The

KNIGHT TIMESKNIGHT TIMESMount Vernon City School District Newsletter Volume VIII: 2016 Bond Issue

$108 MILLION BOND VOTE MARCH 15

The main goal of the Mount Vernon City School District’s $108 million bond referendum – which will be voted on by city residents March 15 – is to provide the best, state-of-the-art learning opportunities to the district’s students in a safe environment on campuses where completed renovation work will encourage students to achieve by putting forth their best academic efforts.

The transformational plans represent the district leadership’s vision to improve instructional quality, create enhanced program opportunities, and eliminate achievement gaps so all students are college and career ready. In turn, the students will successfully compete in a global marketplace, making valuable contributions in their professional and personal lives.

Superintendent Dr. Kenneth R. Hamilton’s “20/20 Vision” master plan includes improvements to Mount Vernon schools and further builds on the work already begun since he joined the district in 2014. “We are confident our ‘20/20 Vision’ will give our students tremendous academic, STEAM, athletic and performing arts opportunities never before seen in the history of this district,” he said.

“This referendum is so much more than just new programs, services, technology and infrastructure upgrades,” Dr. Hamilton said. “This is about the future of our community. This is about giving our kids the lives they deserve. This bond will have a positive upward spiral for future generations in Mount Vernon.”

Referendum needed to fulfill 20/20 Vision, create state-of-the-art learning environment

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PLEASE VOTE TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016Polls are open 7 a.m.-9 p.m.

To find out if you’re registered and where to vote, visit www.mtvernoncsd.org/bond2016

PROJECT COST• $108 million total project cost• $81 million state aid• $27 million actual cost to taxpayers

ABSENTEE BALLOTSApplications for absentee ballots are available now for registered voters who are not available to vote in person March 15. To apply in person, visit the Education Center, 165 N. Columbus Ave., Mount Vernon. March 14 is the deadline to pick up absentee ballot applications. All absentee ballots must be returned to the district clerk no later than 5 p.m. March 15. For more information, contact Rick McCormack, District Clerk, 914-665-5235.

20/20 Vision, Page 3 • Full-day Pre-K, Page 4 • Elementary Schools Configuration, Page 5 High Schools, Page 6 • Athletics Upgrades, Page 7 • Performing Arts, Page 7 • STEAM Curriculum, Page 8

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Mount Vernon City School District Newsletter

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Dear Friends,

Tuesday, March 15, 2016 will be a pivotal day for the Mount Vernon City School District and the greater Mount Vernon community. On this day, voters will be asked for their consent to move forward with a $108 million bond that will forever change the face of the

Mount Vernon City School District.

This bond is a result of an extensive collaboration between all stakeholders. Your Board of Education and district administration put their very best efforts together in the creation of a plan that will have a positive, long-term impact for all Mount Vernon students. This bond will help implement a sustainable educational vision for our schools that will, once and for all, break the cycle of underachievement and reverse conditions that contribute to generational poverty.

It will provide our students with the quality education and facilities that they have deserved for so long but have been denied. It will enhance learning and repair our buildings. It will transform our schools and our district into 21st Century learning institutions capable of meeting the challenges and needs of global learners.

Most importantly, it will restore hope to this community. It will provide equity in opportunities and programs to ALL the students of Mount Vernon. From districtwide full-day Pre-K to K-8 configurations, to high schools of excellence that focus on emerging technologies and careers, the 20/20 Vision will raise standards and ensure our entire community will feel the benefits of this ambitious plan while preparing our children to compete in an ever-evolving global economy.

This is your opportunity to join hands and be a part of a new beginning for the Mount Vernon community.

Yours for the sake of ALL children,

Dr. Kenneth R. Hamilton Superintendent of Schools

Dear Friends,

The Mount Vernon City School District Board of Trustees has been actively engaged in the development of the 2016 Bond and the 20/20 Vision. Together with the administration, we have articulated our hopes and desires for the children of Mount Vernon and our

community. This bond comes as the result of listening to our community, countless meetings, conversations and a sincere recognition of the previous challenges we have faced.

