Scarsdale School Board Updates Community On Facilities Issues

SCARSDALE, NY — The Scarsdale Union Free School District Schools Board of Education updated the community on facilities issues. Board President William J. Natbony and Vice President Scott E. Silberfein sent the following to community:

As part of our continuing effort to enhance communication with the Scarsdale community, we write on behalf of your Board of Education to update you on the status of various facilities issues concerning the Scarsdale Union Free School District. If you have not yet done so, we urge you to sign up to receive District emails directly through the District's website, via this link.

At our July 6, 2017, Board meeting, the Board and community received a status report concerning ongoing construction projects. Construction is moving along well. In particular, at both Edgewood and Heathcote work on the new additions has begun with an expected completion date in the summer of 2018. Construction also continues at the Middle and High Schools. At the Middle School, the new instrumental music room should be completed by late this summer in time for students in September. At the High School, the Learning Commons project has shown signs of progress with hope that it will also be ready in September. The Fitness Center is also well underway, and will be completed later this summer. The new Design Lab broke ground a few weeks ago, and is scheduled to be ready for use by late October/early November.

Also at our July 6th meeting, the Board received — and discussed extensively — a recommendation from BBS, the District's architects, and the Administration concerning the District's next phase of needed construction projects. The process of determining the overall needs for the District, including how to address the needs at the Greenacres Elementary School, has evolved over several years with essential input from school-specific building committees (including parents, teachers and the Administration), two different architectural firms, written communications to the Board, financial analyses, extensive comments from community members at our Board meetings and public forums, and Board discussions. The Board and Administration have been listening to and analyzing these matters for more than two years. We urge the community to review the extensive background material on the District website concerning these matters including copies of analyses, presentations, and answers to frequently asked questions. An updated financial analysis comparing the long term costs of a new and renovated/expanded Greenacres school was posted last week.

There has been some discussion within the community, in the press, and online about the July 6th Board discussions, and the Board's decision to give guidance to the Administration in broad terms on how to proceed. While some of the recent discussion accurately portrays what occurred on July 6th, other commentary does not. Hopefully this letter provides some clarity and a description of the anticipated steps and process moving forward.

To be clear, on July 6th the Board gave the Administration broad parameters and guidance on how to proceed with respect to moving forward towards a facilities bond issue that will include a renovation and expansion of the Greenacres school and other facilities projects. The Board, however, has not yet approved the specific proposed contents for bond financing. Nor has the Board approved a specific site plan or construction implementation plan for Greenacres. The ultimate specific composition of any proposed bond, including identification of specific projects, the total amount of the bond, the specific timing of the bond and bond vote, as well as the specific design plans for included projects, including the renovation/expansion of Greenacres, remain under discussion. Similarly, how various construction issues will be addressed, including the timing of construction, how construction will be staged, and what measures will be taken to insure the safety of our students during construction, are all matters that also remain under discussion.

By way of background, as discussed in prior communications and at several of our Board meetings, certain debt of the District will become fully paid in 2019, giving the Board the ability to replace that debt to pay for much needed facilities work while retaining neutrality with regards to school taxes. With that guidance in mind, and considering the short- and long- term facilities needs (in order of priority) of the District based on a detailed building-by-building review by the District's architects, the Administration proposed the first stage of a facilities construction plan that would address the highest priority items (safety and security), the needs of the Greenacres school, and certain other important facilities needs such as boiler and roof replacements at each of our schools. That recommendation, given the needs and finances of the District as a whole, the short and long term costs of various options, enrollment trends, and the educational needs of our students, included a proposal for a renovated and expanded Greenacres school rather than a newly constructed school.

After much discussion, and with consideration of years of public and building committee comments, a significant majority of the Board gave the Administration guidance to move forward along these general parameters, recognizing that certain design, scope and implementation matters are still under development. These include the possibility and extent of temporary housing of students during the renovation and expansion of Greenacres. Over the next few months, and continuing in the early fall, the District's architects, construction management team, and District Administration, guided by numerous public comments and substantial input from community and school groups, will move forward towards addressing the details on these matters, including the development of a comprehensive Construction Implementation Plan. The Board anticipates active community participation as further and more detailed proposals develop. As was stated at our July 6th meeting, this is an iterative process.

The Board anticipates that the Administration will be putting forth shortly a communication that sets forth the anticipated processes that will occur over the next few months, with details about how school, parent, and community input on these matters will be considered. The Board looks forward to discussing, considering, and ultimately approving a safe, secure, and detailed plan that meets the needs of our District, reflects prudent financial planning, and accounts for many of the implementation matters yet to be addressed.

We hope that our community can continue to come together and work together on a bond proposal that supports all of our children and helps to optimize their education long into the future. The Board looks forward to continuing its dialogue with the community as these plans continue to develop.

Our next Board meetings are scheduled for August 24, 2017, and Sept. 11, 2017. We anticipate progress on these issues at those meetings and, as always, welcome your comments and participation.

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