Friday, December 16, 2011

Board hears about Model UN, Mandate Relief, and Flood Mitigation

Ilhan Gokhan, Bronxville High School junior, opened December's Board of Education meeting with a presentation about the Model UN program. Sponsored by history and economics teacher Steve Klurfeld, the Bronxville team went to Princeton for this year's conference, where students from many schools made speeches, prepared draft resolutions, and learned about international diplomacy. Gokhan explained his own participation: "I represented Venezuela in a committee that had to do with expanding refugee rights, so I found all of the official documents relating to refugees that Venezuela actually signed or authored." He went on to explain that "this year, Bronxville High School students participated in traditional committees like UNESCO, the IMF, and the WHO . . . Some topics included preserving endangered languages, eradicating childhood diseases, and helping refugees flee civil strife."

 After introducing Gokhan, Superintendent David Quattrone reported on efforts regarding mandate relief and flood mitigation.  Superintendents from the four-county region met this last week with legislators to identify key items where mandate relief would help districts maintain educational quality in the context of a 2% tax cap.  Locally, modifying transportation requirements for private school students and rolling back special education requirements that exceed federal guidelines were the pressing needs.  The Superintendents have prepared a detailed position paper that  describes the massive financial burden of such mandates.

With respect to flood mitigation, Quattrone confirmed that the District is working with the Village to develop plans and review the environmental impact of a proposal to install stormwater detention and pumping systems that would alleviate flooding in the neighborhood of the school. The Village and District are expecting a federal grant to support this project at a 75% reimbursement rate. The next step for the Board will be to hear a comprehensive presentation of the proposed project in the early months of 2012.

Barton Proposes New High School Offerings

At its December meeting the Bronxville Board of Education reviewed and gave preliminary approval to several new electives in the High School Course of Study for 2012-13.  The courses, recommended by Principal Terry Barton, include TV/Video Production, Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Perspectives in Art, Music Seminar, and Innovative Action in the Global Community.  In addition, several courses now offered only at the Advanced Placement Level would be offered at the Honors Level, including Calculus, Environmental Science, and Art History.

Board members expressed enthusiasm for the recommendations and welcomed the dialogue about the curriculum. Pierre deSt. Phalle suggested exploring local colleges and online options as well. Several Board members commented that the suggested courses addressed unmet needs.

Barton explained that whether these courses actually run in 2012-13 will depend on student course selection patterns. Some electives may not generate sufficient enrollment. The budget implications of these new courses depends on course enrollment patterns and may be accommodated within the same overall staffing levels as this year.


Board Approves Agreements with Custodians, Teacher Aides

The Bronxville Board of Education has reached labor agreements with two additional bargaining units, the facilities support staff and the teacher aides. The facilities support staff ratified a contract through 2013-14, with a 0% increase for 2009, a one time payment of 1% for 2010, 1% for 2011, 1.5% for 2012, and 1.5% for 2013.  Employee contributions for health benefits will rise to 12% over the life of the contract.This group of employees is an independent association, representing themselves.

The teacher aides, represented by the Bronxville Teachers Association, also entered into a contract with the District, with 0% wage increases for 2010, 1% for 2011, and 1.5% for 2012. Health benefits are not offered to this group. Assistant Superintendents John Kehoe and Dan Carlin represented the Board during negotiations with both groups, with the assistance of Ingerman Smith, attorneys. They reported efficient and amicable proceedings. In approving the settlements, Board members noted that even with reasonable wage increases, additional health insurance and retirement costs are difficult to manage in the context of a 2% tax cap.

The District approved a collective bargaining agreement with its teachers this past September. The administrative unit's contract does not expire until 2013, and the clerical unit is still in negotiation.

Friday, December 2, 2011

Bronxville High, Rotary, and Sarah Lawrence Share Service Learning Experiences

Bronxville High School hosted a Family-School Partnership workshop on December 1. The program featured presentations about service projects in Tanzania, Zambia, and India. Participants in last year's Spanish and French exchange programs also made presentations.

The program opened with remarks by Jim Agnello, Counselor, and Judith Schwartzstein, Director of Public Affairs at Sarah Lawrence College. Christopher Gates of the Janada Batchelor Foundation for Children described the ongoing partnership with Bronxville that has brought many Bronxville students to Tanzania to work at the JBFC orphanage. These year's group included Brian Forst, Ellie Hanrahan, Hanna Buendia, Steve Chrappa, Jack Deasey, Jackie Faselt, Daniel Guglielmo, and Kevin Reich. Each of them told a story about how the experience affected them. Chris Davis, Sarah Blanco, Nick Capasso, and Julian Bardin also made presentations.


Doris Benson, former Rotary President, reviewed the international projects that Rotary has made possible and how the local Rotary helped sponsor Bronxville's students. Amanda Ota and Meghan Roguschka, Sarah Lawrence students, explained their building community gardens in rural India as part of the Davis Grant they received.  David Quattrone, School Superintendent made closing remarks about the value of a Global Scholars program.

About fifty students, parents, teachers and residents attended the program, including representatives of the Police Department, the Reformed Church, and the program's sponsors, the International Club and the Middle School Global Ambassadors.