Spring 2020 Vol. 68 No. 3

Published by the Board of Education, Pleasantville Union Free School District, Pleasantville NY

Dear Neighbor,We hope you and your families are all safe and well. The Board of Education understands each of us is experiencing our own challenges during this difficult time and encourages people to reach out for help when needed.

At the May 5 Board of Education meeting, we adopted the proposed 2020-2021 school budget outlined in this newsletter. This $52.7 million budget includes a .79% tax levy increase, the lowest increase in the last 10 years and well under the district’s allowable tax cap of 3.79%. This will result in an estimated 0% tax rate increase to individual taxpayers. The actual tax rate increase will be based on final assessments calculated by the Town of Mount Pleasant in August 2020.

Creation of this budget has been extremely challenging. The threat of multiple mid-year cuts to state aid if New York State does not meet income tax revenue targets has taken away a key factor of predictability for the district and has the potential to undermine our entire budget. Our district receives $3.2 million in Foundation Aid from the state. All of that money is in jeopardy.

The Board of Education and administration have implemented multiple strategies to insulate the district from this unpredictability and to provide flexibility for the coming school year. We thank everyone who participated in 2019 and early 2020 on Phase Two of Pleasantville Schools 2026, the district’s Strategic Plan. The determination of our six new strategies and their supporting action items is meant to drive our district forward for the next five years. The plan was to begin implementing action items in the coming school year. Those items, along with other new initiatives and some one-time expenses for capital improvements, were left in the budget we adopted. If our state aid is cut, we will have the option to postpone some of this necessary work to a later date. The budget also relies on an increased amount from our reserves, $1.4 million in total. Prudent fiscal planning has allowed us to maximize our reserves and rely on them during difficult financial times such as these. It is our hope these approaches will help us absorb any cuts to state aid without impacting program.

The district is also moving ahead with the safety, security and infrastructure projects included in the budget-neutral bond proposition that was approved last May. Our architects have completed the initial design phase, we have conducted a successful bid process and bids have been awarded to contractors. It is our hope that work will begin in June.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Budget Vote and School Board Election will be held remotely, by absentee ballot. In order to be counted, your ballot must be properly completed and received at the district office by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 9, 2020.Sincerely,The Board of Education

NOTICE/AVISOIn accordance with Governor Cuomo’s Executive Order No. 202.26, the Budget Vote and School Board Election will be held remotely, by Absentee Ballot only. Qualified voters of this School District will receive absentee ballots by mail. As required by the Language Minority Provisions of the federal Voting Rights Act, voting notices, registration, ballots, and instructional forms and information relating to the electoral process must be provided in Spanish as well as in English. For additional information, please contact District Clerk at 741‑1400 x10511 or check the website.De conformidad con la Orden Ejecutiva No. 202.26 del Gobernador Cuomo, la Votación Presupuestaria y la Elección de la Junta Escolar se llevarán a cabo de forma remota, solo por Boleta en Ausencia. Los votantes calificados de este Distrito Escolar recibirán boletas en ausencia por correo. Según lo estipulado por las Disposiciones sobre las minorías lingüísticas de la Ley federal de derechos de voto, los avisos de votación, el registro, las papeletas y los formularios de instrucción y la información relacionada con el proceso electoral deben proporcionarse en español y en inglés. Para obtener información adicional, comuníquese con el Secretario del Distrito al 741‑1400 x10511 o visite el sitio web.

Estimated Revenue 2018-2019 2019-2020 2020-2021 % Actual Revenue Adopted Budget Proposed Budget Change

Tuition $ 4,063,532 $ 3,839,131 $ 4,453,108 15.99State & Federal Aid 7,426,332 7,521,733 7,637,312 1.54Other 1,053,463 823,998 846,124 2.69Transfer from Debt Service 0 400,000 400,000 0.00Tax Certiorari Reserve 0 0 75,000 Employee Benefit Accrued Liability Reserve 0 76,000 76,000 0.00 Fund Balance 0 353,129 912,622 158.44Sub Total $ 12,543,327 $ 13,013,991 $ 14,400,166 10.65

Tax Levy* 37,103,796 38,052,299 38,352,425 0.79

TOTAL $ 49,647,123 $ 51,066,290 $ 52,752,591 3.30

* Based on the state formula, the District’s maximum allowable tax levy increase for 2020-2021 is 3.794%.

