and charge it back to the owners.
Trustee accepted a gift of a four-sided Verdun manufactured clock, including maintenance andinstallation from Wilson and Sons Jewelers to be placed on East Parkway in the Village Center. The existing clock will be moved to Depot Place. The new clock was donated in honor of Wilson and Sons 120th year in business.
Trustees approved the scheduling of the annual 15K and 4-mile road race to be held on Sunday April 6 through Fox Meadow and Greenacres.
