Scarsdale 10583

To the Emperor Has No Clothes:
So what you are saying is that you value teachers who give your child individualized attention but only because you paid for it, while the staff child did not? If the staff child had paid some kind of fee to attend the very same schools their parents work at, you wouldn't have a problem with a teacher "taking away valuable individualized attention" from your child?

It's no surprise that Scarsdale administrators equate an inflationary district budget with a priority for deep and rich learning and have been doing so for quite a few years. However, New York State voters have acted and we have a responsibility to meet the state-mandated two percent cap on the property tax levy. Isn't it time our school board recognizes economic efficiencies without the scare tactics of an idea that increased spending equals better education? Surely, Scarsdale produces well-prepared students but living in an interdependent world means adapting to changing economies and cultures.

We suggest the Scarsdale school board and residents determine potential and necessary sources of revenue in making up the mandated spending shortfalls. Weighing resource allocation is another top priority. At last count there were 95 tuition-free students who are children of out-of-district employees attending Scarsdale schools for free. This number far exceeds other Westchester districts and is a non-contractual value-added free benefit to our teachers and union employees who are already earning top salaries. At the very least this free employee benefit should be treated as compensation since it currently is an undocumented earning and expense. The district would have you think this benefit costs next to nothing but if we value individualized attention for each student K-12 then that's a lot of time and energy directed at out-of-district students for an uncounted cost.

The Emperor's subjects think it is time for fiscal reevaluation and constraint.

Go anonymous or bust.... sorry previous writer...

Dear 10583:

Please ask people who make comments to sign their names. I know of an online newspaper in Cold Spring, New York that has limited all comments to those written by people who are unafraid to take responsibility for their opinions. I for one, don trust, and usually don't read anonymous postings.

A "toxic" education? Oh, brother. Now, I've really heard it all.

scarsdale high school offers one of the most toxic educations available in the united states. professional educators recognize that the only people who like a shs education is scarsdale residents. colleges and professors do not like what they see. my son suffered during school here and continues to suffer in college because of unprofessional conduct on the part of the shs. we have more children attending the schools and nothing would serve the community better than reducing the damage shs can do by reducing their funding. you can have more money in your pocket and completely without guilt. let's do it!!!

School districts across the state have known about the tax cap since last year and while planning the 11-12 school budget were able to foresee how the teachers contract, benefit contribution and the tax cap were going to impact the budget for the 12-13 year. This is old news and I am sure that Boards and Administrations across the county had discussions last year about how districts were going to maintain programming while covering their fixed costs and staying within the tax cap.

So why is it that Scarsdale is one of very few Westchester districts who is taking the position that we must override the cap?

Again it is time for hard choices. We have had children in this district for over 18 years. Our oldest had 25 students in his elementary classes and 30 students in his high school classes. We have supported this community with both our time and our money and have not blinked as tax dollars were used for a copper roof on the High School gym and slate roofs on the elementary school addition. Now it is time for the Administration to at least show a good faith effort to demonstrate fiscal responsibility and show us that the years of supporting the very generous STI and teacher contracts has resulted in a district that can do more with less and maintain the quality.

My property taxes have skyrocketed from $42k in 2002 to $64k this year. They're up 50 percent while the stock market is flat to down over the same period and i can barely get 1 percent interest on my savings. Enough is enough with the school budget increases.

Butterflies,

So you agree with me (and refute so many claims made by others) that the Mandarin program has not been paid for by our property taxes. Thank you. Whether or not it remains will of course be determine over the course of the next several months of budget discussions open to all members of the community, and finally put to a vote of all registered voters in the community. Democracy in action! And yes, although I have never met Jeff, I admire his knowledge of the issues and more importantly the process.

People are painting the picture that the taxes in Scarsdale are significantly more burdensome than they are in other area towns and that is simply not the case. Look at the tax rates for equivalent homes in Bronxville, Ardsley Mamaroneck or even White Plains. The taxes nearly as high or just as high for equivalent homes and in many of those towns the schools don't compare to ours (try going to White Plains High School).

My point is not that this is justification for our high taxes and that we shouldn't strive to be judicious with taxpayer money, but let's also be realistic. Our town is not less desirable or less affordable to outsiders due to our tax rate. In fact, our relatively similar tax rate to other communities with far inferior school districts is exactly why I decided to buy a home here. If we continue to invest in our schools while other towns don't, I would argue that this would only enhance the reputation of the school district and further increase property values in the village.

I would rather pay $35K in taxes here than $28K in taxes in White Plains or Mamaroneck.

So be it,
Do you seriously think we can make up an 8.5 million dollar shortfall by firing the administrators? I wasn't aware that they made that much. A good school system, like this one, spends the bulk of its discretional funds on one thing - teacher salaries. If you need to cut $8 million from a $125 million budget, you have to get cut teachers. There is no other way. And if by giving them a chance to educate their children here for the cost of some textbooks and desks we retain high quality teachers who might otherwise decide not to put up with year after year of the kind of verbal abuse from the parents (or at least the taxpayers) of the district that I have seen here, then great. And it seems that the "corporate response" of cutting everything to the bone is not the majority view here, for which I am grateful. A large part of my decision to move here was to live in a community that would support the public school system, even during a few difficult years. I have full confidence that Scarsdale will continue in its outstanding educational philosophy and you, not so unfortunately, will see several of your tax cents pay for textbooks for a few children of staff members.

Hey Mandarin, why don't you check with your hero, Jeff Blatt, before wrongly making the riduculous statement that the new Mandarin program is free. What actually happened is that last year the District obtained a one-time federal grant and used some of those monies to fund Mandarin for the first year. The idea was to get the program going, while claiming it was costless. The federal grant is over, and now we taxpayers are stuck with footing the bill for an unnecessary and costly program.

Hey, count me in with the anonymously "vocal opposition"! I've got no qualifications to judge the educational merits of various school programs and policies, no expertise in the area of public education, no experience serving on the school board, no substantive experience volunteering in the schools that might give me an insider's broad perspective, I know the cost of everything but the value of nothing, I keep forgetting that the board and the school administration have been doing what the majority of voters here have wanted for umpteen years, and I don't like to take personal responsibility for my public criticisms of others! What rock is the first meeting under?!

Then let the teachers send their kids to their own schools. Enough with the freeloading. We either need to cut spending (ie be smarter on how we deploy our assets and have fewer overpaid admistrators) or raise revenue (guess what, taxpayers are tired of frivolous spending - 50+% increase in past 7 years). It is not a corporation. I agree. But we have to make smart business decisions - which we have failed to do under the past boards. As much as we know that house values are supported by good school systems, they DECREASE when tax bills are unaffordable. Please all - let's get the school system to start making the right decisions. Or we too will be the next Greece. We needed a $10mm refurbished police station with the "best" shooting range like a hole in the head. Let's make the right decision now

Correction - 2011-2012 budget - for the nitpickers...