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2020-21 Revenue 2020-21 Expenses

RevenueTuition: tuition to the Pleasantville School District for enrollment of students from Pocantico Hills and group homes within the District (such as Abbott House) and in Special Education programsState & Federal Aid: general operating aid inclusive of aid on BO-CES expenditures; transportation; high cost aid; library, textbook, and software aid; aid on capital projects financed by the budget or by the sale of bonds originally issued in 2001, 2002, 2010 and 2015 for District Facilities Projects and on the 2009 Middle School Energy Performance ContractOther: Interest on Investments–interest earned on District’s cash balances; Sales Tax–District’s share of Westchester County sales tax revenue; Miscellaneous–includes refunds from BOCES, building rental fees, and reimbursements (state-supported schools, insurance, Medicaid, pre-school CSE, etc.); etc.Transfer from Debt Service Fund: money transferred from the Debt Service Fund Balance into the General Fund to be used for Debt Service paymentsFund Balance & Reserves: available funds from Fund Balance, Tax Certiorari Reserve, and Employee Benefit Accrued Liability Reserve applied to reduce taxes

Tuition$4,453,108

8.44%

Transfer from Debt Service Fund

$400,0000.76%

Fund Balance & Reserves$1,063,622

2.02%

State &Federal Aid$7,637,312

14.48%

Other$846,124

1.60%

Property Taxes $38,352,425

72.70%

Budget Information

ExpensesGeneral Support: salaries for 2.86 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) admin-istrators, 17 operations & maintenance staff, 6.85 FTE support staff, hourly & overtime; legal & auditing; postage, printing, & advertising; trash collection & cleaning service; repair & maintenance services; water/sewer, fuel, electric, & insurance; staff development & other purchased services; supplies; BOCESInstruction: salaries for 10 administrators, 166.8 FTE teachers, 23.6 FTE teaching assistants, 3 occupational therapists, 5 nurses, 109.4 FTE aides, 10.5 FTE support staff, 60 coaches, substitutes, chaper-ones, co-curricular activities, Washington & Fishkill trips, part-time, hourly & per diem staffTransportation: transportation for Special Education, Occupational Education, and private & parochial school students; 0.14 FTE admin-istrative staff and 0.05 FTE support staffEmployee Benefits: contributions to health insurance, Teachers’ Retire-ment System, Employees’ Retirement System; Social Security; Life Insurance; Workers Compensation; Unemployment; Welfare Benefit Trust; 403b Non-ElectiveUndistributed: Debt Service–payment of principal and interest on the refinanced 2001, 2002, and 2010 bonds, the 2015 bond, and the 2009 Middle School Energy Performance Contract; transfers to the Special Aid and Capital Projects Funds

Transportation$723,116

1.37%

GeneralSupport

$5,145,8709.76%

Employee Benefits$12,168,400

23.07%

Undistributed$4,722,580

8.95%

Instruction $29,992,625

56.86%

Budgeted Expenses 2018-2019 2019-2020 2020-2021 % Actual Expenses Adopted Budget Proposed Budget ChangeGeneral Support Board of Education $ 93,974 $ 109,221 $ 99,344 -9.04 Central Administration 360,739 362,618 369,610 1.93 Finance/Audit 565,876 558,411 636,533 13.99 Human Resources/Public Info/Legal 322,540 217,094 248,689 14.55 Op & Maint/Data Processing 3,060,774 2,893,149 3,106,175 7.36 Special Items 1,286,367 583,230 685,519 17.54Total $ 5,690,270 $ 4,723,723 $ 5,145,870 8.94

Instruction Supervision $ 1,891,939 $ 1,974,107 $ 2,037,462 3.21 Teaching – Regular School 13,092,416 13,772,032 13,728,552 -0.32 Teaching – Special Needs 7,616,384 8,461,669 8,890,736 5.07 Instructional Media 1,829,342 1,730,961 1,851,074 6.94 Pupil Services 2,163,559 2,183,348 2,370,829 8.59 Pupil Activities 1,067,813 1,068,569 1,113,972 4.25Total $ 27,661,453 $ 29,190,686 $ 29,992,625 2.75

