School Board Questioned On Spending, Denies Tenure

At a previous Greenburgh School Board (GSD) meeting, there was a discussion of temporary construction fixes that would be needed at the Woodlands High School for those staff members who moved there from the Mansion. The operative word is “temporary.” In fact, GSD Board members asked the administration and Michael Falcone, the Director of Facilities, for a tour of the Woodlands High School. They wanted to see for themselves how $247,000 was being spent on “temporary” fixes.

Two School Board meetings ago, the public had been inquisitive. By asking the right questions, we learned that there was quite a bit of unused funds available for repairs that could be moved and used for repairs. Once the discovery of funds was broached, the Board decided to go to Executive Session.  

With a walk-through finally scheduled on December 13, 2019, about a dozen or so Board members and members of the public were escorted through the high school and were shown various spaces that were to be used for “temporary” occupation by the staff that relocated from the Mansion and mostly to the high school. 

During this temporary move tour, Assistant Superintendent Mary O’Neil repeatedly stated that as a temporary location, they couldn't know how long preparation could take. Each instance that was mentioned about the temporary move, prompted Ms O'Neil to seemingly add more time to the length of time the administration would stay in the high school, stating it could take up to two years before the Mansion, vacated under Superintendent Chase's say-so, could be remediated and returned to use. Most of us got the impression that they were not discussing anything as temporary.

At the most recent School Board meeting, one taxpayer/resident stated that since there were adequate funds within this years budget to fund the move out of the mansion, the budget should be frozen at the current level and that same amount of money should be devoted to capital repairs in next years budget. It’s interesting that there was enough money to fund the move but during the entire Consolidation Bond push by Dr Chase, Terry Williams and David Warner we were constantly told there was no money to do repairs. Then we learned that there was money! Why the subterfuge?

Another resident questioned how they could have spent $247,000 dollars moving the Administration staff out of the mansion? The same resident asked why it cost $7000 to paint the Principals office. Finally, Mr Falcone was asked if the Mansion has been adequately winterized so the pipes don’t freeze? Mr Falcone responded that the cost to paint the principals office included eight rooms and was done by a contractor who is paid by the hour. It seems contractors are used for almost everything that is done at the schools – probably the most expensive way to go for repairs. Mr Falcone did say the Mansion has heat and is okay in that regard. Are we are fully heating an unoccupied building and for how long?

In fact, in questioning Mr Falcone about a maintenance staff, we learned that there is only one person in that position and he could use more people. He also stated that he is teaching this person the various systems. Consequently, he can only get so much done during the course of a day. If Mr Falcone, and more importantly the District schools, need maintenance people, why is the School District not hiring them? 

Also at this same meeting, another resident brought to light that during the Consolidation Bond initiative the public was told of the horrible conditions of our school buildings. After the bond was defeated, the public is still waiting to learn of the plan to proceed with repairs to those buildings. Rather than be forthcoming and address that, Dr Chase sought to dramatize the need to move out of the mansion because of a leaking roof, stating it was unsafe and uninhabitable. Yet after jettisoning the Early Childhood Classes to the Jackson School, the staff continued to work in the Mansion for another month! So what is the real condition of the Mansion, how badly does it need repair and why is nothing – once again – being done to retard further deterioration and repair the building? 

One resident asked for several clarifications. The first was of a rumor that Dr Chase was under investigation and if so, for what? The second was why are there signs in RJ Bailey School instructing students not to drink the water? Third, how many meetings has Dr Valenti missed as he was presented for tenure that night was not present? We’d think that for such an important milestone he would have been present! Fourth, when were the roof repairs going to be done? Finally, and most importantly, what is the plan for improving the low scores of our students based on the middle school assessments?

A PTA President asked why has the PTA been asked to help fund school field trips? The resident asked because there appears to be grant monies available that only the district can access. Is there a budget for school field trips? And why is there junk behind one of the schools? The common theme here is that so many questions are being asked over and over again by residents without concrete answers being provided by either the Superintendent or those elected to represent us. While the Superintendent and some on this Board still mistakenly believe that they Bond failed because they failed to adequately present their consolidation case to the public, that’s definitely not the case. The residents spoke very clearly but they still aren’t listening. It’s important to understand what the Boards actions, not words, are showing us.