I have been reading these comments with amusement turning into indignation at the comments, knowing that I cannot do better than Jeff Blatt with his deep knowledge about the issues and the realities of running a school system. The latest one about the Mandarin program was the last straw. If any of the commenters had looked at the 2010-2011 budget, or even read any of the articles in the paper about the issue, they would know that the Mandarin teacher is paid for by an outside program, not the Scarsdale taxpayers. Mandarin was indeed slated to be added a few years ago but was immediately cut when the economy went sour. It is only there now because IT IS FREE.

Also, anyone who thinks that charging tuition for children of staff members is a revenue source, think again. I think most of the kids would end up in their home school systems after all. Jeff is right, it is a small marginal cost perk that helps us hire and retain our excellent teachers.

A school system is not a corporation. There are things that you can't do, like save thousands each winter by lowering the thermostats a single degree in our overly warm classrooms. There are lots of laws that very few of the commenters here other than Jeff understand, and I applaud him for his thoughtful, informed responses and his patience. Thank you Jeff!

Scare tactics? Try reality. It is a $135 million dollar budget. You don't get to below the tax cap without massive teacher layoffs. Every district in the state is saying the same thing, so do you contemplate that all boards and administrators state wide are in a vast conspiracy to use scare tactics? We have employed professionals, not professional liars. Mike McGill and Linda purvis are not liars. The board is not lying. Could it be that you just want to vote no on any budget above the cap and are now in the process of figuring out how not to blame yourself if the system is decimated?

There is no doubt that the allure and attractiveness of Scarsdale is due to its wonderful public school system . Having said that - successful institutions (whether for profit, or not for profit) must be able to function within their means and spend within their budget, and this includes the Scarsdale school system. It is an unfair expectation of the administration to hold the community hostage to maintain its programs. If a corporation had outside factors that impacted its budget that it could not control, the board of directors would tell them to work with what they have or seek employment elsewhere. I would hope that all the talented minds that are working on this budget will figure out a way to make things work, without asking for more from the community.

I completely agree with Concerned citizen. Last year it was irresponsible to foist Mandarin on the taxpayers and it was done to get this fixed cost in in advance of the cap. The Administration in particular operates in a fantasy world unconstrained by the economic strains facing many in our community. The school property burden is crushing and ever increasing. It is simply unfair and unsustainable and will force many to leave town. Rather than making a good faith effort to try to comply with the cap,the Administration just criticizes it, tries to scare the community, and proceeds like it is business as usual. This year it is not. And the Board and the Administration should expect a vocal and organized opposition to any attempt to exceed the cap.

I think that the discussion has been derailed- The real issue the Board of Education and Administration and their inability to recognize the financial constraints of the community. I find it insulting that last year we broadened our educational offerings to include Mandarin- This was done to increase the tax levy so that this year we could be starting from a higher levied amount compensating for the 2% cap. Now to add insult to injury the Administration is positioning this community to override the tax cap without even trying to cut spending. During the tight financial times we have increased our High School Administration, increased our course offerings, and kept class sizes at an incredibly low level. All luxuries. While many of us work 2 jobs just to be able to live here and are counting the days until we have to move our Board and Administration have taken the position if the citizens can't afford it let them move!
The reputation is that Scarsdale compensates their employees well because we are an entitled community with high expectations. I would ask what came first the chicken or the egg. The Board and administration should realize we are not a private school and start cost cutting measures immediately just like the rest of the districts around Westchester County.
Other districts have frozen administrative salaries, cut administrative positions and made hard choices regarding class size and professional development.- I would suggest that our conversation no longer focus on overriding the tax cap but rather how will we live within our means.

Again, it is amazing how willing people are to make statements without any knowledge whatsoever. Of course the district tracked college admissions after implementing the AT program. Data showed that admissions were as strong and perhaps stronger than ever. A massive education effort was implemented to explain AT to colleges and it worked. Some even took the time to write and praise Scarsdale for its effort at continuous improvement. Additionally, those taking the AP tests for college credit performed just as well as ever on the test. And do you really think college admissions officers are so lame that they reject kids because of a T instead of a P? Fieldstone dropped AP too and they are doing just fine. It would also be insane to instruct kids based on the impact it will have in US News and World Report

Throughout history, those who forge new ground are always criticized by the protectors of the old guard. Who needs these crazy autombiles when we have horses?

I also highly doubt that half the teachers teach 3 classes. If you think that the case you should write the Board or call the school and ask. My recollection is substantially higher. Nonetheless, teacher workload was often a topic of conversation. There are reasons it is what it is but it is a legitimate area of inquiry

I think we should all look at the High School as the money drain. To save serious money, all teachers should teach at least 4 to 5 classes per day like every other school district . Half the staff teaches an average of 3 classes a day. Think of the savings to the district if everyone taught a full load. I bet 15 positions could be eliminated by attrition. The best part of this would be no cuts to any student activities.

On a different subject it was foolish to eliminate the AP classes. Bring them back. We have no idea how many students are rejected by colleges because of lack of AP on the transcript. Plus we would see Scarsdale back in the top listings in magazines

Sadly these two things will never happen, for the first issue the board does not have the nerve to make teachers teach a full load at the high school and for second issue, they would have to admit they made a mistake on eliminating the AP classes.

So we understand "Crazy People" comments, we should just let everything be the way it has been for decades? Not address these HUGE issues? Just let costs continue to spiral higher?

Please read what you wrote one more time. Aren't some of these major issues exactly what we should be focusing on to start getting some real reform into the system? I

t will take time, but it is worth the effort. Are you guaranteed your job and a large pension after 3 years of work? Should we just keep paying Scarsdale teachers the "highest" levels? Should we ensure that both good and bad teachers have jobs for life? These are all parts of the bigger issue.

There are so many arguments in here from people for problems that are so far outside the board's control. It is really amazing how passionate people feel about an issue that so few have any understanding of. I would really like the school board to also solve the financial issues related to Social Security and tell me who killed JFK. They have about as much of a chance of doing that as they do of eliminating tenure.

People - let's let the school board focus on those issues which they control. Curbing pension mandates, getting rid of tenure, firing under performing teachers are all things that the school board does not have the jurisdiction to influence. Bringing up these issues only makes the tax cap supporters look foolish and completely out of touch with reality.

Having read ALL 46 posts, I would completely disagree with the previous posting. The summary of the postings is the following:

1) Some residents want a budget that comes within the tax cap and believe the tax cap is a wonderful first step for restoring fiscal discipline and sanity.
2) Some residents want the board to create a budget that balances the need to preserve the quality of our schools and fiscal restraint in these tough times, whatever that budget may look like.

Hijacking a fervent debate and only framing one side of the debate is low brow and only denegrates the arguement of those that support the tax cap. Really poor form.