Transportation $ 617,537 $ 685,878 $ 723,116 5.43

Employee Benefits $ 10,928,996 $ 11,967,717 $ 12,168,400 1.68

Undistributed Community Services $ 0 $ 0 $ 25,000 — Debt Service, Capital & Special Aid 4,489,190 4,498,286 4,697,580 4.43Total $ 4,489,190 $ 4,498,286 $ 4,722,580 4.99

TOTAL BUDGET $ 49,387,447 $ 51,066,290 $ 52,752,591 3.30

New York State requires every school district to present its budget in the following three components:Program $ 35,357,174 $ 37,757,954 $ 38,681,308 2.45Administrative $ 4,994,542 $ 5,131,348 $ 5,355,197 4.36Capital $ 9,035,732 $ 8,176,988 $ 8,716,086 6.59

* Transfer to Capital Fund Expenditures of $200,000 are to be used for the replacement of the underground fuel storage tank at Bedford Road School.

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Budget Information

Tax Implications 2019–2020 2020–2021 % Actual Rates Estimated Rates Variance

Budget $51,066,290 $52,752,591 3.30Revenue $13,013,991 $14,400,166 10.65Tax Levy (amount to be raised by taxes) $38,052,299 $38,352,425 0.79Assessments (as of 5/05/2020; revised every August) $25,435,048 $25,634,233 0.78Estimated Tax Rate (per $1000 Assessed Value) $1,520.87 $1,520.79 -0.01

STAR: For 2020-2021, the maximum Basic STAR savings is $1,855 and the maximum Enhanced STAR savings is $3,995.

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Board of Education Candidates

Candidates, who are listed in alphabetical order in compliance with Governor Cuomo’s Executive Order 202.26, supplied the biographical information that is given here.

Jill GrossmanJill Grossman, 86 Park Street, is a three-year District resident and first-time Board candidate whose two children attend the Middle School. Ms. Grossman (BA, Vassar College; MA in Education Policy, Teachers College, Columbia

University) is Senior Director of Strategic Communications and Policy for the NYC Leadership Academy. She is a member of the Pleasantville Schools 2026 Phase Two Steering Committee, co-chaired its Curriculum Action Team, and served as a fourth grade class parent. For more information: jillgrossman.wordpress.com/jill-grossman-for-pleasantville-school-board/

Carmel PromiselCarmel Promisel, 204 Foshay Avenue, is seeking her first term in office. She and husband Ira, district residents for 22 years, have 18-year-old triplets who are currently seniors at Pleasantville High School. Mrs. Promisel (BA, CUNY Queens College; MBA,

St. John’s University), who recently retired from her role as Senior Group Head of US Consumer Analytics at Citigroup, is an Adjunct Professor at Pace University. She has volunteered at PTA events throughout the three schools; participated on Pleasantville Schools 2026’s Time, Place and Space Action Team; and is a member of the District Committee for Growth and Enrollment. She also serves on the Conservation Advisory Council of the Town of Mount Pleasant and is an Advancement Committee member and Eagle Scout Mentor for Boy Scout Troop 12 Pleasantville. For more information: carmelpromisel.com

John VamossyJohn Vamossy, 52 High Ridge Court, is seeking his first term on the Board of Education. A seventeen year District resident, he has two children attending the Middle School and one at the High School. Mr. Vamossy (BS in Accounting, SUNY Geneseo; MBA, Fordham Univers i ty;

Certified Public Accountant, Commonwealth of Virginia) is Director of Medical Excellence for Pfizer, Inc. He is a member of the District Committee for Growth and Enrollment, served on the Middle School Principal Selection Committee, and is a founding member of the Pocantico Enrollment Outreach Committee. He has volunteered for various activities at Bedford Road School and the Middle School and as a coach for Pleasantville Soccer AYSO (also Regional Commissioner), Pleasantville FC Soccer Club (also President), Dad’s Club Girls Lacrosse (also Coordinator), and CYO Basketball. For more information: JohnVamossy.com

Angela VellaAngela Vella, 9 Sutton Place, is seeking her third term of office. She and her husband, Brian Driscoll, have three children, one a junior at Pleasantville High School and two graduates (PHS Classes of 2017 and 2018). Ms. Vella (BS, Clarkson University; MS, Syracuse University) was

employed as a computer engineer at IBM for ten years. She has been busy as a parent and volunteer for the past 21 years, serving on the BRS PTA (including roles as treasurer and president), the Middle School PTA, and several District committees. During her first two terms of office, Ms. Vella served one year as Vice President and is completing her fourth year as Board President. For more information: angelavellaforpvilleboe.com

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Board of Education Candidates

All candidates were asked to respond in 300 words or less to this question: What do you feel are the most important issues facing the District and how will you address them? Their responses appear exactly as written; they have not been edited.

