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Special Meeting: At 5:00 p.m., Ms. Hahn, Board of Education President, convened the Special Meeting with representatives from the Scarsdale Teachers Association (STA).
Special Meeting: At 6:00 p.m., Ms. Hahn convened a Special Meeting. The Board entered into an Executive Session to discuss matters related to current litigation.
Business Meeting: Ms. Hahn called the Business Meeting to order at 6:37 p.m., noting all Board members were present, including the student members (Suzie Hahn, President; Colleen Brown, Vice President; Leah Dembitzer; Jim Dugan; Laura Liu; Omer Wiczyk; Kevin Ziegler; Lucy Eisenberg; and Nathan Goldfarb). Dr. Patrick and members of his Administrative Cabinet were also present.
Being the first Board Business Meeting of the new school year, Ms. Hahn extended a warm welcome back to our students, faculty and staff; and she thanked the administration, faculty, staff, custodial staff, groundskeepers, and bus drivers for all of their efforts preparing for a successful reopening of school. She added, “The Board and I look forward to our continued partnership with all of you in our mission to foster each student's development to become effective and independent contributors in a democratic society and interdependent world.”
Ms. Hahn spoke about the Memorial Service that she and fellow Board members attended last Friday in observance of the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks. She said, “We are grateful for the opportunity to come together as a community to honor and remember those we lost, and to reflect on the enduring strength and unity that emerged from that day.”
Ms. Hahn also provided a brief recap of the earlier meeting with the STA, stating, “Our Teachers are critical partners in helping to deliver the best educational outcomes to our students and we greatly value the opportunity to have these discussions with them. This evening we discussed the new Annual Professional Performance Review Standards called STEPS, as well as an overview of the financial landscape facing us and many public school districts in NY. We appreciate engaging in productive discussions about these key topics and thank the teachers for their collaboration and dedication to students over the years.”
In closing, Ms. Hahn provided a brief reminder of the ways that community members can stay informed of District matters and receive communications:
Dr. Patrick added his welcome and reiterated President Hahn’s words of appreciation to the STA. He reported that the first few weeks of school have gone smoothly and he thanked our families, students, faculty, staff, administrators, and the Board, for their efforts in ensuring a successful and positive start to the 2026-27 school year.
Dr. Patrick shared the many ways that the 25th anniversary of September 11th was remembered in the District: “As we do annually, we paused on Friday for a moment of silence to remember the lives that were lost, the extraordinary acts of heroism, and the enduring impact the acts of violence of September 11, 2001, have had on our communities, country, and the world. This day also provided an opportunity to help our secondary students develop a better understanding of this defining event in the history of New York State and of the nation. Today's SMS News program included a segment on 9/11, and SHS social studies classes took time for discussion and contemplation as well. This year, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of 9/11, a group of Scarsdale educators shared their personal connection to and experiences from that day with SHS students during community lunch. As our NYSED Commissioner and Regents Chancellor shared in their joint statement earlier today, ‘Through education, we preserve the memory of those who came before us and ensure that the lessons of September 11 are not lost to time. By teaching them with care, honesty, and reverence, we honor those whose lives were lost or forever changed, while helping future generations understand their responsibility to remember, learn, and carry those lessons forward.’"
Dr. Patrick also reported that earlier in the day, the official kick-off meeting introducing Common Circles: We are Scarsdale, was held at the Middle School with faculty and Common Circles’ founders, Marla Felton and Sue Spiegel.
Dr. Patrick provided information on the welcome-back picnics, open houses, instrumental music lessons, after school activities, and sporting events that are taking place around the District; and he shared upcoming dates to note:
Schools are closed on Monday, September 21st, in observance of Yom Kippur which begins at sundown on September 20th, and ends at nightfall on September 21st. The Mid-Autumn Festival is observed by millions of people across East Asia on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar. This means the festival date changes every year in the Gregorian calendar, but it is always around the time of the harvest moon. This year, the Mid-Autumn Festival falls on September 25th.
Board members presented the following reports:
Speaking as the Board liaison with the Scarsdale Teachers Institute (STI), Ms. Liu reported she attended the first STI Policy Board Meeting of the new school year on September 9th. She provided a brief overview of the STI history, membership, new course selections, and committee work, adding that enrollment this past summer was the highest since 2020.
Student Board members presented the following reports:
Lucy Eisenberg reported on the kick-off of the new school year on September 1st ; she provided information about Senior Chalking Day on September 9th; and she shared information about the SHS Government House Meeting she attended on September 10th. Nathan Goldfarb reported he attended the first Community Lunch Panel on September 11th and had the opportunity to hear Scarsdale educators share their experiences from that day 25 years ago. Mr. Goldfarb also noted that the Fall Sports season is in full swing and he wished our student athletes good luck.
