State of Our Public Schools

By Janet Bear

It’s school budget time, and the Larchmont/Mamaroneck Local Summit breakfast forum on Tuesday, April 23 provided an opportunity to learn more about what is happening in our public schools. Dr. Barbara Ferraro, Rye Neck School District Superintendent, spoke of their commitment to student learning, safety, and their $27.6 million Capital Bond, which was approved by voters in 2018. This Bond includes the construction of a middle school gymnasium as well as a two-story STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, Math) wing addition to the high school. Rye Neck’s proposed 2019-20 budget includes an expansion of math, science and social studies programs. For the 8th consecutive year, their budget falls within the tax cap at a 1.96% tax rate increase.

Dr. Robert Shaps, Mamaroneck School District Superintendent, was pleased to state that his proposed schools tax rate increase is .7%, the lowest in his 9 years as Superintendent. He spoke of the District’s work to foster deep thought, collaboration and innovation among all students from kindergarten through high school through hands-on learning. Some of the newer experiential-learning programs mentioned include Senior Collaborative Design, a community focused STEAM program; Pod casting where journalism students had the opportunity to visit West Virginia to expand their understanding of the lives and perspectives of local residents; Food Scrap Recycling in all elementary/middle schools and a future partnership with Stone Barns to develop a food science course; Beekeeping at the high school; and a continuing partnership with Sheldrake Environmental Center.

Both Superintendents spoke about the size of their districts. While the Rye Neck district has approximately 1600 students in all, the Mamaroneck district has approximately 1600 students in its high school alone. Mamaroneck has seen a steady growth in enrollment, with approximately 5600 students projected in the ‘19/’20 year. Mamaroneck does anticipate a slowing of kindergarten enrollment.

The Q & A session provided opportunities to address audience issues. Both Superintendents spoke of the importance of communication with parents (with specific outreach to Spanish speakers) and with other members of the community through social media platforms, invitations to attend programs and sporting events, student internships and community service programs. They also discussed the importance of school safety, addressing social media bullying, and the importance of preparing students for an increasingly diverse world.

Dr. Shaps addressed the issue of diversity and racism in response to several questions. He spoke of ongoing professional development programs in the area of institutional bias and culturally responsive pedagogy and of outreach programs to parents, such as the forum offered to middle school parents about how to talk about these issues. The district is committed to promoting racial literacy and to ensuring that all students are afforded opportunities to participate fully, from music lessons in the elementary schools to AP courses in the high school.

Each Superintendent was asked what they would like from the public. Both Drs. Ferraro and Shaps emphasized the importance of community support, including understanding and passing the school budget as well as realizing that the public schools rely upon a partnership, dialogue and input from all members of the community. This year’s school budget vote is Tuesday, May 21.

This breakfast forum was hosted by the Larchmont/Mamaroneck Local Summit, an informal community council that seeks to make life better for all in the tri-municipal area. Its monthly meetings are held at the Nautilus Diner in Mamaroneck at 7:45 a.m., generally on the third Tuesday of the month. The next meeting will be on Tuesday, May 14 on Issues Surrounding Affordable Housing.