Jill Grossman: Schools face intense challenges with COVID-19, but the crisis also presents oppor-tunity to rethink and strengthen how we educate our children. The students and families of Pleasantville need leaders on the school board with deep knowl-edge of school systems, who can get right to work.

I am the education candidate in this race. My background makes me uniquely positioned

to bring research-based ideas and access to educa-tion experts. I have spent years researching and publishing on effective K-12 practices and policies across the country. Locally, I co-led an examination of Pleasantville schools’ curricular strengths and growth opportunities as part of the district’s strate-gic planning process. I am eager to help implement the forward-thinking proposals endorsed by district parents, educators and leaders while creatively thinking about the new challenges ahead.

Despite best efforts, students may need addi-tional help to return to grade-level. Students with disabilities and English language learners will need enhanced support. Many students and teachers will have mental health needs relating directly or indi-rectly to this crisis. The district must also contend with still-unknown social distancing requirements.

Meanwhile, budget cuts loom. Governor Cuomo may cut 20% of school aid without federal relief and could adjust state budgets quarterly, forcing schools to make mid-year cuts.

I will support the district to: • Budget to always put student needs first. • Continuously strengthen K-12 learning ex-

periences by engaging external evaluators and enhancing leadership roles for curriculum and instruction.

• Establish a visionary profile of a graduate to guide our students’ preparation for college, careers, and community.

• Expand every student’s opportunity for engaging, hands-on learning experiences that

encourage creativity, problem solving, and col-laboration with people different from themselves.

• Solicit input from students, parents, teachers, alums, to ensure a comprehensive approach to our student’s needs.

• Advocate for smart state policy on reopening schools and actively engage in NYS’ review of graduation requirements, including Regents exams.

Carmel Promisel: Providing innovative and inspiring instruction to students at all levels, stra-tegically managing fiscal resources, and ensuring ongoing support of special education programs continue to be key issues facing Pleasantville.

To meet these challenges, we need to keep the student at the center of all decision making. If we always ask, “How will an action impact/benefit the student?” our choices will be clear. Our Strategic Plan is a guiding student-centered path developed with the involvement of over 130 administrators, teachers, students, parents and community members. As a trustee, I would work to prioritize and imple-ment key components centering on student needs.

Not every student learns in the same way. I would continue to promote diverse learning styles and inspirational programs so we can propel under-performing students to performing, good students to great students and great students to even better students. We need to continue strong support of our special education students and ensure appropriate resources are there to meet their needs.

Learning should not stop with academics. I would like to us to expand our wellness, diversity and enrichment programs to help develop the holistic “Citizen Student.” Colleges and society seek these individuals and it is our responsibility to prepare them for what lies outside our doors. We should have transparent dialogue with students, parents/guardians, teachers, community members on their

Board of Education Candidates

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changing needs.Our engaged community can allow us to further

expand advocacy programs. By creating a simplified explanation of our aid situation to our community, we can empower them to reach out to state legisla-tors, and let our collective voice be heard.

We can do even more, and as your Trustee, I would like to bring our district forward by infus-ing challenging programs, continuing to attract top talent, prioritizing key components of our strategic plan, and strategically managing our fis-cal resources.

John Vamossy: In our schools we need to continue to push the boundaries of Educational Excellence while maximizing the resources provided from our local taxpayers and decreasing state aid. As a leader in Pleasantville’s Youth Soccer Program for many years, my passion was to ensure that there were opportunities for all children. I intend to bring the same energy and vision to the Board of Education to provide opportunities to meet the needs of all our students across their diverse interests and abilities.