Cabinet Updates: Dr. Patrick introduced Cabinet Members to provide the following updates.
Business/Facilities Update: Nick Ferraro, Director of Facilities, provided an overview of the major projects completed this summer; he highlighted the many projects completed by the grounds and maintenance teams, custodians and cleaning staff; and he noted the creative planning and financial savings of these projects through more efficient practices. Mr. Ferraro commended his teams for their hard work, dedication, efficiency and professionalism, stating, “I couldn’t be more proud of these folks, they are the strong backbone of this District.” Mr. Lennon reported that the Highland Electric Fleet EV charging project is well underway with the completion of staff training, software implementation and four EV large buses and one EV SUV operating successfully for the District. He noted that the installation of four EV charging stations has been completed, however, only three chargers are currently being used as one of the chargers was delivered with a damaged internal component. Mr. Lennon provided updates on the progress of the infrastructure work that Highland Electric Fleets is updating in and around the bus compound; two pending items needed to fully electrify the chargers—the delivery of a ConEd transformer to tie the chargers into the utility grid, and upgrades to the utility lines on Secor Road; and the installation of GPS tracking telemetric systems in the four EV buses. Board members provided feedback and asked questions that were answered by Mr. Lennon and Mr. Ferraro. The slides of the presentation can be viewed here. Human Resources: Ms. Troy presented a Staffing & Enrollment Update as of 9/10/2026, noted key enrollment points, and the staffing (certified and non-certified) highlights. Ms. Troy answered questions asked by Board member(s).
Safety, Security, and Emergency Management (SSEM): Mr. Rauschenbach provided information about the August Interagency Committee Meeting he attended with representatives from the Village, Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corp. (SVAC), Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling Services (SFCS), and the District. The Committee focused on school safety and strategic planning; reviewed specific incident responses, system protocols, and current trends that could impact operations; and discussed areas for budgetary improvement and the Committee’s focus areas for the new school year.
Hearing From Those Present: Community members were invited to address the Board. No one spoke in person or virtually.
Written Communications: Ms. Brown reported the Board had received (12) emails from members of the community since the last report, as listed in the Board meeting agenda, all of which received a response from the Board and/or District Administration.
Consent Agenda: The Board approved the items on the Consent Agenda, including the Personnel Report.
INFORMATION/DISCUSSION
ACTION ITEMS |
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Information Items/Discussion: The Board considered several items under the information/discussion portion of the agenda:
Ms. Zareski presented the Treasurer’s Report and Schedule of Investments for July 2026. In accordance with District Policy #6150, the Board of Education must approve all transfers of funds in excess of $25,000. Ms. Zareski presented the budget transfers that will be presented to the Board for approval later in the meeting. Dr. Patrick provided an overview of the process for the NYSSBA 2026 Proposed Bylaw Amendments and Resolutions as presented in the Board meeting agenda, noting that the administration is reviewing the resolutions (supported by the committee or not) and will present their viewpoints (Yes/No/Non-Sibi) to the Board for review and further discussion on October 5th. Mr. Lennon reviewed the process for the development of the budget calendar and noted key dates on this year’s Draft Calendar for the 2027-2028 Budget that will be presented to the Board for approval on October 5th. Mr. Lennon pointed out that two internal changes were made to the timing of receiving budget requests in order to ensure that the Board has adequate time to review the proposed 2027-28 budget prior to its adoption in April. Dr. Patrick presented the second reading of draft Policy #2210 - Board Organizational Meeting. With no further revisions recommended, the policy will be presented to the Board for adoption later in the meeting. Ms. Hahn reviewed the revised draft of the 2026-27 Board of Education Goals and Primary Objectives that incorporates the feedback and recommended revisions that Board members made during the August 24th Board meeting. The Board reached a consensus on the revised draft which can be viewed on the Board of Education website. Ms. Hahn noted that the goals and primary objectives will be used during the Board’s self-evaluation process later in the year. -
Dr. Patrick reviewed the gift proposals exceeding $1,000.00 and provided a brief explanation of the new option for donors to request an expedited review:
Action Items: The Board approved proposed new textbooks, the fall 2026 STI courses, Policy #2210 - Board Organizational Meeting, budget transfers, and accepted with thanks, gift proposals to Edgewood, Fox Meadow and Greenacres Elementary Schools, the Middle School and High School athletics.
Public Comment: Community members were invited to address the Board for a second time. No one spoke in person or remotely.
Adjournment: The Board adjourned the meeting at 8:01 p.m. The Board meeting may be viewed on the District website here.
* Note from the Board of Education: Please email your feedback, questions, or comments to boardofed@scarsdaleschools.org
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Scarsdale Public Schools