Update on District Facilities and Strategic Plans from BOE President Suzanne Seiden
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Here is an update from Scarsdale Board of Education President Suzanne Seiden on the Strategic Plan and Facilities Master Plan that are both currently in development by members of the Board:
Dear Parents and Community Members,
I would like to give you an update on two of our goals for this upcoming school year:
1. The Strategic Plan and
2. The Facilities Master Plan
The Strategic Plan
- Last year, the Board promised the community we would undertake a long range planning process. Given that we will have new leadership next year, we felt it was an ideal time to begin the process.
- The Board is not planning to hand our new Superintendent a finished detailed strategic plan to implement.
- This is really a plan for the plan.
- We want to understand community views and educational values. This will be achieved through focus groups and surveys. We hope you will participate.
- We also want to develop a quantitative fact base with a baseline scenario that projects the costs of maintaining current programs and enrollment. We will also consider denidenscenarios involving variations in enrollment.
- The new Superintendent should lead the strategic planning effort and "own" the plan. This background material will provide valuable information for the community and new superintendent so we can develop a detailed strategic plan together.
The Facilities Master Plan
- The Board promised the community that we would develop a long range plan for the District's facilities. The plan will include potential renovations and improvements to a high school building that will be 100 years old in four years.
- We need the plan for two reasons. First, it is important to understand what kinds of facilities may be required to support emerging technologies and teaching approaches.
- Second, we need to be able to project long term needs as part of our strategic budget planning.
- We do not know how quickly we will pursue these plans or how they will fit into long term financial planning. We probably will include some items in the regular operating budget, as we have for years.
- The only decision we have made is to develop a long range plan.
- As we have discussed with the community, we will consider whether some projects might be bonded. A natural time to do that would be in 2015-2106 when a significant portion of debt falls off, and renovation and construction might involve little or no increase in taxes.
- We are in the process of appointing a joint committee of community members and staff to help assure we are considering fully—the range of building needs and to help us understand community views.
We will continue to keep you updated on the strategic and facilities master plans. Please look for these updates and let us know if you have any questions.
Suzanne Seiden
President
Board of Education
High School Happenings: Maroon and White and the Summer Activities Fair
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Maroon and White is Scarsdale High School's parent athletic association that supports interscholastic athletics and the physical education department by gifting sports equipment that is used by all students. In fact, Maroon and White has committed to gifting at least $40,000 for cardio and cross training equipment for this school year. Additionally, Maroon and White sponsors Raider Pride Pep Rallies during the fall, winter and spring, the Holiday Basketball Tournament and helps fund several team tournaments. M&W also runs the Fall and Winter Sports Awards Dinners and a Spring Picnic that recognizes the accomplishments of all athletes, coaches and managers who participate on the interscholastic sports teams. All High School Families may join and support Maroon and White's mission by visiting their website at: www.maroonandwhite.org.
The Maroon and White Fall Sports Award Dinner to honor SHS athletes will be held on Tuesday November 12 at Lake Isle Country Club in Eastchester at 6:30 pm. To sign up, click here:
Shop Smart to Support Maroon & White: Shop at Lord and Taylor in Eastchester on Thursday November 14 to support Maroon & White. Click here to buy a ticket for $5 (proceeds go to M$W) and receive discounts on all purchases. For more information, please click here.
The Scarsdale High School Summer Activities Fair will be held on Wednesday, December 4th at 7:30pm. This is an opportunity for students and their 
families to meet representatives from a wide variety of exciting summer programs. Mark your calendar for December 4 to explore an endless array of programs offering precollege enrichment, sports, music, theater, travel, community service, language immersion, outdoor adventure, environmental studies and travel in the U.S. and abroad.
Scarsdale Education Foundation Surprises the Community with $90,000 in Grants
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- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
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At their October 7 meeting, the Board of Education voted to accept their first major gift from the newly formed Scarsdale Education Foundation. These gifts, which were a surprise to many in the audience, will restore the funds that were cut from the budget for the Center for Innovation when the initial 2013-14 school budget was turned down from the community. At the time, the Board voted to cut $90,000 from the Center for Innovation Budget. The $90,000 in grants from the Foundation announced on 10/7 will allow the Center for Innovation to move forward with their plans. These grant awards were announced and accepted without community discussion on how Foundation funds should be allocated. A report of the Center for Innovation activities to date can be reviewed here:
Three grants were accepted:
- $30,000 was given to expand the work of the Center for Innovation at Scarsdale for a new program called HackScarsdale. This program allows students to learn computer programming, web design and web applications. It will begin as a club and grow as funding increases.
- $25,000 was awarded to the Middle School to develop and expand the use of interactive games following the successful introduction of these creative educational tools in 2012-13.
- A $35,000 grant was given to the Elementary Schools. Edgewood, Greenacres, Heathcote and Quaker Ridge will use the funds for the "Makerspace" program which will allows kids to use robotics, circuitry, and 3-D printers in creatively educational ways. Fox Meadow will receive a $5,000 grant to renew support for the Fox Meadow Pilot Project.