Our board has made a commitment to this administration and the community to provide support and stringent oversight to this project. The architectural firms and construction management teams have been selected only after a thorough review and interview process. Safeguards are in place to ensure work is being done according to plan, efficiently, and without delay. We understand the potential impact this bond will have on our taxes and property values. We also understand the tremendous benefit it will have on our educational system and the children we serve.

Our children deserve no less than what is proposed in this bond. They deserve the same opportunities that our neighbors across this county provide for their students. For too long our schools and children have been neglected. Just as our board has come together, now so too should our community unite to transform our schools. Working together we will fulfill our mission “to create a sense of urgency in partnership with members of its community in a journey to restore, rebuild and rebrand the district so that stakeholders are partners in providing all students with an exceptional educational experience.”

Sincerely,

Adriane G. Saunders President, Mount Vernon Board of Education

SUPERINTENDENT AND BOARD OF EDUCATION PRESIDENT LETTERS

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While the Mount Vernon City School District’s 20/20 Vision includes infrastructure, technology and field enhancements, the plan’s fundamental essence lies in the $41 million allocated to its academic transformation.

“These preschool, elementary and secondary school proposals will ensure all of our students are college and career ready,” said Dr. Kenneth R. Hamilton, district superintendent.

“Our conversations with parents, business leaders and our elected officials reinforce that the status quo is no longer acceptable. We’re doing what we ask our students to do, which is ‘to innovate.’ And our students – who will be the future leaders in our community and our nation – will show us through their eventual college and career success that this bond referendum mattered in their lives.”

The 20/20 Vision starts at the preschool level, where plans are to implement a districtwide, full-day pre-kindergarten program.

“Pre-kindergarten students will begin their academic careers with a rigorous curriculum that will serve as a spring board to their long-term education,” said Dr. Hamilton. “This program will be based in our elementary buildings and our early childhood education learning center.”

And the benefits of pre-kindergarten education are tremendous.

“Short-term research informs us that young children who participate in

high-quality Pre-K programs enter school better prepared to learn,” said Hamilton.

Long-term benefits, Dr. Hamilton added, include ongoing progress in education achievements, lower delinquency levels and higher post-education earnings.

The elementary level 20/20 Vision also includes reconfiguring buildings to K-8 schools.

“Continuity of academic attention and rigor is best maintained in this model,” Dr. Hamilton said.

At the secondary school level, the 20/20 Vision will create specially defined high schools of excellence, all designed to restore exceptionally high quality instructional programming while creating multiple educational pathways for success.

Thornton High School will become the district’s performing arts school and be home to students who wish to pursue visual arts, music, dance, voice or drama careers.

Likewise, focused concentrations will be based at A.B. Davis, where a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) specialization will be offered.

Mount Vernon High School will continue to operate as an innovative high school with a reinvigorated Career and Technical Education program and an International Baccalaureate Program, in addition to general studies and technology.

HEART OF REFERENDUM IS 20/20 VISION

AVERAGE COST BREAKDOWN Monthly bond cost impact for a Mount Vernon resident with a home assessed at $10,000*

School Year Monthly Increase2016-2017 $0.002017-2018 $5.862018-2019 $8.18 2019-2020 $8.752020-2021 $12.982021-2022 $12.922022-2023 $12.412023-2024 $10.772024-2025 $11.372025-2026 $11.382026-2027 $11.922027-2028 $10.332028-2029 $11.442029-2030 $12.562030-2031 $12.522031-2032 $11.122032-2033 $0.452033-2034 -$5.682034-2035 -$6.942035-2036 -$5.51*Homes in Mount Vernon assessed at $10,000 have an approximate market value of $315,000.

Dr. Hamilton said district leadership took every effort to ensure the bond’s costs will create a minimal impact to taxpayers. And, due to state funding supporting this bond (contributing 75 percent, or $81 million, in state aid, reducing the actual taxpayer cost to $27 million) there is no better time to call for such dramatic improvements in the schools. The average annual tax increase for residents with a house having an assessed value of $10,000 is only $7.34 per month.

“There will also be stringent oversight and regular communication of progress,” he said.

