If you are not a registered voter but want to vote in the Village Election on Tuesday, March 19, 2013, the last day to register with the Westchester County Board of Elections is Friday, March 8th. You can pick-up a mail-in registration form at Scarsdale Village Hall or go directly to the Westchester County Board of Election at 25 Quarropas Street, White Plains.

In order to register to vote, you must:

• Be a U.S. Citizen
• Be 18 years of age by the date of the election in which you want to vote
• Live at your present address at least 30 days before an election
• Not be in jail or on parole for a felony conviction
• Not claim the right to vote elsewhere

For registered voters who will be out of Westchester County on Village Election Day, an absentee ballot can be obtained by filling out an application form at Village Hall or by requesting one by phone or mail. March 12th is the last day for the Village Clerk to receive an application for an absentee ballot which is to be mailed to a qualified voter; however, applications made in person can be accepted until Monday, March 18, 2013.

All Election Districts will be voting in the Lobby at the Scarsdale Village Hall. Hours of the election are 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and noon to 9 p.m.

For more information, call the Village Clerk's office at 722-1175.

Scarsdale volunteers are needed for Village Boards and Councils and the Scarsdale Village Board would like to remind residents how to apply by visiting the Village Website at www.scarsdale.com and click on " read more " under Volunteers Needed for Boards and Councils. On the next screen, complete the online application form and follow the on-screen instructions .

The site contains information on the seventeen Boards and Councils that serve the Scarsdale community and the Scarsdale Village Board. Over 150 village residents serve as volunteers on these Boards and Councils. By volunteering and serving, Scarsdale residents have the opportunity to be involved and provide input to the Village Board.

This year 70 current volunteers are up for reappointment or they may retire, creating a number of openings on all Boards and Councils. All positions are important and there are several key positions that need applicants: the Board of Architectural Review needs to fill two open positions, preferably with architects.  The Town Assessment Review Board has one 5 year term open, the Committee For Historic Preservation has one 3 year term open and the Associate Village Historian position is open for a one year term.

With an application deadline of Friday, March 1, residents are encouraged to apply as soon as possible so the Personnel Committee has time to review all applications. Applications can be sent via the website or delivered to Village Hall. If residents have questions or need a printed application, please feel free to contact Trustee Bob Harrison, Personnel committee Chair at 914 725-0962 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Trustee Bob Harrison
Personnel Committee Chairman

Greenburgh Detectives are investigating a rape that occurred at the Marriott Hotel in the Tarrytown around 1 am on February 13, 2013. The alleged attack occurred inside the room where the victim was staying as a registered guest. The suspect is described as a Hispanic man in his mid thirties 5'6" to 5'8" tall, medium build, dark complexion with very dark hair combed forward. He has a scar on his temple and a mole on the left side of his face near his jaw line with several tattoos on his arms. He was wearing a tan Carhartt type jacket with hood, jeans and dark boots.

The suspect, pictured here, was a visitor to the room. The 29 year-old victim sustained injuries as a result of the attack including bruising to her face and cuts to her neck. She was treated at the scene by Greenburgh Police EMS and transported to the Westchester Medical Center.

Photos obtained from surveillance video of the suspect are shown here. Anyone who may recognize the suspect or may have information concerning this investigation is asked to contact Greenburgh Detectives at 914-682-5331. All calls will be kept confidential.

In January Scarsdale10583 ran a short survey to gauge reader's opinions on state testing, teacher evaluations and the mandated purchase of computers for the administration of state tests in local schools. Though we only had 45 respondents, our open-ended question on the survey did yield many interesting comments. Here are the overall survey results as well as a sampling of some of our reader comments on these controversial issues:

Question #1: I think that New York State mandates too many tests for student in my district:

Yes: 77.7%
No: 20.0%

Comments:

Not in this school district. We should have "tested" out of this after 100 years of stellar graduation rates and top notch students ..... Can we see the balance sheets for the company who distributes and grades all of these tests? They must be laughing all the way to the bank!

There is a need for oversight. While Scarsdale may be doing it right not every district is. We should not fear the testing because if our philosophy works we should have good outcomes.

For the amount of state aide Scarsdale receives- tell the state to keep their directives

I think our schools are so great that we should be able to opt out. I think it's obvious that Scarsdale, and to some degree Edgemont are the pinnacle of education. We should be left alone.

Other countries are way ahead of US on testing. We disadvantage our workers and the brightest students by not testing enough, unless tests in the US are poor (vis a vis China, UK, Finland), which is possible. Bad tests should give way to mor

Question #2: I believe that teachers should be evaluated based on their students' results on standardized tests:

Yes: 6.6%
No: 22.3%
To a degree: 60.0%

Comments:

Students are shaped by parents, other adults, peers, programs, games, their own aptitudes and much more. To load all of that on a teacher, especially in a class of diverse kids (language, nationality, disability), makes little sense, but timed, sequential testing for each student's growth by teacher should be looked at as an important tool for critical review of teacher competence.

I do think we need to evaluate teachers but tests should only be a small factor.

Question #3: Since the state has mandated the purchase of laptops for each student, I would be willing to pay for the laptop(s) for my child(ren).

Yes: 42.2%
No: 53.3%

Comments:

Most children in Westchester have access to a laptop, note-pad or smartphone equivalent. I hope the state is cognizant of how to use minimal technology to accomplish its goals.

I don't want my children to have portable computers that can leave common areas of the house.

Seriously, either way we end up paying - either buying a laptop ourselves for our children or funding it through a hike in the school tax. Maybe it is more straightforward to buy it ourselves - we can probably get a better deal and have less added overhead cost than putting it on the school budget

General Comments:

The state is not thinking of districts like Scarsdale when they come up with these ideas. I'm sure there are many areas in NY State where unless a laptop is purchased for each child, there may be no good computer access for that child at home. Likewise concerns about evaluating teachers are greater elsewhere. Our concerns are those of the 1%.

I think the use of technology is important, but not at the expense of hiring and keeping good teachers and also providing for their continuing education (the teachers'). It seems counterproductive for schools that are struggling to spend money on a device that has a limited "life expectancy" before it becomes obsolete (as most computers do.)

If the state wants each school to have a computer per child, they better let us have a bigger tax cap or give us money or loan the equipment for the testing!

The current testing craze from the state and federal government is so misguided. There is no research to support that student tests results are a valid measure of teacher quality. It is mostly the opinion of politicians who know little about education.

Testing is ok when it is not too much. I don't want my kids' learning experience become test prep experience (like in China). Now kids are too busy with their eyes. We should ask kids to close their eyes to feel the world with their heart and think about it. There are a lot of things that can not be learned from book and in school.

Too many tests, too much technology. The best way to evaluate a teacher or student is observation and overall results.

Many students freeze during tests. Many students have other issues and need to be tested differently. Many students have some type of learning disability and computer based testing may not be appropriate or show their true ability.