Debate Over Irvington School Administrators Results in One Casualty

In an elementary school, the assistant principal is stereotypically portrayed as a scary disciplinarian, a foil for the principal whose leadership role isn't conducive to raising her voice or calling youthful offenders' parents.

 But as of next school year, the position of assistant principal, currently held by Karen Kellogg, will be eliminated at Irvington's Dows Lane Elementary School.

The cut at the building that teaches kindergarten through third-grade will leave current Principal Renay Sadis as the only remaining administrator for the upcoming school year.

District Superintendent Dr. Kathleen Matusiak indicated Sadis was not thrilled with the proposal from the start, "But she understood the pressures we were under," Matusiak said. "She's being as collaborative and cooperative as possible."

In a year in which residents had to sacrifice vacations, summer camp and even certain items from their grocery lists, school board member Robyne Camp does not believe they should have to foot the bill for administrators she feels are superfluous.

"One of the primary platforms of my campaign for a seat on the board last year focused on cutting administrative positions," Camp said.

But board President Robyn Kerner said Camp was not speaking for the entire school board. The total budget approved for 2010-2011 added up to $49,869,676, a $1,139,389 decrease from this year's expenditures—something Kerner said was a true testament to Matusiak's dedication to streamlining the district's costs.

"We were able to make cuts two years in a row," Kerner said. "If you look at budget to budget increases from the last two years, Irvington's is one of the lowest in all of Westchester."

Matusiak attributed the need to make such drastic cuts to the poor economy and a recent decline in school enrollment.

"Young families are less able to move to a town like Irvington where real estate is more expensive," she said.

In fact, the district's overall enrollment has been decreasing since the 2006-2007 school year, when it peaked at 1961 students. The 2009-2010 academic year, in contrast, saw only 1799 students. Matusiak said enrollment at the elementary level is projected to continue declining in the near future.

Matusiak explained parents and residents involved in early talks concerning the budget expressed interest in analyzing the necessity of administrative positions throughout the entire district.

"We had a meeting dedicated to administrators in Irvington," Matusiak said. "It was open to the public…we attempted to explain the importance of each of the roles."

Once it was determined the assistant principal role might be the best option as a cut, the board compensated by adding an additional $20,000 to the budget so "certain functions of the assistant principal wouldn't fall through the cracks."

 The decision, though seemingly drastic, did not elicit a strong reaction from the community.

"I was kind of surprised," Matusiak said. "I got almost no questions."

But Camp said she had predicted the community's seeming indifference, pointing to a statistic that showed the ratio of students to administrators in 1999 to be 212-to-1, now 112-to-1.

"Most people don't care about the behind-the-scenes work of a school district," Camp said. "They want to see a high quality of education for a relatively affordable price. So when you say you are cutting administrators—and not teachers or aides—most people agree."

Matusiak, though, described the thought of cutting more positions as a "ludicrous idea."—"Of course the community would miss the administrators if they weren't here," she said. "They're at the heart of what we do."

Kerner, speaking both for herself and as the voice of the school board, said she thought it was unfair to compare numbers of administrators from 10 years ago to today because of the increased tasks a district must perform as mandated by the state and national governments.

"We might be able to do without a position for a year or two during hard economic times," Kerner said, specifically referencing the job of assistant superintendent for curriculum, currently held part-time by Maryann Doyle, and a position Camp was adamantly against filling. "But when you eliminate too many positions permanently, you lose the foundation on which the district is based."

Camp was elected to Irvington's School Board in 2009 after a significant push was made among many residents to control costs, creating a dialogue—albeit sometimes contentious—that Kerner thinks is productive and healthy for the community. 

"However, the overall message we get is that the Irvington community does feel strongly about education and providing what's best for our kids," Kerner said.

Going forward, a citizen-comprised Budget Task Force will continue to review budget options, though Matusiak predicts the assistant principal position will not likely be restored anytime soon, and hopes in its place to hire a full-time curriculum leader.

"The analogy of a school district I give is that of an emergency room," Matusiak said. "You can go into an ER that's understaffed and full of patients and wait hours to receive sub-par care or pay a little more to go to one that's adequately staffed. I would always choose the second option, especially for my kids."