The Government Relations Committee reported that they will draft a letter to Paul Feiner regarding the need to avoid removing any taxable parcels of land from the tax rolls when the Police Headquarters and Town Court are moved. Removing a large parcel from the tax roles would have a negative impact upon taxes received by the school district. What they are really saying is that the proposed bond that Mr Feiner will be pushing soon to replace the Police Station and Courthouse for $49 million dollars will have a negative impact on the community. But they didn’t have any qualms about proposing the $114 million dollar Consolidation Bond, did they?

There were other items discussed at this latest meeting. But between the High School walk-through and the the Board meetings, we see more duplicity than honesty. For instance, a large band rehearsal room is to be converted into a new office for the principal so he can meet with students and families privately. Mr Falcone said they would be building several walls to divide the space. A resident asked why folding walls would not be used since this was a temporary solution? We were told the Principal needs soundproof walls for privacy. During our walk-through, we saw many rooms that could be set up and used for meetings, temporarily, if privacy was truly the goal. Or, he could ask another employee to adjust their schedule to permit their office to be used for a meeting. Again, this is temporary fix, isn't it? When asked to see plans for this temporary office, Ms O'Neil said the process is that it goes out to bid, plans are drawn up and then the process continues. It was suggested that they have it backwards. Draw up plans (non-architectural would be fine), present it to the public, and then proceed. Perhaps there‘s a resident who is an architect and willing to donate plans at no cost to the district?

What we were being shown was not a temporary fix. No timeline or proposals for repairs have been offered. There was some good news at the last School Board meeting. In one very significant and positive move, the Board voted three to two against granting tenure to Dr Valenti. This Board and the Administration that works for them may be starting to listen to the residents and taxpayers. This vote against tenure for Dr Valenti is promising, a sign that necessary changes are starting to occur. This Board has to change or be changed. Only then will we get A Better Greenburgh School District.

Happy Kwannza

Merry Christmas

Happy Chanukah

Using Deceit To Advance A Vision

In trying to follow the Greenburgh Central School Board’s efforts, we go to the district website that houses the agendas and minutes for the Board’s meetings. While some information can be gleaned from the site, there seems to be more missing than included. For instance, when we read the minutes of the Treasurer’s report, it simply says the treasurer’s report was accepted without any dollar figures provided. This is but one example of the information missing from the minutes. As we were seeking to confirm something we had heard and posted in a March 24th article (soon after the school bond’s defeat), we began digging for information on Superintendent Chase’s and the Board’s desire to look into floating another bond referendum for a new grades 3-8 building and school campus consolidation. We could not find the information we sought other than they believed they incorrectly communicated the plan to the public and that’s why it was defeated. If they meant that they lied by omission, left pertinent information out and contradicted the NYS Board of Ed website’s information, then they were finally correct. Simply, it was way too much money for the District taxpayers to afford!

When we reported our concern about another bond referendum, that concern was quickly dismissed as untrue. But in the April 11, 2019 minutes, it was right there in black and white. See the red arrow in the image below pointing to David Warner, who detailed their next move to hire and work with the company ThoughtExchange(com). ThoughtExchange is a well-established company that provides an on-line platform to obtain opinions from the community. They have been known to facilitate planning leading to success of large bond offerings. In discussing this company, a staffer referred to them by saying, “It sounds more like Thought Control.” Make no mistake, this appears to be the strategy of Dr Chase, Terry Williams and David Warner after the overwhelming 2-to-1 defeat of the school bond consolidation referendum in March. Is this part of the reason the District continues to retain a Public Relations company?



Suddenly, two days before school was scheduled to start, Dr Chase informed the School Board that the Mansion, the Administrative Building, which also housed the Early Childhood Program classes on the Warburg campus, was uninhabitable and structurally unsound. And the causes we were told that made the building unsafe? Roof leaks. General maintenance that either was not performed or proposed as a bid and offered by a bond to the taxpaying community appears to be done as a matter of routine.

How is it possible that this dire emergency was not discovered during the summer months while the building had minimal personnel and no children using it? How could the condition of the roof and subsequent internal damage have gone undetected and uncorrected prior to the need to declare the building unsafe? This declaration seemed to be more sensationalism than fact. And talking about sensationalism, wait until we start talking about the costs associated with the move out of the building and relocation into others!