The issues facing the school district need to be addressed within a framework of decision making utilizing innovation, advocacy and implementation. The only path to continue to expand the value of education to students is to innovate solutions. This can apply to numerous areas, such as the manner in which education is provided, the curriculum offered or the enhancement of the college acceptance pro-cess. It is important to recognize that while remote learning has been necessary during this time, it has highlighted how critical face to face teacher interac-tions are to our children’s educational, physical and emotional well-being. We will have to continue to strongly advocate for our deserved resources from Albany to accomplish all of this. Finally, I believe the implementation of these innovative ideas must come with metrics that can be measured to ensure follow through and increase accountability with the community. Our 2026 Strategic Priorities were created with substantial community input and our responsibilities as board trustees is to transform them into tangible plans for our children.

My long involvement in Pleasantville has provided me with a good understanding of our community. I believe this background, combined with my experience in budget management, policy creation and community implementation skills, positions me well to be a successful member of the Board of Education. I would appreciate your vote on June 9th.

Angela Vella: I believe the most important issue facing school districts right now is how to provide a robust education for all children during a global health pandemic, while demonstrating fiscal re-sponsibility to taxpayers.

Challenges abound as we continue with remote and e-learning. Our teachers and administrators have done an amazing job continuing to provide education and guidance for parents and students. The plan for returning to school in the fall may re-quire social distancing and some remote learning to continue. The Board of Education needs to support administrators and staff in continuing to innovate and enhance the remote e-learning structures we have in place in order to ensure our students don’t fall behind. While remote e-learning can never replace the classroom and lab educational experi-ence or the in-person services we provide for our special needs students, we must continually strive to do better.

This leads to a concern about how to anticipate future costs of a blended learning experience and multiple mid-year state aid cuts to schools. As a member of the Board of Education for the past six years, I have supported responsible fiscal policies that put our district in the best possible position. Careful maintenance has enabled us to structure a budget that relies more heavily on our reserves, allows for a small increase in the tax levy, a flat tax rate for individual tax payers and avoids cuts to staff and programs, while giving us flexibility to absorb cuts to state aid. While no one knows the future, I am confident our district is adequately situated to weather this storm. I look forward to continuing this very important work on behalf of our students and community.

School News

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Reflections, the High School’s literary magazine, earned a distinction of Excellent from the National Council of Teachers of English. Pictured, seated: senior editors Amina Fayaz, Emma Selesnick, Nicole Danilova; standing: Gaffney Murray, junior editors Isabella Tomé, Jake Tanis, David Terzuoli, Leigh Meyer; not pictured: Class of 2019 editors Andrei Captan, Maureen Ederer, Chloe Peters.

The winners of the Eighth Grade Writing Contest were celebrated in a Zoom meeting with contest sponsor/author Joe Wallace. Genevieve Agati, Mitzi Garcia Blacio, and Ava Coleman received first-place awards; runners-up were Lily Anderman, Kaytie Budd, Oliver Giebelhaus, and Chloe Ramsey Lavoie. The new “One World Award,” given to a piece that shows understanding of the world’s problems and empathy towards those who face the greatest challenges, was presented to Lucy Macphee.

Fall Varsity AwardsGirls Tennis. NYS Scholar/Athlete Team. All League: Chloe Balin, Erin O’Mara.

Winter Varsity AwardsBoys’ Basketball. All League: Christian DeJesus. All League Honorable Mention: Nick Doto, Aidan Lynch. Girls Basketball. NYS Scholar/Athlete Team. All League: Tina Matica, Jenna McAllister, Mary Grace O’Neill. Boys Indoor Track. NYS Scholar/Athlete Team. All Section: Jack Raffalli (long jump). All League: Jack Raffalli (long jump. triple jump). All County: Jack Raffalli (3rd Team: long jump).Girls Indoor Track. NYS Scholar/Athlete Team. All Section: Brienna Ahmetaj (high jump), Adriana Catalano (3000m). All League: Brienna Ahmetaj (high jump), Adriana Catalano (1500m, 3000m), Ava Horigan (55m dash, 4x200m relay), Isabelle Kapoor (55m hurdles, triple jump), Ella O’Malley (4x200m relay), Ella O’Malley (4x200m relay), Maeve Roney (4x200m relay). All County, 1st Team: Brienna Ahmetaj (high jump); 2nd Team: Adriana Catalano (3000m); 3rd Team: Ava Horigan, Ella O’Malley, Lexi Rippstein, Maeve Roney (4x200m relay).Ice Hockey. NYS Scholar/Athlete Team.Swimming. NYS Scholar/Athlete Team. Wrestling. All State: Len Balducci, Aidan Canfield. All Section: Len Balducci, Aidan Canfield, Liam Dillon, Carl Herzner, Nayshawn Marks, Nicolas Paternostro, Christian Perlleshi. All League: JoJo Alesawy, Len Balducci, Michael Balducci, Aidan Canfield, Liam Dillon, Quinn Egan, Harrison Halesworth, Carl Herzner, Zachary Mallozzi, Nayshawn Marks, Nicolas Paternostro, Christian Perlleshi, Chad Saragganonda, Nick Wynn. State Qualifier: Len Balducci (3rd place), Aidan Canfield (6th place), Christian Perlleshi. Section I, Division 2: Team Sportsmanship Award; Wrestler of the Year: Len Balducci. Section I Coach of the Year: Bob Bernarducci. NYS Scholar/Athlete Team – a team’s average GPA for 75% of its roster must be greater than or equal to 90.00.

