Special Meeting: At 6:00 p.m., Suzie Hahn, Board President, convened a Special Meeting. All Board members were present, as were Dr. Drew Patrick, Meghan Troy, Andrew Lennon, and Eric Rauschenbach. The Board then moved into an Executive Session to discuss matters related to collective bargaining negotiations and pending litigation.
Special Meeting: At 6:30 p.m., Ms. Hahn convened a Special Meeting. All Board members were present as well as Superintendent Patrick and his administrative Cabinet. Dr. Patrick provided a brief recap of the interview process for the next Greenacres principal and then announced, “I am delighted for the students, parents, faculty, and staff of Greenacres Elementary School that Trish Iasiello will serve as their next principal. She is a talented and empathetic student-and family-centered educator and leader. She is also a trusted and valued colleague, as is evidenced by all those who have turned out to congratulate her.”
Ms. Troy presented the recommendation to appoint Ms. Iasiello to the position of Principal of Greenacres School. The Board voted unanimously on the appointment commencing on July 1, 2025, for a three-year probationary period ending on June 30, 2028.
Budget Presentation: At 6:42 p.m., Ms. Hahn convened Budget Study Session #3. All Board members were present, as well as Dr. Patrick and his administrative Cabinet. Ms. Hahn noted that similar to Budget Study Session #2, there will be an opportunity for public comment following this evening’s Budget Study Session and the Board welcomes community feedback throughout the budget process.
Dr. Patrick, Mr. Lennon, Ms. Troy, Dr. McIntosh, and Mr. Rauschenbach presented the slides for Budget Study Session #3 including a review of the budget development process; the history of the fund balance; the updated draft 2025-26 budget plan with a summary of staffing changes and the fleet electrification recommendation; budget accomplishments related to the Strategic Plan, and next steps. Board members presented questions and concerns related to the fund balance reserve that were addressed by Dr. Patrick and the District administration. The video of the presentation can be viewed here.
Hearing From Those Present: Members of the public were invited to address the Board. Six people spoke in person. No one spoke remotely.
Follow-up to Public Comment: Dr. Patrick thanked the speakers for their thoughts and provided clarification on the support that is included in the draft 2025-26 budget plan for multivariable calculus. He also noted that (4) Advanced Topics classes will continue to be offered next year and he confirmed that staffing reductions in the draft 2025-26 budget plan equate to 7.5 FTE.
| BUSINESS MEETING/CONSENT AGENDA |
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Business Meeting: Ms. Hahn called the Business Meeting to order at 7:55 p.m., noting that all Board members were present as well as Dr. Patrick and his administrative Cabinet.
Ms. Hahn reported that earlier in the evening, following an Executive Session, the Board held two Special Meetings. The first was the appointment of Trish Iasiello and on behalf of the Board, Ms. Hahn extended congratulations to Ms. Iasiello saying, “We look forward to seeing you lead Greenacres next year and continue the wonderful work of that building.” The second Special Meeting was Budget Study Session #3. Ms. Hahn thanked all those who have provided feedback on the budget process to this point.
Dr. Patrick added his welcome and echoed Ms. Hahn’s congratulations to Ms. Iasiello. Dr. Patrick also thanked the twenty-two Capital Projects Steering Committee applicants for their interest and he reported that he, President Hahn, Mr. Lennon, and Nick Ferraro, Assistant Director of Facilities, will review the applications and select candidates for the Committee this week. The first meeting is scheduled for March 20th. Dr. Patrick also reported that BBS, District architects, have been busy meeting with District administrators and touring the school buildings.
Consent Agenda: The Board approved the items on the Consent Agenda, including the Personnel Report.
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| INFORMATION/DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS |
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Information Items and Discussion: The Board considered items under the Information/Discussion portion of the agenda:
In accordance with District Policy 6150, the Board of Education must approve all transfers of funds in excess of $25,000. Mr. Lennon presented the budget transfers that will be presented to the Board for approval later in the meeting. Mr. Lennon and Mr. Rauschenbach addressed questions submitted by Board members. Scarsdale Health Plan: Dr. Patrick welcomed Mr. Patrick Cowburn, the District’s Health Plan Consultant from OneDigital. Ms. Troy presented a brief presentation with information regarding the Self-Insured Plan vs a Fully Funded Plan including the membership of the advisory committee. Mr. Cowburn presented the 2025/26 Claim Projection Analysis and answered Board member's questions. Board Discussion: Ex Officio Student Member of the Board: Ms. Hahn provided a brief background and the criteria for the newly enacted NYS law that requires Boards of Education to add at least (1) ex-officio student Board member for the 2025-26 school year. She reported that she, Dr. Patrick, Mr. Dugan, Ms. Brown, and Principal Bonamo met last week to discuss potential policies and procedures for implementing this change. Topics discussed and reviewed included the goal in the process; the role of ex-officio student Board member(s); the application, nominating, and election process; and a review of the proposed process. Board members engaged in a detailed discussion and posed questions and further criteria to contemplate. The Board reached a consensus to have structure and consistency with the process of having (2) student ex-officio student Board members -- (1) Junior and (1) Senior elected by their peers for a one-year term with the option to run for a second term. Further discussion and determinations will be held at a future meeting.
Action Items: The Board approved the budget transfers presented to the Board earlier in the meeting.
Hearing From Those Present: Members of the public were invited to address the Board. No one spoke in person. One person spoke remotely.
Follow-up to Public Comment: Ms. Hahn thanked the speaker for presenting such good questions regarding the student ex-officio Board member.
Adjournment: The Board adjourned the meeting at 10:16 p.m. The Board meeting may be viewed on the District website, under Board of Education VOD.
*Note from the Board of Education: Please email your feedback, questions, or comments to boardofed@scarsdaleschools.org
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