In discussing the building’s issues with professional property managers, we were told that a competent engineer would state the problem, identify the causes and more importantly, identify the solutions. In this situation, it was Dr Chase who provided the solution by stating everyone who in the Mansion would be relocated to other district facilities. The three early childhood program’s classes were immediately moved. The staff proceeded to work there for another whole month. In fact, when we visited the facility the day after Dr Chase’s declaration of the emergency evacuation, we found two workers in one of the classrooms. When asked why they were in an unsafe building, they said they were just “following orders.” How unsafe could it be?

So, who else is just following orders? The roof can be repaired and the leaks stopped, but we never hear or see a solution proposed from ANYONE on the Board or in the Administration, just the ever-increasing “the sky is falling” mantra and the call to sell/destroy/consolidate these buildings. Each time we’ve tried to talk to Mr Falcone about any buildings, he always seems to have someplace to go or a phone call to take. We’d like to think this is genuine but perhaps he’s also under orders to stay mum? But we will continue to reach out and talk to people in the district about the schools.

We recently learned of a girl doing home schooling because the physics classes she needs are unavailable to her at the school. Asking around, we were told that a temporary Physics teacher was offered a reduced salary and subsequently turned down the position. How many other students are suffering from this malady? We understand that they’ve suspended Mandarin language instruction for a lack of teachers. Then we learned that there were disciplinary incidents reported the NYS Board of Education. When we dug further, we found that the reporting and classification system has been changed and that the number may be much higher than we’re hearing! We also heard that Resource Officers (school-speak for guards) and numerous teachers have left due to hostile work environment complaints. Our difficulty however, is finding someone who will speak with us on the record. If there truly are more disciplinary actions taking place at the high school, is it wise to consolidate the lower grades to the high school campus? Doubtful.

A flurry of anonymous emails were circulated to district residents starting in early October which discussed issues in the schools. They continued for a month or so. The first email seemed to challenge the replacement of supposedly outdated equipment at the school, specifically, the Smart Boards that are used now instead of old-fashioned chalk boards. These emails questioned the fate of this soon to be replaced equipment and if sold, what of the money raised and how would it be used? Then robo calls started asking community members to participate in a demonstration at the Board of Ed meeting. The robo calls and emails began making demands to investigate Dr Chase and one of the school’s Principal. While we received these emails and robo calls, attempts to verify them could not be made so we have not published them. But some interesting questions were posed. So much so that Dr Chase sent a letter to school district residents bemoaning all of what was being said. Perhaps there is some truth in it...

Most School Board meetings contain a public comment portion. The Board always adjourns to Executive Session to discuss “personnel issues”. These executive sessions typically last for two to three hours after which the Board returns to conduct other business – mostly approval of those items discussed in secret in Executive Session. Why is the majority of their discussion conducted out of view of the public? Is it because their leadership is incapable of running a good meeting or is it because of a need to keep their deliberations out of the public eye? What would be the sentiment of the taxpaying community if these deliberations were held publicly? We’ve been critical of the conduct of the meetings in this manner. We believe Public Comment and all other business should be discussed openly first and Executive Session should be last to accommodate the public who attend these meetings to learn what is going on with their school district and their schools. That would also allow the paid district staff who record the meetings to get off work (they get either overtime or compensatory time for these late-night meetings).

Things need to change with the School Board, the School Superintendent and administration that answers to them, the public with an increased involvement and more transparency. That’s how we’ll get A Better Greenburgh School District.

A Date That Will Live In Infamy

On draft No. 1, President Roosevelt changed “a date which will live in world history” to “a date which will live in infamy,” providing the speech its most famous phrase and giving birth to the term, "day of infamy," which December 7, 1941, is often called. It is also referred to by some as Pearl Harbor Day.
President Roosevelt’s speech to America:

President Franklin D. Roosevelt: Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

The United States was at peace with that nation, and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its government and its emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific. Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American island of Oahu, the Japanese ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our secretary of state a formal reply to a recent American message. While this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or armed attack. 

It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time the Japanese government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition, American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.

Yesterday the Japanese government also launched as attack against Malaya. 

Last night Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.

Last night Japanese forces attacked Guam.

Last night Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.

Last night Japanese forces attacked Wake Island.

And this morning the Japanese attacked Midway Island.

Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.

As commander in chief of the Army and Navy I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense. But always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us. . . 

Source: Courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, New York.

Arrogance of One Party Rule

The November elections have concluded; all voting challenges are concluded, absentee ballots have been counted and the early voting strategy terminated. When reviewing the outcomes and wondering if anything has changed, the answer is a resounding “No!” What has changed is the arrogance of the newly elected and re-elected candidates. They know that their schemes to distance themselves from the Trump effect can now be pushed even farther left, whether it’s good for us or not.