School News

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Boys & Girls Indoor Track Repeat as League Champions

Boys Indoor Track team, kneeling: Travis Rapley, Liam Coyle, Shane Horigan, Luqmaan Thein, Brandon Pettenati, James Martin, Michael Bucci, James Blasdell, Patrick Walsh. Standing: Coach Tim Dirgins, Orville Byfield, Shubhro Biswas, Alex Searle, Sam Blasdell, Cole Catalano, Mike Saldana, Jack Raffalli, Kieran Moran, Adrian Ng, Gerald Ahmetaj, Sean Mooney. Not pictured: Coach Luis Lizarzaburu, Rainer Ducmanh. (Photo: PHS Yearbook)

Girls Indoor Track team, kneeling: Athena-marie Camacho, Ava Horigan, Adriana Catalano, Natalie O’Malley, Emily Merritts, Eliza Karaqi, Eva Bucci. Standing: Coach Tim Dirgins, Maeve Roney, Brienna Ahmetaj, Isabelle Kapoor, Francesca Gill, Isabella Pepdjonovic, Ella O’Malley, Amber Nanaj, Ann Macphee, Nadia Berkowitz, Maeve McCourtney, Alexandra Rippstein. Not pictured: Coach Luis Lizarzaburu. (Photo: PHS Yearbook)

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School News

Wrestling — League & Section Champions, Sportsmanship Award

Wrestling team, Kneeling: Thomas Accetta, *Wrestler of the Year Len Balducci (3rd place), *Christian Perlleshi, Quinn Egan, Nicolas Paternostro, Michael Balducci, Nayshawn Marks, Luke LaMagna, Grant Kelly. Standing: Coach of the Year Bob Bernarducci, Harrison Halesworth, *Aidan Canfield (6th place), Nick Wynn, Chad Saragganonda, Joe Keating, Zachary Mallozzi, Carl Herzner, Brian Straus. Not Pictured: Coach Michael Esteves, JoJo Alesaway, Liam Dillon. (Photo: PHS Yearbook)* State Qualifier, Division II (Small Schools)

PHS Performing Arts Spring Production — The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid, which sold out all six scheduled performances, was unable to complete its run due to the state-wide closing of schools in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The closing affected many high school productions and led to the cancellation of this year’s Metro Awards.

While there were no Metro nominations, Ryan

Burton (Sebastian) and Meghan McLane (Ursula) were chosen via video auditions to participate in the Roger Rees Awards for Excellence in Student Performance. They will compete for the Best Actor and Best Actress awards on June 1 at 7:30 p.m. on the Broadway Education Alliance’s YouTube channel.

(Photos: Donna Mueller)

Pleasantville Schools 2026, Phase Two

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Six strategic priorities were developed by the Steering Committee of Pleasantville Schools 2026, Phase Two, and approved by the Board of Education in June 2019. From late October through mid-February of this school year, six teams created specific suggested plans of action to be operationalized over five years to move the district forward in each of the strategies. These plans can change over time, based upon other inputs. In all, a total of over one hundred volunteers – administrators, teachers, students, parents, and community members – served on the Steering Committee and Action Teams.

LEADERSHIPWe will hire, develop and retain an increasingly diverse group of school professionals who commit to continued learning and developmentally responsive pedagogy to promote a dynamic and inspiring environment of support, acceptance and diversity of thought.• Actively recruit a diverse group of professional staff

who are highly qualified and motivated to work in our schools.