This thread has derailed into Blattatopia. Let's focus instead on the critical issue at hand -- how to get this Administration and Board to understand that many residents want a budget that comes within the tax cap. Many residents believe the tax cap is a wonderful first step for restoring fiscal discipline and sanity. Many residents feel that a budget falling within the tax cap can be accomplished without the Administration-induced hysteria about destroying the Scarsdale education coming true. The Administration and the Board should impress upon the teachers' union the need for shared sacrifice to accomplish this goal.

Glad to see that Mr Blatt has changed his pen name to "Best Trustee Ever"... consistent if not anything else!

I observe school board matters closely. Jeff Blatt was an absolutely amazing trustee and Board President. His intellect was and is extrememly sharp, he helped advance cutting edge educational issues, and the tax increases passed in his time on the Board were always modest. Jeff always conducted himself with honesty and integrity, so it's no surprise that he signs his name to his comments on this Board, unlike other comments here. I for one wish he was still on the Board.

Anyone with any balance in their life who watched Board meetings consistently duing Jeff Blatt's VOLUNTEER tenure would conclude that he was probably one of the best Trustees in the history of this town. I wish he would run again. During his tenure the district consistently passed moderate tax increases while advancing curriculum and supporting ongoing excellence in our schools. He's not to blame for some kids needing tutoring, or a teachers contract signed right before financial markets collapsed. When the teacher's contract was extended for a year, it only happened with a giveback of several million dollars, I believe. The TVCC people begged for some giveback, and now those same hypocrites yell about an extra year?

I sat through a meeting at Greenacres school when Blatt was Board President. His own kids were at the school, and it was bursting at the seams. There were a ton of people really on his and the Board's behind to build more classrooms. It was very very tense. Blatt held firm that the school would have to cope with some overcrowding and hope that in a few years the demographics would lessen the burden.

I could go on. All I will say is that I give him a ton of credit for a lot of things. His service to this town, his willingness to put his name to his comments on this board, and his excellent performance while in office. I think he is a person of tremendous intellect and integrity, and I find the attacks on him on this board revolting.

Jeff, you should stop commenting here (and you should even, perhaps, stop reading this stuff). No one listens, and most are irrational, But if you read this, again, my heartfelt thanks to you.

To "Spoken like a true Extremist"--your "translation" of what I said is a work of fiction. You must be a school board member or an shil for the board. What exactly did I advocate that is "extreme"? The fact that many other individuals who post on this site also are critical of having non-residents attend Scarsdale schools for free, indicates that my position is scarcely an "extreme" one. You should learn that just because you disagree with someone, that does not mean that the other person's posiition is "extreme". Instead of making things up out of thin air, why don't you try to do something useful for this dialogue, such as responding to the merits of my comments regarding the tuition free students, since you apparently are not bothered by these freeloaders, nor do you see this as a potential source of income for the school district, notwithstanding that virtually everyone seems to agree that Scarsdale schools face significant economic issues.

Fresh Perspective--I agree with your sentiments, but I believe you have significantly understated the fair market value of a Scarsdale education (which is my proposal of what should be charged), at least at the high school and middle school level.

Sad Dialogue--assuming you are correct about assignment of the tuition free kids in elementary schools (and I have no reason to doubt you), the comments of Frustrated Parent were limited to the middle school and high school, where it seems to me your comments about the assignment of these students do not apply. If you are aware of a similar policy regarding reassignment of these non-resident students in middle school and the high school, perhaps you can enlighten us about any this..

Yes Quaker Ridge Bobby, you're so right. We should give back the $2 million that the teachers gave when they didn't have to give anything, which lead to us effectively extending their contract for a year with a zero percent pay increase. And I know, teachers don't matter in a kid's life - and anyone can teach kids this smart - they should pay us to teach our kids. And yes, I apologize for all those two and three percent tax increases I voted for in my six years on the board - they were outrageous. And all those construction requests that we regularly passed on - just a mirage of fiscal restraint. If we only had you on the board, I know we would have done so much better. Oh, and the budget pasing with overwhelming seventy percent plus support every year - our citizens were so obviously outraged on the whole. Yeah, I really did a poor job representing the will of the people. One more thing sir - in a democracy, unfortunately, not everyone will agree and noeveryone will get what they want. You obviously didn't get what you wanted, but that doesn't mean you weren't heard. It is often the majority view that carries the day. You know, the seventy percent plus view. We teach that at SHS.

I certainly would be interested to know where Scarsdale High students attend college. We are told 99% of all graduates attend (graduate?) college, but information on where they attend college seems to be hard to come by. One poster says SHS is an incredible conduit for Ivy League schools...what would this translate into? 5%, 10% or 15% of the graduating class attends the Ivy League? What about technology schools? What percentage of SHS students go to CalTech, MIT or Carnegie Mellon? If this information is withheld to protect student privacy, then so few students attend these schools that it must be possible to deduct who attends which schools. I worry we are so busy congratulating ourselves on the quality of our schools that we forget to check if it is true...

Jeff Blatt, I never understood your confrontational attitude when you were on the Board, let alone the words you have written in your comments.

As for your self serving comment about negotiations, if the Board was going to extend the contract in the worst times since the Depression maybe it should have asked for public approval. Now the Board is stuck with a decision you helped make during times when we need to be able to negotiate and ask for flexibility from our well paid and incented teachers. Many of us have had pensions become cash balance accounts and pay reduced or increases denied,it is not too much to present to the Union but we cannot thanks to your help with that decision.

Many of us have friends in other districts both in and outside of Westchester. Their children get into the same schools our do. How can that happen? You were on the Board when we paid for a survey to find out how many children had private tutors. The results more than anyone expected. What you don't understand is that the socio economic make up of our community is what makes Districts results so good. Virtually all parents are college graduates. The income level allows people to get help for children that are struggling or have issues. English as a second language is not from imigrants without education, but from executives and diplimats from other countries. Many parents privately pay to make sure our adminstration looks good.

Our district has a 4th year gym teacher, who also coaches a couple of teams, that makes the 29th highest salary of the district. He makes more than some Deans, teachers and department chairs with 2 and 3 times more tenure in our district teaching academic classes!

It is for the above reasons and more that we hard working concerned parents that moved to the District and want to be in the District are concerned about the ever increasing cost of our public schools. As a former Board member you should understand the Board is supposed to work for all of us and listen to our concerns.

Thank you to "A Parent" for perspective. No matter what our differences over particulars, we should all keep in mind that the grass is NOT so green on the other side of the fence and that we're all neighbors for the same reason and we're all invested in the schools, whether are kids are long gone or just entering kindergarten. Scarsdale faces probably the biggest challenge in its many years as one of the best public schools in the country. We should all remember that this biggest challenge has come from the OUTSIDE. (One may be personally unhappy, but elections show that various boards and administrations through the years have acted on behalf of the majority.) The state legislature could have passed a law to provide genuine property tax relief to individuals based on income. Many groups advocated for a "circuit breaker" that would not allow a resident's property tax to rise beyond a certain level pegged to income . But instead we have at Tax Levy cap that won't really help anyone who is suffering from their property tax being too high relative to their income. We shouldn't start cannibalizing one another, or those who volunteer on the school and village boards, or the professional people we've hired and who all work long hours on our behalf. Those who are suffering economically have a right to be upset, but targeting members of our broad community, including police, teachers and village/school administrators, is like biting off one's nose to spite one's face. Teachers and other employees did not make pension costs go up. Stock market losses did. We need to work together to get through some tough times and tough choices ahead that demand the complex problem solving "A parent" mentions below. Oversimplification, misinformation, and emotion will not serve us well. thank you.

