Central School PTAExecutive Board Meeting
Wednesday, March 31, 2012, 12 noon
Attendees:Keiko Tannenbaum, Linnet Tse, Denise Mathieson, Alex Leach, Christine Montgomery,Susan Epstein,Cindy Dircks, Cordelia Derhammer-Hill, Martha Friedland,Ms. Dinelli,Mr. Smith,Kim Nicastri,Ellen Silver,Ms. Dressler,Ms. Priore, Kim Rubin,Mary Conway, Sam Orans,
Apologies:Krista Williams, Jen Siegel, Daniela Behpour
UPDATES AND REPORTS:
Updates from Carol/Joanne:
The Larchmont Acres parking lot continues to be an issue. The school has received many letters of complaints from residents about parents illegally parking in reserved spaces. This situation is creating a hazard for students and residents and if this persists the gate will have to be locked. Safety of our students has to be our number one priority.
The District Universal Pre-K Program will be moved to Central School as of the 2012-13 school year. Ms. Priore is working with the Ms. Amon and Dr. Minotti to work on a smooth and comprehensive transition plan for this program. The program will likely be located in the current K/1 area of the building. This program has been in existence for over 25 years and has been housed at MAS for many years. Due to increased enrollment at MAS there is no longer space at that building. There are approximately 86 students enrolled in a 4-year-old program and a 3-year-old special education program.
Ms. Priore has met with George McNally, District Head of Building and Grounds, and Ms. Rubenstein to discuss the purchases process of new playground equipment. During a review of the grounds it was determined that some parts of the structure on the sloped area just outside of the building near the back entrance to the school need to be removed. Selling engraved bricks as fundraiser for the playground has been an on-going discussion and the issue of how and where to install them was also discussed with Mr. McNally. His suggestion was to see how many we will be able to sell and then determine the place to install them based on the quantity. He seems to prefer installing them inside the building for safety reasons.
New York State Assessments will be held right after the April break. The support staff for Grades 3-5 is being temporarily re-deployed to assist with test preparations. The ELA/Reading teachers will help certain students receive “boosts”. Teachers at all grade levels are supportive of this effort. A reminder will go out to parents about the April tests.
School Budget Updates from Board of Ed Member Linnet Tse:
The Board of Education (BOE) feels strongly about its guidelines and keeping the District’s academic excellence by supporting teaching in the classrooms. Dr. Shaps is very forward thinking about students and their needed skills. Dr. Shaps is looking for different ways to support the classrooms. There are contractual and state mandates to consider, regardless of the new tax cap. The BOE has been looking at the budget with the Citizen’s Financial Advisory Committee. There has been success at aggressively negotiating with the District’s health care provider that helped with the tax cap. The completed HVAC work at Hommocks and Central School has increased the District’s energy efficiency.
The BOE will go to the public with less than the maximum tax cap. Pensions and salaries are the biggest reasons behind budget growth. Five years ago these were 75% of our budget, now they account for 82%. The District is also reviewing transportation. Currently buses are used for private/parochial students and/or special needs students. The District is already working with Ardsley Bus Company and is considering fully outsourcing to them, as well as eliminating busing to six schools for students in grades 6 through 12. The BOE is seeking feedback on the Ardsley bus company. Dr. Shaps is working with the bus company to see if they would be able to hire some of our current employees. Personnel efficiencies have been achieved due to enrollment. Hommocks has increased AIS support.
Pre-K Program transition will happen in a way to ensure that the needs of the students will be met without compromising the needs of the host school.
If the budget were voted down twice the contingency budget would have to be zero. The tax levy would have to be flat which would result in eliminating 20 teaching positions and trimming $2.5 million. (note: with the revised budget that was approved which incorporates the savings from fully outsourcing, a contingency budget now would result in a reduction of $1.2 million, the equivalent of about 11 teaching positions).The BOE is looking for reactions to the tax rate change. The District has been impacted by lower assessments. There are less commercial taxes coming in and all of the golf clubs have received certiories. Pensions and the stock markets have also been an important factor.
The bond that will be voted on was decided upon after compiling data and limiting improvements to items that directly impact health and safety and electrical work. The debt service has been refinanced and this mean the impact to the taxpayer is only $7.50 per year over a period of four years.
Mobilizing registrations and getting the vote out is important. A proposal was made to host a Coffee morning geared to K and new parents to inform them of the budget and the issues. There will also be a reach out to preschool parents.
Updates from Teachers
17 Interactive White boards have been installed in the building. The installation process requires mounting, wiring and training. The teachers are grateful to the PTA for funding this effort and are excited to have these tools available to them.
Andrew Hess, District Assistive Technology Director, gave a presentation on the SOLO writing program available through the District. This program gives students auditory feedback. You are also able to paste any thing, e.g. a Wikipedia article, into the program and it will read it to you. This is a really great tool for students and Mr. Smith will draft an email that can be sent to parents about this program.
Other Updates/Feedback
Central School’s first Book Club Night will be held at Central School on May 2nd. We were able to enlist volunteers to work on this evening and information will be going out to families about books to read in advance and registration process.
Plans are coming along for the Faculty Appreciation Lunch that will be held on April 18th. All expenses for this event, and all others, should be submitted to the PTA for reimbursement. This is the best way for the PTA to know how much programs cost and be able to appropriately budget.
Parent’s Night Out Update
Parents Night Out was very successful and a lot of fun. 160 people RSVPd compared to 175 last year. At the preliminary count, the event netted approximately $20,000. A few parents expressed a hesitation over dressing for the 80s theme and a more “generation-neutral” theme for the following year was discussed e.g. Denim and Diamonds. A suggestion was made to include more items for the silent auction that would appeal to Dads. The food at the event was limited in order to keep ticket prices down – a suggestion was made to either have the event start from 8-12 and make it dessert and coffee or advertise that no dinner will be served. Next year, sign up parties will be coordinated separately from the Parents Night Out event and be offered throughout the school year.
Update from PT Council
The District mandates that the cost of facilities use is paid by the organization that uses the facility (including the PTA), and they are now strictly enforcing this policy. PTAs should try to host events, including Scare Fair, on Saturdays instead of Sundays to minimize fees. A school play could still be held on Sunday without additional fees as it is considered a “school event” but discussion is on-going.
The Mamaroneck Schools Foundation awarded grants to Central School, including a $6,000 for the playground, and will be at the next meeting to discuss these grants in detail.
The minutes from the previous meeting could not be voted on, as there was no longer a quorum at the end of the meeting. They will be voted on at the next meeting.
Meeting adjourned at 2:25pm
Respectfully submitted by Alex Leach
Next PTA Exec meeting will take place on Wednesday, April 25th 2012