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DISTRICT WILL EXTEND ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, ADD FULL-DAY PRE-K

Changes will improve student performance, save parents high daycare costsThe $108 million school bond that Mount Vernon residents will vote on March 15 will bring historic changes to elementary education in the city, transforming the Cecil H. Parker Elementary School into an early childhood learning center that will offer universal full-day pre-kindergarten.

The bond will also allow the district to convert all other grade schools to either a K-8 or Pre-K-8 structure. Students would attend their grade school and then go directly to high school. The Turner schools will work similarly but as two separate buildings, with the Rebecca Turner school housing K-5 students and the Benjamin Turner school housing sixth-to-eighth-grade students.

National research studies show that replacing the middle school environment with Pre-K-8 learning communities is a more successful approach to academic achievement, Superintendent Dr. Kenneth R. Hamilton said. The changes would bring universal Pre-K to all eligible students in the public schools, allowing educators to nurture students from an earlier age and devote significant attention to each child as they advance to the high school level.

“These changes would bring a new era for elementary education in Mount Vernon, building a stronger, more consistent school system that offers all of our youngest students the tools they need for a successful academic career, regardless of their background,” said Dr. Hamilton. “What’s more, the Pre-K-through-8 and K-through-8 structure would be better suited to nurture students throughout their elementary and middle school years as they grow to become successful young adults.”

Universal Pre-K has been proven to play an important role in closing the gap between students who are far behind in school readiness when they first enter classrooms and their more advantaged peers, according to a 2015 study by the National Institute for

Education Research. The institute found the program helps develop language, mathematics and literacy skills in students from disadvantaged circumstances, raising them to approach national levels.

The classes would also save hard-working Mount Vernon parents the exorbitant costs of day care while their children spend their days learning.

The early childhood learning center will house 270 students in 15 classrooms. Fitting the school for the program will cost $5.2 million in start-up costs. This restructuring will create the space necessary to implement a Pre-K-8 configuration districtwide (Pennington, Holmes, Traphagen, Lincoln and Columbus will become Pre-K-8 buildings. The new early childhood learning center will house the Pre-K programs for Williams, Grimes, Graham, Turner and Hamilton schools, which will become K-8. Again, the Turner schools will provide K-5 in one school, then 6-8 next door.)

With bond funds, the district will upgrade the elementary schools, creating new science labs while retrofitting technology wiring for high-speed Internet and wireless communication. Many items will receive badly needed repairs or replacements, including roofs and ventilation systems.

Shifting to a Pre-K-8 and K-8 configuration will provide a safer, more consistent education as students are guided toward their high school years.

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ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS CONFIGURATION

Cecil H. Parker Elementary SchoolA $5,808,993 investment is planned. Parker will be converted into an early childhood learning center with universal full-day Pre-K. The interior will be rehabilitated, and a bathroom will be created in every classroom. Technology wiring will be retrofitted for high speed Internet and wireless communication. The traffic pattern will be reconfigured for safe pickup and drop-off. Developmentally appropriate play areas will be created.

Traphagen Elementary SchoolA $4,049,364 investment is planned. It will remain a Pre-K-8 school. Technology wiring will be retrofitted for high speed Internet and wireless communication. New science labs will be created.

Graham Elementary SchoolA $3,377,980 investment is planned to convert to a K-8 school. New science labs will be created. Technology wiring will be retrofitted for high speed Internet and wireless communication. New play areas and fields will be created. The parking lot and other paved areas will also be resurfaced.

Edward Williams Elementary SchoolA $2,857,737 investment is planned to convert to a K-8 school. New science labs will be created. Technology wiring will be retrofitted for high speed Internet and wireless communication. There will be replacement/repair of auditorium seating and the parking lot.

Hamilton Elementary SchoolA $2,142,860 investment is planned to convert to a K-8 school. New science labs will be created. Technology wiring will be retrofitted for high speed Internet and wireless communication. The roof will be repaired and the parking area, walkways, steps and curbs will be replaced.

Pennington Elementary School A $2,428,482 investment is planned in the school, which will remain a Pre-K-8 school. New science labs will be created. Technology wiring will be retrofitted for high speed Internet and wireless communication. • A $6.8 million addition will be

constructed with eight classrooms that will replace current modular classrooms.