Scarsdale schools are an incredible conduit for Ivy League colleges. Scarsdale graduates are literally the leaders of the future in varied fields.

I work in a school with zero access to computers, a higher percentage of "dead wood" administrators and teachers, uninvolved parents and no shortage of "outside" problems. I am thankful to have my kid in Scarsdale to not only receive a rigorous, forward-looking education, but training in problem-solving, conflict resolution and empathy that other districts would be lucky to have.

Many arguments I'm hearing are also external - the tax cap, state mandates, teacher tenure. So address Albany for those, or address DC for the blight on education that is No Child Left Behind.

Within Scarsdale, the debate seems to be whether or not to reduce teacher pay or benefits. The notion that attracting, retaining, motivating and training the nation's most excellent teachers can be done by firing high-paid teachers and replacing them with "eager job-hunters" is a race to the bottom.

For the occasional "bad" teacher, it's worse on co-teachers who pick up slack, clean up problems and take this kind of heat, but looking at the same tenure system on balance, it's designed to insulate teachers from petty politics and economic volatility. These days, tenure is indeed targeted for the chopping block, which is resulting in myriad new debates over rating teacher performance.

As to pay and benefits, the BoE, union and the taxpayer have a wonderful process of settling the questions of what are the right amounts, it's called democracy and it's been working miracles in Scarsdale for decades. Take the external problems out of the equation, consider "kids first" and the intangibles Scarsdale's schools and graduates export.

I would hock my eye teeth to keep my kid in this system because a childhood is something you only get one crack at. I'm sure the love of money is an enduring part of human nature, but there are also other considerations that I appreciate, seeing things on the other side of the tracks. And let's use this "conflict" to reinforce how badly kids today will need to be trained not only in math, economics and civics but critical thinking, problem solving, empathy, public speaking and conflict resolution.

Other schools lack this, and it's not by accident that Scarsdale does not.

Unfortunately you are right. We are held hostage to some degree in our own town by administrators and school board puppets. Even as a parent with 2 children in the school system, I will have to vote against the budget unless they are more rational about the balance of cutting out ridiculous entitlements while looking for revenue sources through both a 2% increase in tax and creative new revenue sources (ie Teachers & Administrators share the burden).

Many Scarsdalians agree with what you say but are afraid to voice their concerns publicly because they fear retaliation by the teachers and administrators if they have kids in the school system or the nasty invective hurled by school system apologists like this J. Blatt. Hopefully, this year they will vote down the budget if it exceeds the tax cap.

Just reading through all of your comments - $5,000 for each of the 95 children in our school district that are children of teacher/siblings would pay for almost all 35 of our classroom aides ($500k) or for all of our technology investment and cable television ($350k). And that would still be a great deal for a top notch eduction. At $10,000 per kid, it could pay for all of the classroom aides and all of our technology investment and cable television. Just don't see teachers running for the door at their high salary levels and great school environment. They can help share the burden and be part of the solution. Isn't it easier to teach here than in a school in NYC, making 1/3 to 1/2 of the pay, teaching children with far fewer resources in a more difficult life environment?

This is not inconsequential. It was just one example of how there are other ways to raise revenue other than just jacking up taxes at an unsustainable rate. Let's focus less on the "marginal cost" to educate their children rather than the revenue opportunity and an additional perq that is just not necessary, required or affordable any longer.

"Frustrated Parent" I don't think lower taxes are going to make you happy. You have a lot of issues to work out, and the school budget is the least of them.

written by Frustrated Parent, November 27, 2011
there are no considerations made regarding class sizes as to where to place these students.

This is totally incorrect. I happen to know at my son's school that the staff children are bumped and sent to another elementary if class sizes are too large. On child was in the school K-4th and then had to change in 5th grade because there was no longer room at our school. Also, staff are paying for their own bussing for their children, as another posted incorrectly in another post.

The mis-information here is shocking. These 95 additions throughout our district are the least of our worries. Let them send their kids here.

There are 95 non-tuition students in the Scarsdale district. In middle school and high school, there are no considerations made regarding class sizes as to where to place these students. Moreover, these students take spots away from the children of tax-paying students in limited programs such as Civ Ed and the A-School. As a taxpayer paying $40,000 a year in taxes, I personally know how frustrating this policy is. My child, despite having had an older sibling in Civ Ed, was denied Civ Ed, while there are several non-tuition students who were placed in this program. The issue of non-tuition students in Scarsdale is that we have so many more than in any other districts in the county. Moreover, many school districts have abandoned the policy of offering this perq. By the way, it is not a contractual right; it is just an additional bonus for the teachers. While the board has the nerve to ask us to override the 2% cap, they should instead come up with some revenue-producing ideas, a small measure might be charging non-resident teachers and administrators tuition for their children. This is what other districts have implemented. There are many teachers in our district who make in excess of $126,000 (the average salary here) and there are many teachers who send their kids (multiple kids) through our schools tuition-free; it is time for teachers to pay a fair tuition per child. If any of us were unable to pay our exorbitant school tax bills, we would not be offered amnesty. Teachers and faculty are more than adequately compensated (I happen to believe they are excessively compensated),and this is a privilege that should be eliminated. The fact that our taxes are so high is certainly a detriment to re-sale. The fact that Scarsdale is not on the list of the top 100 public schools in the nation (according to US World and News Report) and has not been for several years, also impacts real estate values. The school district claims this is because of the few AP courses Scarsdale offers. Well, the elimination of AP courses in favor of AT courses was another contentious issue for our community. I welcome any parent to check the "blue book" kept under lock and key in any dean's office. You may be surprised how many SHS students are denied acceptance to SUNY Binghamton, an average , but respectable, institution, but one that should recognize the difficulty and challenging nature (and reputed excellence?) of a Scarsdale education. While college admission is admittedly, an imprecise science, one would hope that a Scarsdale education (which is costing so many of us a fortune) would be a more valuable commodity. The fact is I have participated in school board meetings where parents have argued that teachers should be responsible for more of their health care costs, that tenure should be removed, that tuition-free students should be eliminated, and that nepotism in hiring should be stopped. In the end, the board does what it wants to do, which is raise taxes. As for being anonymous, I have written to the board about my concerns and I have never received a response.I do not believe the board is anything more than a puppet for the administration. As a community, if we disagree with the board and its policies, we must veto school budgets. So few people vote in these elections that we are shirking our civic duty. If a school budget is defeated, the sky will not fall down. We need board members to exercise and demand fiscal responsibility; it is time for teachers and administrators to make meaningful concessions. This community cannot keep raising taxes. Our schools just aren't as good as we think (or others think) they are. As some bloggers so rudely write, well, if you do not like it here-then move. That is easier said than done. Our taxes place us at an economic and competitive disadvantage in terms of selling our homes. Also, our children have established a comfort level here, not to mention friends. We should welcome the opinions and experiences of others in order to make more informed and educated decisions regarding the school budget.