• Create and organize a database of professional development across the district to support all staff, which is consistent with the district’s mission, vision, and goals.

• Organize, coordinate, and facilitate the K-12 alignment of diversity initiatives in order to ensure the consistency with district goals.

• Provide professional learning to all relevant staff about our neurodiverse population and continue social emotional skills training.

• Increase opportunities for staff to attend professional development course offerings, both in and out of the district, that are designed to promote a dynamic and inspiring environment of support, acceptance, and diversity of thought.

• Continue to improve the morale and culture of the district through building level and district-wide events and initiatives.

CURRICULUMWe will adapt curriculum that promotes differentiated instruction while empowering and inspiring students to actively engage in their education to help them become future-ready. • Create a K-12 director of curriculum and instruction to

oversee the alignment and continuous strengthening of K-12 curriculum and instruction.

• Engage an external evaluator such as Tri-States Consortium to provide K-12 staff with ongoing professional learning opportunities, including learning from peers in other districts, and to offer external expert guidance on our strengths and areas for growth in our curriculum and instruction.

• Create a curriculum council consisting of administrators and staff and led by a K-12 curriculum director to support the effort to continuously strengthen K-12 curriculum and instruction.

• Actively collect stakeholder feedback on K-12 school climate and learning environments through periodic surveys of current students (grades 4–12), parents/guardians, teachers, and alumni to identify areas of strength and those in need of growth.

• Develop, adopt, and implement a research-based detailed “Profile of a Graduate” that establishes a K-12 vision for the skills, knowledge, and dispositions students need the opportunity to develop in order to thrive in college, careers, and civic life.

• Enhance and expand K-12 writing instruction to support our students’ ability to communicate effectively through a range of writing styles.

• Expand and enhance K-12 inquiry-based student learning experiences through culminating projects for every 4th, 8th, and 12th grader.

• Develop and implement K-12 digital citizenship and digital fluency curriculum and instruction aligned to the new NYS standards that teaches students to be thoughtful, intelligent, and responsible digital citizens and ensures technology in classrooms is used in ways that enhance student learning.

• Create a K-12 diversity coordinator position to oversee the enhancement and expansion of K-12 curriculum, instruction, and programming related to anti-bias themes, civics, and dignity of voice.

WELLNESSWe will create a district-wide environment in which emotional, social and physical wellness fosters a culture of engaged citizenship and inclusivity.• We will use assessment tools to effectively gather

quantitative and qualitative data that will assist in identifying the needs of Pleasantville students and will allow for the implementation of targeted initiatives and strategies to strengthen youth resilience (safety, connectedness, and self-regulation) and promote inclusivity.

• Develop a strong home-school connection that reinforces emotional, social, and physical wellness among the students and the community.

• To implement and facilitate a digital citizenship curriculum that increases and supports wellness and advocacy for the school K-12 community including students, staff, and parents.

• We will develop and implement K-12 school-wide research-based programs, which align with NY State’s benchmarks for Social/Emotional learning. This will promote a supportive learning environment that will help students continue to develop a strong foundation for achieving success in school and life.

• Implement and facilitate various approaches to self-

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Pleasantville Schools, Phase Two

awareness and self-regulation through the mind/body connection.

• We will ensure that there is sustainability for Pleasantville STRONG’s commitment to preventing youth substance abuse in Pleasantville by appointing at least one BRS parent to the Steering Committee. Pleasantville STRONG and Pleasantville School District will continue to partner with Student Assistance Services to provide a Student Assistance Counselor/Prevention Specialist for the MS and PHS.

COMMUNICATIONWe will engage home, school and community through communications that enable a robust dialogue and build essential linkages.• Expand the district-wide Superintendent’s Communications

Committee to include a comprehensive team representative of all stakeholders and audiences.

• Create a K-12 district-wide Communications Plan that fosters essential linkages between all stakeholders, delineates district messaging, design and naming conventions, as well as ensures fair and substantive representation of all audiences, and effectively disseminates relevant information.

• Evaluate and adopt a single, unifying K-12 Learning Management System platform that is password protected; easily navigable; integrates our current student information system (eSchoolData); provides a collaborative work environment for Office 365; is compatible with a broad range of learning applications; enables all buildings to communicate grades, curricula, assignments, and student academic histories to targeted audiences all within one framework.