Columbus Elementary SchoolA $2,635,139 investment is planned to convert to a Pre-K-8 school. New science labs will be created. Technology wiring will be retrofitted for high speed Internet and wireless communication. There will also be building rehabilitation to address urgent infrastructure needs.

William H. Holmes Elementary SchoolA $2,012,466 investment is planned to convert to a Pre-K-8 school. New science labs will be created. Technology wiring will be retrofitted for high speed Internet and wireless communication. Existing lockers will be replaced with appropriately sized lockers. The parking lot and other paved areas will be resurfaced.

Lincoln Elementary School A $2,080,847 investment is planned for the Pre-K-8 school. New science labs will be created. Technology wiring will be retrofitted for high speed Internet and wireless communication. There will be replacement/upgrade of drinking fountains, walkways, steps, curbs, flooring, and the ventilation and exhaust system.

Grimes Elementary SchoolA $789,451 investment is planned to convert to a K-8 school. New science labs will be created. Technology wiring will be retrofitted for high speed Internet and wireless communication. The roof will be repaired and emergency lighting will be replaced.

Rebecca Turner Elementary SchoolA $1,970,542 investment is planned. The school will remain a K-5 school. Technology wiring will be retrofitted for high speed Internet and wireless communication. There will be replacement of the roof, all exit and emergency lights, and concrete walkways. The parking lot will also be resurfaced.

Benjamin Turner Middle SchoolA $1,063,125 investment is planned. Benjamin Turner School will serve students in grades 6-8, receiving students from Rebecca Turner Elementary upon their graduation. New science labs will be created. The gymnasium floor will be refinished and damaged wall pads will be replaced.

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A.B. Davis will become a general studies and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) school. Areas of specialty will include forensics, art, architecture, engineering, web design, robotics and energy systems. The bond proposes a $19,557,009 investment to create new science labs, replace the football field with artificial turf, and replace the track and outdoor basketball court. Technology wiring for high speed Internet and wireless communication and asbestos abatement will be addressed.

Thornton High School will become a general studies and performing arts school. Its areas of specialty will include dance, theater, voice, music and visual arts. An investment of $18,848,886 is proposed in the bond for Thornton, including replacement of the roof, restoration of the turn-of-the-century auditorium and creation of a dance studio. Technology wiring for high speed Internet and wireless communication and asbestos abatement will also be addressed.

Mount Vernon High School will become a general studies and vocational-technical school. Areas of specialty will include business and marketing, technical and trade studies, and TV production. Students looking for an advanced level of academic rigor can take advantage of the new International Baccalaureate Program. The bond includes $29,083,017 in investments to create new science labs and renovate the Career and Technology Education Center. The football and baseball fields will also be replaced with artificial turf, and the track will be restored. Technology wiring for high speed Internet and wireless communication and asbestos abatement will also be addressed.

“Every student has different strengths and interests and different dreams for their future,” said Superintendent Dr. Kenneth R. Hamilton. “Our 20/20 Vision will give all of our students an opportunity to pursue those dreams with specialized, quality instruction.

“We’re confident that with the variety of quality programs available to them, each of our high school students will find their right pathway to graduation and ultimately a successful future,” added Dr. Hamilton.

CREATING HIGH SCHOOLS OF EXCELLENCE More choice and opportunities will exist at the high school level

High school students in the Mount Vernon City School District will have the opportunity to choose from one of several exciting pathways to graduation as part of the district’s 20/20 Vision. The future vision includes opportunities for high school students to benefit from more specialized coursework that will raise rigor and better prepare them to compete in a global society.

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PERFORMING ARTS PROGRAMWILL TRANSFORM THORNTON

The Mount Vernon City School District’s February Performing and Visual Arts Magnet Program student production of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” is an example of how valuable a performing arts education is to student creativity and achievement. It’s also a reaffirmation of the positive impact the district’s 20/20 Vision will have on performing arts education opportunities.

Directed by Evelyn Collins, the district’s director of the arts and gifted/talented education, performances took place in late February at Mount Vernon High School. The musical focused on a happy and hopeful Charlie Brown hearing his friends tell him what they think of him, including that he’s a “good man.” But he wonders if he really is what they say he is. Eventually, Charlie realizes being a

“good man” means trying his best and making the most of the things given to a person.