"A Neighbor" I appreciate your post. Just to let you know however, staff children are placed in elementary classrooms where the section is at least one student below the maximum, so they don't cause a class to break and an extra teacher to be hired. That is how it is done. So the cost is even less than an entree at Chat. Substantially less.

I may be the only person commenting here to use my real name - hoping to set an example! The level of civility shown here is really shamefully low. The writers are clearly all so intelligent and passionate, but it's a shame that they cannot let their arguments speak for themselves, and instead resort to being snarky (at best) and downright rude (at worst). PLEASE, can we conduct this debate on a higher level? The editors of this website allow anonymous posts, but we are not required to be anonymous. And we have a responsibility to be respectful, if we care even half as much as we claim to about the integrity of Scarsdale and its education system.

Forgive me, but I'm new to the 'Teachers and Staff's children attend Scarsdale Schools' flame wars, so maybe this is simple minded. If there are N children of Scarsdale teachers and staff who are non residents but attend Scarsdale schools, isn't int(N/T) where T is the student/teacher ratio a reasonable estimate of the number of extra teaching positions devoted to educating teacher and staff children? The number thrown around for N seems to be about 50, the student teacher ratio in the elementary schools is about 22, so 2 to 3 seems to be extra staff. At 150K/year, salary and benefits, this works out to 300-450K/year. Across the Scarsdale population, this works out to about 15-20 dollars per year, which is 3 beers in New York or one entree at Chat...

For "concerned" who writes: "I have participated in the 'dialogue' .... I have given up attending this charade...."
Translation: "I have extreme views that fail to convince others, therefore the 'process' must be corrupt and the Board must be 'bad' and so I am justified in writing destructive blog posts.
Oy!

Hey "Disappointed in Jeff Blatt", I'd be very interested in what Bob Berg would have to say about all this. I can only imagine, but I am guessing that you two are....how shall I put it..,,,very close? Could you ask him to contribute to this board? Thanks!

There is no question that there has been poor fiscal management by the school board for a number of years. Notwithstanding that I have had for many years, and still have, children in the Scarsdale schools, I have consistently voted against school budgets for the last 7-8 years, because the school board during that time has shown little, if any, fiscal restraint. Unfortunately, it is probably not possible to correct all of this mismanagement in one year, because of existing contracts. The basic problem is that teachers and administrators (who get about 12 weeks vacation a year, plus who knows how much sick leave, which many of them do not hesitate to take), as a group, are overpaid, compared to other public school teachers and administrators in the state.

I have participated in the "dialogue" mentioned by "Budget discussions are better", but they are not truly a "dialogue". Mostly, the public gives its criticisms, the board members listen (presumably) and our taxes inevitably go up significantly, at a pace that routinely far exceeds inflation. I have given up attending this charade. The board wil do what it wants to do, regardless of the opinions of its constituents. The complaints about non-resident employees who get to send their children to Scarsdale schools for free are just one example of the Board's deaf ear, as these complaints are scarcely new.

J. Blatt completely misses the point when he says that the additional cost of this program is minimal. These teachers should not be charged the incremental cost, but should be charged whatever the fair market value of a Scarsdale education is. (By the way, I wonder how many non-resident school teachers declare as income on their tax returns the fair market value of the free Scarsdale education their children get. Isn't this tuition-free education really part of the compensation these teachers obtaint from the Scarsdale school district?) Blatt fails to grasp the obvious point that this is not about what he believes to be the minimal incremental cost, but is about potentially bringing in additional revenue. Non-resident school teachers who make $180,000 a year or so can certainly afford to pay the fair market value. J. Blatt also shows his ignorance by focusing solely on what he believes to be the minimal incremental cost of this free loading. He ignores the fact that these non-resident pupils preclude some resident pupils from getting into valuable special programs which have limited spaces, such as, for example, the high school's Civ Ed program and the A School, by taking up some of the limited spaces in these programs. At a bare minimum, the non-resident, non-paying pupils should be precluded from getting into these programs until all resident pupils (i.e. children of taxpayers) who want to be in these programs have first had an opportunity to join them.

Even if Blatt is correct that the incremental cost is minor, he ignores the fact that this has for years been at least a symbolic issue that is of importance to the community. Why can't he understand that people who pay tens of thousands of dollars a year in school taxes, are justifiably resentful when others get the same education for nothing?

J. Blatt claims that this is a small price to pay to get "the best". (Presumably he is talking about the quality of their teaching, not the amount of money they are paid and their other benefits.) But of course he cites nothing to support his premise that Scarsdale teachers are "the best". Based on my children's numerous years of experience experience at all levels of the Scarsdale schools, it is obvious that while there are some dedicated and excellent teachers in the Scarsdale school system, the reality is that there are just about as many lousy ones. And there are many who fall in between.

"Budget Discussions are Better" should do as they breach... what is your name??? Ahhh... crickets

Let's all hope our kids don't read our adult blogs -- or those who are considering buying a home in Scardale because this is one sure fire way to depreciate home values!!!!
I'll repeat : If anyone wants to influence the budget process in a positive and productive way, join in the open and public dialogue that will be on-going in early 2012. There are several opportunities at school budget forums scheduled for January (information available in a separate article on this website). This democratic and local process is open to all and is the most reliable way to assess true community sentiment. Letters to the board are also a legitimate avenue to express a viewpoint, but probably won't be considered if unsigned. Scarsdale Inquirer articles are a third avenue -- probably because those too must be signed by the author to get printed.

Jeffrey, Jeffrey, Jeffrey -- What a pedantic arrogant fool you are! Your nasty, ill-conceived comments cry out for the resurrection of Disappointed in Jeff Blatt. You sir, are a prime reason our school district has run amok. Your six year "service" on the School Board was instrumental in reaming the taxpayers with excessive tax increases, bloated numbers of administrators, and the larding of the Administrators' and teachers' pockets with outrageous compensation and benefits. You were on the Board when it entered into the financially reckless 5 year contract with the teachers in 2007 to which we continue to be held hostage. Shame on you, and shame on you further for castigating those of us who want to continue to live in a Village that we love and to support a school district that lives within its means, yet still provides the educational excellence that brought so many of us here in the first place. How dare you say that those who want to restore financial sense into an irrational school system should just get out of Dodge. Why don't you get out and maybe help run Greece into oblivion -- you seem to share the same business sense. Best regard, Disappointed in Jeff Blatt.