The community had little news about the Foundation's activities and many were not aware that they were in the process of fundraising or evaluating proposals for grant funding. Speaking for the Foundation at the Board of Education meeting was Scarsdale Education Foundation President Ellen Miller-Wachtel who said that the funds had been raised from individual donors. She promised to provide more details when time allowed. She also introduced Stephen Seward, a community member and professional fundraiser who has been selected to serve as the Scarsdale Education Foundation Executive Director, a part-time paid position.
In order to learn more about the Scarsdale Education Foundation and their funding sources we spoke to Seward who answered some of our questions below. At this point he would only share information that was discussed at the Board of Education meeting but said that more extensive presentation would be soon be given.
Here is what we learned:
When was the Scarsdale Education Foundation formed and what is the mission?
The foundation was incorporated in 2012, following a year of work by a Steering Committee appointed by the Board of Education. Our goal is to provide funding for innovative programs and services, as well as needed infrastructure improvements, that are supported by the BOE, administrators and teachers to enhance the education we offer students at all grade levels, and that could not be accomplished within the constraints of the general operating budget.
Who is on the Board?
Ellen Miller-Wachtel, President, Steve Gruber and Beth Zadek, Vice Presidents, Dave Shuster, Treasurer, Florie Wachtenheim, Secretary, Mark Bezos, Jeremy Cohen, Scott Eichel and Josh Silverman.
How much money have you raised so far and what is your annual goal?
Q. To date, we have raised over $1 million.
A. Have you made grants of all the funds you raised so far or do you have additional money in your account?
Q. Our first three grants were approved and accepted by the Board of Education this week, providing a total of $90,000 for MakerSpace (five elementary schools), Gaming and Simulation (Middle School) and HackScarsdale (High School).
A. How did you decide which projects to fund this year?
Q. The projects were developed by senior District leadership and discussed with Board of Education members before the Foundation board voted to approve the expenditures and submit them for BOE approval.
A.Is there a grant application process or do you work with the Superintendent to determine what should be funded?
See above.
Q. In the future do you plan to rely on individual donations or will there be fundraising events and activities as well?
A. We will be seeking community-wide support, but will be careful not to compete with existing organizations and efforts.
Q. You recently appointed an executive director. Please tell us about him --- how was he selected and is this a paid position?
A. Steve Seward has extensive professional background in non-profit development work and has been closely connected with the foundation on a volunteer basis since its inception. We are delighted that he accepted our recent offer to be the Foundation's first Executive Director, which is a paid position.
Q. Do you currently have offices?
A. We do not currently have offices.
Q. Are you looking for involvement from others in the community? If so, who should volunteers contact to find out how they can help?
A. We intend to return to a future Board of Education meeting to present the Scarsdale Schools Foundation in greater depth and to seek wider community involvement.
Seward did not reveal how they raised $1 million to date and who donated it. In addition, it was not clear whether or not the community would have a voice in making future decisions on how the foundation funds would be spent by the district. Despite questions, the $90,000 in grants and the news that $1million had been raised was a pleasant surprise to many and provided hope that the district would continue to be able to fund new initiatives.
Second-Act Careers: 50+ Ways to Profit from Your Passions During Semi-Retirement
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F. Scott Fitzgerald once famously wrote that "there are no second acts in American lives." Well, the WEBS Career and Educational Counseling Service is out to prove him wrong. On Thursday, October 17, at the Scarsdale Public Library it will hold a free workshop titled "Second-Act Careers: How to Profit from Your Passions in Semi-Retirement." Nancy Collamer, MS, an author and career coach will conduct the 90-minute session that begins at 7:30 pm.
Attendees will find out about new ways to find flexible work after "retiring" from their full-time job; learn realistic methods to turn expertise and interests into part-time income; and obtain information and advice on making these transitions.
Collamer is a career consultant, speaker and author of Second-Act Careers: 50+ Ways to Profit from Your Passions During Semi-Retirement. She has written extensively about careers for a number of websites including Oxygen Media (1998-2001) AARP.com, MariaShriver.com and Job-Hunt.org and has spoken at venues ranging from Harvard Business School to the California Governors Conference on Women. Her advice has been featured in numerous media outlets including NBC Nightly News, The New York Times, CNN, Redbook, Ladies Home Journal, O Magazine and Fortune. Registration is suggested at 722-1302.
Scarsdale Little League Seeks New Board Members
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Scarsdale Little League is an all-volunteer organization. They are the largest youth sports organization in Scarsdale. Each year, more than 900 children participate, 120 parents coach and coordinate and manage the league.
Their Board of Directors has 15 members who collaborate to set up and run innovative, exciting, competitive and educational programs for our kids during all 4 seasons. Scarsdale Little League focuses on participation, skills development and fun for all involved. In the past 12 months alone, they have added skills clinics in the spring, fall and winter seasons to supplement their parent-managed baseball teams. Clinics are led by former professional baseball players and major league scouts and they have been a huge hit!
If you are interested in making a difference in the lives of so many children in the community, click HERE to fill out the application for the Board of Directors. They are looking for moms and dads who are willing to commit their time, energy and opinions to our organization. If you have any questions about the Board or if you are interested in volunteering in any other way, please email Josh Glantz. joshglantz@gmail.com or begin the application process by clicking here.