Locally, we’ve watched Mr Feiner maneuver his self-appointed Ethics Committee members, which in Greenburgh is easily considered a contradiction of terms, to abandon ship prior to the election, allowing Town Councilman Ken Jones to “skate” on the two ethics violations charges that have been brought against him by two Greenburgh residents before his preordained reelection. For the uninitiated, all “citizen committees” are crafted by Mr Feiner with their creation by him and his Town Board rubber-stamping hand-chosen members. The purpose of these committees is to ultimately do Mr Feiner's bidding or to rule in favor of a decision he will be making.

Mr Jones, however, has two ethics violations brought against him that have languished because the Ethics Committee chair has been ill and two of its members have resigned. Without a quorum, and basically without a committee, Mr Jones got the green light to run for reelection unencumbered by pesky facts. Keep in mind, this is Greenburgh, and the taxpaying residents really don't have anyone in government looking out for them like the Village elected officials do.

During the last local election campaigns, Mr Feiner’s challenger for Supervisor posed numerous suggestions and ideas that he would try if elected. None were to raise his salary. But the Democratic stronghold dismissed any new, good or innovative governance either from fear or ignorance by skulking away from change, granting Mr Feiner an unprecedented 29th and 30th year as Supervisor. Some of the voting public have never even known a different Greenburgh supervisor. That also goes for the Council members. We’re confident that this was not what the founders anticipated government to be. In fact, you know these politicians have been in office too long once they insist that they need a raise and vote themselves one.

The current 2019 salary for the Town Supervisor is $156,363 - up 2% from 2018. This year Mr Feiner and his Board will increase his salary for 2020 to $159,803 - up 2.2% from 2019. Town Council salaries are also being bumped up from 2019 to $34,714 - up 2% from 2018. The Board will also increase their salary in 2020 to $35,478 - up 2.2% from 2019. What about the 2% tax cap or doesn’t that apply to these one-percenters? All receive FULL Medical Benefits or can opt out for $10,000 if covered by other job or if covered by a spouse or domestic partner. So while our elected officials didn’t even let the election dust settle, they’re voting themselves raises. You re-elected them and sanctioned this so they won’t even need to use the excuses of how it’s necessary because it’s a cost of living raise or they are underpaid for the work they do or that this is really a full-time amount of work. Frankly, those tired excuses are just plain crap. If they don’t like the salaries, step aside. There are plenty of people willing to do the work for that money and provide an honest days work!

Speaking of raises, we are now being fed the same crap from the County Legislators who are decrying their paltry $49,200 for their part time job and are seeking an increase in their salaries to the tune of a 52% increase to $75,000! The last raise they received was in 2005. The proposed half a million dollars would be coming from the $2 billion dollar budget County Executive Latimer has proposed for 2020. The icing on this untasty crap cake will be the increases in stipends for “serving” on committees – whether they meet or not. Also slated are significant raises for department heads and non-union personnel. Claims have been made by Chairman Boykin to offset some of the nearly half a million dollars in expenses for the Legislators raises but hasn’t given any facts. This certainly does not appear that these Legislators have the best interest of the public at heart, only their wallets – which get stuffed by emptying ours.

We’re not saying that there should never be raises but believe that any raise enacted through legislation for any elected position should become effective after that voting candidate has left office. And, regardless of the song and dance excuses about cost of living and the like, the position pays what it pays. Don’t like the pay? Then don’t take the job. If you do take the job, there should also not be any appointments to committees or appointment as the head of a committee until a certain amount of time has been spent doing the job. We understand that these are done-deals or at least the opening salvo. If the public protests, then the amounts might be reduced. It will help to make A Better Greenburgh.

Elmsford's Special Events

Snow Ordinance

Between December 1st and March 15th, the parking of vehicles on public roadways within the township is, unless otherwise posted, prohibited between the hours of 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. daily.
Special Parking Permit

The Police Chief, under very limited circumstances, may issue a Special Parking Permit to a person with a serious physical impairment whose ability to access their vehicle is significantly impaired through compliance with this ordinance. Applications for Special Permits can be obtained from the office of the chief. Special Permits are not to be confused with regular Handicapped Parking Permits which are issued by the Town Clerk.