Looks like J. Blatt (whoever that may be) seems to think he is the smartest in the chat room... All those "nickels" add up, as the following writer indicated the cost per student if you want to send your child to Scarsdale schools when you move out of this village.

Here is the point Mr. Blatt if you don't get it... it is pretty simple... so read it slowly and read it twice if necessary:

We need some level of FISCAL DISCIPLINE in Scarsdale, as times have gotten tougher and we cannot just keep raising taxes if we want to make this town affordable to more than just the privileged few. Your example of it just costing "nickels" for the teacher's/administration's perq to send their kids to OUR school district for free is ridiculous -- add up all of these ill-spent nickels and yes, we get to dollars. I am hoping you are not in the finance/accounting business... as it seems you are math challenged...

The administration running this town, for the most part, do not live here. They benefit by fighting for big budgets (McGill/Purvis) and more development (Gatta) as their (perceived) level of importance goes up, as does their salaries and pensions. It is time to live WITHIN OUR MEANS.

We can have a GREAT school district with great teaching, programs and the like, under a more disciplined approach...with less administration and more discipline. They need to stop threatening to cut things like after school sports -- most would argue that we would be better served as a community with 1 or 2 less administrators than impacting many families with "ending" these programs.

And for my last point -- who are you to tell people to "move"? Last I checked, we are all taxpayers and have the right to a voice... it ain't the blatt way or the highway...it is not the world according to blatt... Scarsdale would probably be better off with a few less people with the nasty edge you express above... Can I provide you with the phone number to Global Moving, Inc?

The math is simple. Taxes for the schools have increased twice the rate of inflation. The school population is shrinking albeit slowly. Yet we are told we need to keep growing the budget in real terms. Anyone supporting this School Board and Administration that can argue that our schools have improved in real economic terms is on drugs.

It is time the School Board showed respect for the taxpayers. Stopped using scare tactics, and put forth a realistic budget that shows they can live within their means. I am not holding my breath. Its time we put people on the Board that understand the value of tax sanity.

Excuse me' "the truth"' but the charge for non-resident tuition is not the same as the "marginal cost" for the same. I can see that this is a difficult concept for you, but i simply don't have the time to explain further.

A notice went out on this website about upcoming school budget discussions held throughout January for all of us in Scarsdale to attend. That is the place for all community members to productively raise questions and voice opinions about the schools. It is too easy to let accusations fly that are left unexamined and unsubstantiated and to express anger in the blogosphere, but if people have any good points to share, the community is better served by open dialogue and discussion. Plus the members of the school board and the school administrators would be remiss if they paid an ounce of attention to any of this. For all they know, everything written here is from the same 2 or 3 individuals.

not sure who is the ignorant or maybe you just enjoy lieing. Fact, the cost of studing in scarsdale for NON-RESIDENT is over $25,000 per student per year. We had ro relocate after living in scarsdale for 15 years and in order for my youngest child to finish his senior year in scarsdale with his friends we had to pay the above tuition bill. So when you say it is only few books and chairs...it is a little misleading..if i can pay this sum , teachers should pay it as well if they do not live in scarsdale. most of us are earning much much less then we used to and we all thought that each of us is the best or very good at what he does..we are all replaceable, and so are our teachers that are not willing to take a cut ...i am willing to bet you any amount that for every teacher that will resign , we will have (at least) 50 other teachers as good (if not better) that will be happy to join our schools for much less...it is silly and kind of idiotics to suggest that you have to move because of people like you that feel that any monet spent is ok and limits should not apply to our school budget. ....btw, the names are not inportant because nobody cares who you are, but i am willing to meet you any place at any time.

To J. Blatt,

As a former teacher and devoted Scarsdale resident with children in the system, I appreciate your six years of dedicated service to the Bd. of Ed. However, life has taught me a lot living in our special and privileged hamlet...the majority of residents are not the "entitled" super fortunate, but rather the hard working and dedicated community members that make this place the unique village we all benefit from. Please, in the future, if you would like to share your valued and broad knowledge of the underlying system, do it kindly and respectfully, and without a searing edge...as that, it seems to me is the key to all governments and societies which maintain the greatest success.

The ignorance of the many cowards who write anonymously on this board is astonishing, and I'm embarrassed to call you neighbors. First, iif f you have kids in the system and don't want to support it, it's a free country. Move. If you had kids in the system and are now a bitter empty nester who won't support what your own kids once benefitted from, move. If many budgets are defeated this spring and tax caps are enacted in neighboring towns, and if Scarsdale manages to remain an oasis of educational sanity and excellence, our home values will rise as other systems are gutted. We'll be the refuge others seek as an alternative to $30,000 private school tuitions. I hope all of you sell at the low, and leave, now.

Many of yous hould try to learn a bit before you continue to make complete idiots out of yourself. In this regard, I particularly love "Jamie's" comment: "Employees should be asked to make a bigger contribution to their health benefits. However, I do not know the current percentage that school employees are contributing from their salaries to their entitlement programs." Hysterical.

As to the ongoing comments regarding teachers' children getting free tuition ( yes you, "fiscal discipline" and "viva the tax cap" and "teacher salaries and benefits out of control" and "tired of bringing this up"), the marginal cost of this program is miniscule. Aren't you all intelligent enough to understand this? We're talking about a few extra books and chairs. This is an awesome, low cost perk to recruit the best. A cost so low it's barely worth sneezing at in the scope of a $134 million dollar budget. As to paying for this on "our dime", substitute our "one one-hundreth" of a dime).

The general lack of understanding of what can be controlled by local governments and what is mandated at the state level and via various labor laws is remarkable. I know that I don't know enough about cellular biology to discuss it intelligently, so I don't. I suggest some of you apply similar logic to education budget issues. I'll try to help you out a bit:

I'll start with "Had enough." When teachers are laid off, there are laws to be followed as to who goes first. It's a bit complicated, but it basically comes down to program area and tenure. Last one hired is the first one out. So, it is simply not possible to do as you suggest when you write "First, the elimination of teacher positions should be done on a focused basis - eliminating teachers that are no longer performing to the level demanded of a Scarsdale education and the salaries they are paid." It's nice that you got yourself all worked up into a self righteous lather under the presumption that you have some novel idea but guess what - you don't, and it can't be done.

As to the "ridiculous number of administrators and deans," (also from "had enough"), Scarsdale has one of the lowest administrator/student ratios in Westchester. You can check the stats in a publically available copy of the district's budget packet. Again, you might rethink your own desire to assert statements as facts.

Several of you have obviously never negotiated anything of consequence in your life. When the Board agreed to no layoffs for real concessions worth, as I recall, $2 million, did it give away anything if the vast majority of residents don't want layoffs and thus, it gave away something of no value? Need I answer this for you? And "Quaker RIdge Bobby" I particularly laughed at your statement that "our Board secretly negotiated" the amendment to the teachers' contract. As opposed to what, a public negotiation? Do you know anything, even rudimentary, about negotiation?