• Establish a cyclical review of the district’s Communication Plan using both formal and informal data analytics and anecdotes.

• Further engage the non-/limited English speaking community.

INFRASTRUCTURE & RESOURCESWe will maximize available resources to maintain and optimize use of the district’s facilities, equipment and supplies to provide a safe, collaborative, and flexible environment for all students and staff.• Improve recycling, increase recyclable content in paper

and reduce waste.• Reducing energy usage and cost associated with lighting

usage.• Implementing dishwashers with reusable compartment

trays. To decrease our ecological footprint, we want to move from trash to composting and composting to reusable materials. This would help reduce the composting and hauling costs.

• Cafeteria is largest source of school trash. By integrating composting, we reduce our ecological footprint and teach

students about benefits of reducing their carbon and waste footprint in school, home and community. This also aligns with new efforts of the village and the county to build successful composting programs.

• Reduce carting cost by reducing heaviest part (liquids) of the trash. Reduce the mess associated with cafeteria lunches. Reduce the energy required at the trash-to-energy facility to burn liquids and therefore reducing the ecological footprint of Pleasantville students and schools.

• Re-allocating cafeteria tables for MS and PHS based on feedback from students.

• Replacing standard water fountains with refilling stations.• Install signage directing visitors to various locations

within Pleasantville High School (Auditorium, Gym, Cafeteria, etc.).

• To provide a scope of work and associated cost to conduct a security-focused needs assessment for the district.

• Explore non-traditional ways to showcase student talent in the arts and music.

• Undertake a comprehensive long-range planning study: Demographic & Enrollment Analysis.

PARTNERSHIPSWe will develop new and strengthen current partnerships among schools and community to expand learning opportunities.• Set up visitations for teachers both within the Pleasantville

School District and neighboring districts to enhance and develop curriculum and teacher instruction.

• Expand community participation in the Pleasantville High School senior internship program.

• Deepen partnerships between students within each school and across BRS, MS, and PHS.

• Extend and sustain current partnerships.• Deepen partnerships between families within each school

and across BRS, MS, and PHS.• Provide an avenue for environmental stewardship and

engagement at all levels of education.

The Board of EducationPresidentAngela Vella (769‑5729)VellaA@pleasantvilleschools.orgVice PresidentLouis Conte (773‑1532)ConteLou@pleasantvilleschools.orgMembersLarry Boes (773‑1882)BoesLa@pleasantvilleschools.orgShane McGaffey (409-3487)McGaffeyS@pleasantvilleschools.orgEmily Rubin Persons (747‑0136)PersonsE@pleasantvilleschools.orgSuperintendent of Schools Mary Fox‑AlterDistrict Websitepleasantvilleschools.orgBoard Meetings and School Closings: 741‑1460Editor / PhotographerJulie Schwartz

Board of EducationPleasantville Union Free School District60 Romer AvenuePleasantville, New York 10570

NONPROFIT ORGU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDWHITE PLAINS, NYPERMIT NO. 7046

June 9 Budget Vote & Board ElectionIn accordance with Governor Cuomo’s Executive Order No. 202.26, the Budget Vote and School Board Election will be held remotely, by Absen-tee Ballot only. Voters of this School District who are registered with the Westchester County Board of Elections will receive absentee ballots by mail. You can check your voter registration status at https://voterlookup.elections.ny.gov/.Absentee ballots must be properly filled out and received at the district of-fice by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 9, 2020 in order to be counted. Residents are encouraged to return ballots by mail. However, a ballot drop-off option will be available. Information will be posted on the website. Questions? Contact District Clerk Veronica Shea at 741-1400, x10511.

Proposed 2020-2021 Budget• Maintains class sizes and all district/school programs • Adds Kindergarten and 3rd grade teachers at BRS based on enrollment

projections• Provides additional counseling services — SAS Counselor and School

Psychologist• Supports third year of our four-year Technology For All initiative,

providing laptops to all students in grades five and nine• Tax levy cap compliant: 0.79% increase (maximum allowed is 3.79%)• 0% Tax Rate Increase (estimated, based on current Mt. Pleasant

assessments

Board of Education Election• Two open seats for three-year terms, July 1, 2020–June 30, 2023• Four candidates, listed in alphabetical order per Executive Order 202.26