Opt-In to Receive Information from the Scarsdale Schools

Even if you're an empty nester in Scarsdale, you can still be informed about what's going on at the schools and keep up on issues that may affect you. The Board of Education and Superintendent now send out updates to the community following each Board of Education meeting. You don't need to have a child in the Scarsdale Schools to receive these emails. Everyone is welcome to opt-in by clicking here: 

Below is the most recent email that was sent out, recapping the September 22nd meeting of the Board of Education:

Dear Parents and Community Members,

The Board of Education appreciates all the parents and community members who take time out of their busy lives to attend Board meetings and provide valuable feedback. We also recognize that work and life schedules prohibit others from attending, but hope that live streaming and cable versions make the meetings accessible to everyone.

The Board has been working with Superintendent Hagerman to implement changes in practices and procedures for Board meetings. One of the underlying goals has been to continue to improve transparency with respect to the Board's decision-making process. For example, we have adopted a two-week waiting period between the discussion of information about items and Board action on those items. This allows the board additional time to discuss and consider items and, also, to listen to the community's thoughts, which are welcomed and appreciated.

The issues that were discussed at this meeting included the following:

Projects proposed for the bond referendum - Vice President Maude explained the process that led to the September 8 Board approval of Superintendent Hagerman's recommendations for a $16.7 million bond to address long-needed repairs and improvements of school buildings, update the technology infrastructure in all the schools, and to renovate parts of the High School. The High School renovations will resolve the current overcrowding in the cafeteria, while creating flexible learning spaces that will enable large and small groups of students to collaborate creatively, while using state-of-the-art technology.

The Board and Superintendent Hagerman engaged in a wide-ranging discussion of design elements, scope and potential size of the bond referendum. During the discussion, the Board reaffirmed its decision to approve Superintendent Hagerman's recommendations. In addition, because interest rates are currently very low, the Board requested that other unfunded repair projects in the District be reviewed for possible inclusion in the bond issue. The Board placed a limit of $1.3 million on these other projects. It was agreed that Superintendent Hagerman will follow up with the High School building level committee and administrators, as well as Mrs. Linda Purvis, Assistant Superintendent for Business. In addition, the District-Wide Facilities Steering Committee will be requested to meet next week to discuss this issue.

The Board will take action on a proposed bond referendum at its meeting on October 6.

Proposed Policy Revisions - The Board considered revisions to the Gift Policy and a new policy on Hiring, Evaluation and Supervision Procedures. The revisions under discussion have incorporated recommendations made by community and Board members. After the discussion, the Board decided to table consideration of adopting the policies until the October 6 meeting. This will allow time for additional community input on the policies.

Written Communications to the Board of Education - Understanding the need to be flexible, step back, evaluate effects and, as necessary, readjust changes, the Board changed the current practice of publicly reporting written communications in their entirety. The new practice will be to report the topic and the date of the written communication, unless the writer requests that his/her email or letter be published. The Board will not accept, nor will it report anonymous communications that it may receive.

The Board of Education continues to be committed to thoughtful governance, proactive communication, and transparency, and welcome feedback about both District work we are engaged in, and how we, as a Board, can continue to better serve the Scarsdale community.

Scarsdale Board of Education