In general, anonymous ones, the biggest fiscal problem is state mandated contributions to retirement programs. The biggest educational issues are the tenure laws. These are literally problems that cannot be solved at the local level. Our local administrators and school board officials work in a transparent fashion, with integrity. They are very fine volunteers and public servants. I'm not happy with the decline in my 401K, and the freezing of my private sector pension. But I'm not trying to make others miserable. That won't help my net worth. As to my taxes, I want the finest education possible at the most reasonable cost. Like everyone, I wish my taxes were lower. But I'm confident that they are as low as possible for the education I seek for my children. That's why I live here. And when I can't afford it, or simply don't want to pay it, I'll leave before I advance ignorant notions and statements, and before I become bitter and miserable.

Get a grip, people. Hysteria isn't helpful.

There are many positions that have been created by the administration that are totally unnecessary. Looking to save money? Try looking many of the "arts" programs and positions that have been added in the past few years. I agree that layoffs should be a last option, but positions that have no student contact should be carefully examined. Some of the postions that Purvis is mentioning have huge student contact and should not even be considered for cuts. It seems that whenever the administration wants a position added, it finds a way to persuade the Board that it is a necessity! Take a closer look and you will find a lot of money that is being unnecessarily spent.

Had Enough says it well. I've got two kids currently in the Scarsdale Schools. I pay an absolute fortune in property taxes and my taxes have likewise increased 50% in the nine years I've been in town. I moved here for the schools. But I've had enough with this administration and the Board it controls. About two thirds of my kids' teachers are good to excellent. The remaining third are bad to terrible. Everyone knows about the bad ones who just milk the system for years and years and the administration does nothing to push them out. We've got layers and layers of administrators and yet we're now on a search for a new high school principal when the school has been functioning fine for three years without one. (For the last few years, even when he was around, Principal Klemme was out of it). We could save a ton of money just promoting one of our acting principals (I bet one of them would not retire if given the real role). We could easily get rid of the unnecessary teacher-in-charge positions in the elementary schools. What an expensive waste! The Scarsdale Teachers Institute is just another scam to inflate the teachers' salaries. The list goes on and on. People in this community need to educate themselves as to what's really going on in the schools and vocally demand that we get real value for our tax dollars.

First, let me say that I am not part of the supposed "vocal and well organized minority" that some of the commentators refer to. I am just a parent of a Scarsdale student that has had his property taxes raised by nearly 50&#xov;er the past 7 years, despite (like many) having my income cut over the past several years.

We all want top-notch education for our kids - that's why we moved here - and that kind of education has a cost. The problem is that during the good times the administration got used to getting pretty much whatever they asked for (e.g., hiring yet another dean in 2007 - 2008 as the economy was crashing or hiring a teacher for Mandarin) and they now do not have the courage/creativity/desire to constrain spending in tougher times. The board was faced each year with a difficult balancing act, but they always seemed to choose tax hikes over forgoing new items. Now we are faced with really difficult choices because of the fixed costs - most of which were put in place by the administration (e.g. as noted by others the pay increases agreed to by the board in 2007 to get a minor reduction for that year - a deal that to me, and many I have spoken with, was obviously bad) and the tax limit. The result is one of the highest property-taxes in the country (which, I am told by real-estate agents, has had a real negative impact on house prices. Well, it may not be possible to live within the 2% (though I plan to vote against any budget that is over 2%), but where will it end? When will the board ever find fiscal responsibility? Two years ago when there was no cap, but people expressed concerns regarding the tax increases, the administration pulled out the old threat of increasing class size and the end of good education in Scarsdale, rather than making the difficult choices then.

As they have done before, the Board is threatening indiscriminate firing of teachers, resulting in larger class sizes etc. This is a false choice, however. First, the elimination of teacher positions should be done on a focused basis - eliminating teachers that are no longer performing to the level demanded of a Scarsdale education and the salaries they are paid. We all know these teachers. In each case I have found that it is an open secret - all the students will tell you how bad the teacher is and the other teachers simply roll their eyes (or in some cases secretly acknowledge the teacher is dead wood) . These teachers are not only an unnecessary cost to the taxpayers, but are harmful to the students and are demoralizing to the other teachers of Scarsdale, who perform at the highest level of their profession. I understand that tenure makes it difficult to get rid of these poor teachers, but there are many ways to force retirement. The administration just needs the willpower to take action, rather than taking the easy way out and either firing newer more talented and motivated teachers or having the taxpayers continue to foot the bill. Another place to look for more efficient cuts is the ridiculous number of administrators and deans in the District. Each of those administrators not only collect very high salaries, but get pensions that Scarsdale residents will be paying for many years to come. Think of how much you would have to have in the bank to collect, $60,000 a year at say 8% interest without touching the principal - for 30 years; now multiply that by each of the Directors, Administrators, Deans, Superintendants, etc. Cut many of these positions (not sure if they are protected by Tenure) and use the money to keep the talented teachers (many of the teachers could certainly help fill in).

The bottom line is that I have had enough. It is time for McGill to take his cushy pension and go and for the Board to start to make the difficult choices. If they do not, we can expect our taxes to rise by another 50% over the next 5 years. Ask yourself why that would not be the case

Is the school board or the administration ever going to address the students attending this district who neither live here nor have parents employed here? It baffles my mind that both the board and administration are aware of these families and yet they continue to enjoy a free education on our dime. Admittedly, this is a small cost and won't solve the current problem but it seems like a quick and easy start. Also, it is clear evidence of the board and the administration's willingness to waste money.

It is amazing everyone forgets that our Board secretly nogiated an extension of the prior/current teacher contract and then made an announcement how great a move that was. This was done when the economy was in a free fall and many of us have had our own peronal finances compromised. Now the Board is telling us their hands are tied for this year because the contract is not up until next year.

As others wrote their has to be ways to save money without gutting out system. Many other communties have done this in the recent past.

We also need to get our elected State legislaters involved by tellng them they either fund the mandates from what they have or get fired as we will and should vote in more responsible representatives.

Lastly leadership is needed. For our Superintendent to brad how we pay the most for teachers and is poud of it is absurd. It is easy to say that when you use other people's money. What did it cost us to send people to China? Why did we need to hire a new teacher for a select few amount of kids learning Mandarin? Why do we budget for a Freshman Softball Coach when we do not have a team? Start adding up all these unnecessary budget items and I think we would all be pleased with how much money we could save.

If you want to find places to cut, check out http://rocdocs.democratandchro...s-new-york
Teachers and staff should definitely pay for their child(ren)s education - does it make sense for our kids to be subjected to longer bus routes while teachers' freeriding children get a direct bus from their school to their parent's school - what is wrong with our administration? Maybe it's because so many staff and teachers have multiple relatives working in the district - they clearly don't have the taxpayers' best interests at heart - totally agree with viva the tax cap!