Throughout her career, Collins has always been an advocate of infusing the arts into academic education.

“Whether it’s integrating arts to support academics or the arts for arts’ sake, I’m trying to do both,” Collins said. “All the research tells us about the value of the connections of the arts with academic success. Music, theater or dance, they all impact the way you learn and your output in the classroom. All kids have different learning styles. The arts helps to nurture the whole child and helps to ensure long-term success.”

That’s why Collins feels the district’s bond referendum, which includes $18,848,886 to transform Thornton High School into a grade 6-12 performing arts school, is so important.

To accomplish this transformation, the district’s 20/20 Vision will include restoring Thornton’s turn-of-the-century auditorium into a state-of-the-art, technically advanced one to serve both students and the community. Educational space will be created to focus on dance, including a dance studio.

The Mount Vernon City School District sports program is renowned and revered for its focus on the development of student talents and abilities. The district has created a storied history of producing some of the greatest names in sports.

This world-class program needs world-class facilities to further develop these talents and allow our students to be able to compete for scholarships at top universities across this nation.

The 20/20 Vision includes investments that will transform grass bare fields into artificial turf surfaces that are safer for players, more durable and will enhance athletic programs and the attractiveness of the schools. Gone will be the days of cleats kicking up dust clouds during football games and shin splints suffered by runners on the track.

Both A.B. Davis and Mount Vernon High School will receive artificial turf fields and new track surfaces. Outdoor basketball courts at A.B. Davis will be renovated and the tennis courts at Mount Vernon High School will be resurfaced. Additionally, baseball infields will be replaced with artificial turf and soccer fields and softball fields will be re-sodded.

All told, the district will invest nearly $8.7 million in its sports program that will bring facilities in line with the caliber of talent living in Mount Vernon.

ATHLETIC FACILITIES NEED TO MATCH STUDENT TALENT

Example of proposed field

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Board of EducationAdriane G. Saunders, President Serigne M.Gningue, Vice PresidentCharmaine Fearon Rosemarie Jarosz Omar McDowellMicah J.B. McOwenDarcy Miller Wanda WhiteLesly Zamor

NEW STEAM PROGRAM WILL DRIVE ACADEMIC ENGINE

The Mount Vernon City School District’s bond referendum proposal includes converting A.B. Davis into a grade 9-to-12 school, offering generalized studies and a specialized concentration in STEAM programs.

What exactly is “STEAM?”

STEAM is an educational approach to learning using science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics (or STEAM) as ways of guiding student inquiry, dialogue and critical thinking. As these subjects are taught, STEAM students are shown how to take thoughtful risks, engage in experiential learning, persist in problem-solving, embrace collaboration, and work through the creative process.

“STEAM education provides hands-on problem-solving activities that have real-world relevance,” said Dr. Jeff Gorman, the district’s deputy superintendent. “Real-world problems are one classic way to help students understand how to apply principles to relatable situations.”

Gorman said Mount Vernon educators know project-based, real-world learning will lead to successful job placements.

“We need to reinforce to our students the ‘five Cs’ employers are seeking,” Gorman said. “And those are critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration across networks, communication, creativity and confidence.”

This nation’s economic success lies in having an educated workforce that understands and executes these concepts.

“We are aligning our education process with the jobs of the future,” said Gorman. “There is a technology impact on education, particularly in the information technology, energy and manufacturing industries.”

The district will include in its STEAM efforts the use of the Project Lead the Way (PLTW) curriculum, a comprehensive approach to STEAM education. PLTW is the nation’s leading provider of STEAM education programming, with over 8,000 schools using PLTW’s syllabus.

“We need to become competitive for jobs for the future, and we can’t educate students the same way we used to,” said Gorman. “One way to do that is through curriculum integration.”

A.B. Davis’ conversion holds much potential for district students interested in college preparation.

“We now have a path and a vision for all our students and this referendum will help us to get there,” said Gorman. “With our leadership and a supportive board, it’s all perfectly aligned.

“We need everybody to jump on and stretch their thinking to go past the norm of ‘what used to be,’” Gorman said.