Sadly, I am confident that the Administration and the Board of Education will pass the buck literally to us taxpayers, claiming that their hands are tied by the state mandates. They will say they have trimmed as deeply as they can and we will be presented with a budget well in excess of the tax cap. They will be playing a dangerous game, since many taxpayers in this community are so strapped by the current economic distress that the 60% supermajority will not be easily obtained. And then, there will be a one month period left to propose a new budget or re-submit the failed budget. True Armaggedon would come if that proposed budget fails -- then the tax cap law imposes a zero percent increase. Given the strong feelings of many in our community that we have reached the limit that we can tolerate on property tax increases, I would urge the Board and the Administration to meet the tax cap this year. Rob Astorino, our county executive, was able to implement a zero percent County property tax increase last year, and he proposes to do the same this year. Our Board and Administration should do the same.

I am confident that the school board will do the right thing by proposing a budget that is fiscally responsible but also preserves the quality of the Scarsdale School district. This budget will exceed the 2% cap due to the high state mandates. This will be a brave move, given a very vocal and well organized minority group within the community that wants to see the budget fall within the 2% cap max (they post alot on this blog).

The key to success be for parents of kids in school to mobilize to support the administration and board in this approach and then mobilize to get out to vote and pass the budget. Parents need to get out there and support the school board on this.

I hope all of the parents of kids in the schools realize how important it is that they vote this year. We moved here for the schools and it is going to take all of us getting out to vote this year to ensure that the quality of education stays high.

The real issue here is that the state mandated costs are going up at an insanely high rate. Ideas like charging tuition for out of district students are good, but the revenue generated would just be a drop in the bucket. Cutting teacher salaries is not an option this year as there is a locked contract that is not up for negotiation. For better or worse, that is what contracts do.

The reality is that there is no way to comply with a 2% tax cap without significant cuts to
services to students (ie - cutting teachers, eliminating extra curriculars). The math just doesn't work with the significant increase in mandates.

So now it is time for our town to determine how important an elite school system are to all of us. Despite the repeated posts from a few active bloggers, I think that our residents consistent history of overwhelimingly approving the budget shows that this town will support the continued level of investment required to maintain the programs that make our school system special.

Thank God for the Tax Cap. It forces local governments to engage in at least a modicum of fiscal discipline. Unfortunately, the Scarsdale Schools administration and BOE, rather than taking the unpleasant steps of attempting to restore fiscal rationality to the District, instead chooses to propagandize a Doomsday scenario that will purportedly unfold lest we blow through the cap. Don't be fooled! We can still preserve educational quality by making the single largest driver of our hideously large tax burden participate in shared sacrifice -- by this I mean make the Teachers Union reopen their contract and forego their 2% salary increase for the coming year. (Let's not get into how the Administration and previous boards entered into a ridiculously long-term (5 year) and generous contract in 2007 and then tied their hands by agreeing to a no-layoff policy and one year extension to obtain minimal concessions two years ago.). Yet, I haven't heard any rumblings that the BOE and Administration are considering this eminently reasonable step. Next, we can easily raise a quick $500K by making the staff whose have 95 non-resident children enjoying a totally free Scarsdale education pay a modest $5000 per student as tuition. Scarsdale is the only school district left that offers staff a completely free education for their kids, and this is not even part of the negotiated contracts -- it just is an overly generous policy the Board has continued at the taxpayers' expense. If the Scarsdale education is so superb as everyone believes, staff will still get a bargain by sending their kids for the $5000 contribution I'm suggesting. The District also maintains an absurdly high undesignated reserve -- currently $5 million and close to the maximum 4% allowed by law. That reserve should be reduced by $1.5 million and applied toward next year's budget. Next, students who participate in extracurricular activities -- e.g., sports, the arts -- should have to pay user fees. These laudable activities are not core to the educational mission of the District and their considerable expense should not be borne by the taxpayers. I'm sure that the particpants' families can bear the cost and if not, I'm sure charitable organizations will spring for such costs. That will save another $1.5 million. The Teen Center should be self-sustaining, which it is not. The School District should not subsidize it nor should the Village. Public use of school facilities should be allowed, but user fees should be imposed. These are just a few examples of reasonable choices that can be made to try to stay within the cap. For the more than 50% of the taxpayers who do not have children in the school system and yet pay for its extravagances, these tough choices must be made.

Absolutely agree with the comments by Jamie.

We have a great school district that would get an "F" in financial management. Just because it is an "affluent" community, should'nt mean that every position we have in the schools has to have a stated goal of being the highest paid in NY. Teacher salaries, benefits, pensions and all entitlements have to be reviewed -- we simply cannot afford to give teachers guaranteed jobs for life after 3 years of work into a tenure system. As an example, I understand that we have dozens of children in our school system that do not live in the district and are simply here as another perq to our teachers and administration. Can we afford that? Perhaps the first one to a teacher or administrator is free, the second is $5,000, third is $10,000 and so on? Otherwise, this is a crazy expensive perq...

Lets think a bit more creatively... how about perhaps looking at the size of our administration, Ms. Purvis... ? That is 100% overhead... and expensive.

the real problem doesn't appear to be the Gov's 2% cap but the 14% inrease in the retirement system. Maybe the focus should be on that!!!!!!!!!!!

he Superintendent's office can do better. The tax cap was put in place to curb out-of-control budgets that have been putting the burden of municipal costs on citizens.

I"m curious about about the math presented in this article. $4.2 million ($4,200,000) suggests that the cost of each position slated for elimination costs $100,000 a year. This is a high number for a cost per employee.

Suggestions: Move teachers with the most tenure into retirement, raise employee's contributions to their entitlement programs, and instead of eliminating positions, convert the status of would-be-laid-off teachers to part-time employees, and contact the NY State Department of Labor to request that employees with reduced hours may collect partial unemployment insurance (This is currently being done in some states). Then these people could keep their jobs, supplement lost income with labor insurance, and continue to service our students.

Next year when our teacher's contract is up for renewal, have the foresight to strengthen these solutions so we don't get caught so enormously short-changed again.

The big problem to address for the short and long term should be teacher's entitlements, which are one of the most expensive costs in the education budget. Entitlement arrangements should be the first item on the list of what needs to be reconsidered -- namely, in my opinion, employees should be asked to make a bigger contribution to their health benefits. However, I do not know the current percentage that school employees are contributing from their salaries to their entitlement programs, but if it is under 50%, there should be an increase.

Also: announcing that the minimal cost of after-school programs might be eliminated is an example of poor management that doesn't understand how to maneuver creatively when problems arise. If these programs are to find themselves underfunded, they can easily be supplemented by asking parents to pay a fee to support these programs if they wish for their children to participate.

I think some of the most important issues here to consider is that layoffs should always be a last option, not a first strategy. Our school employees are hard working professions, and the village should always be indebted to them for their service. Firing people at the first sign of trouble is short-sighted and lacking in strategy towards the extraordinary leadership that I expect from our municipal management. I'd like to see the Superintendent's office put out its full budget so we can see, line-by-line, what exactly is going on here.