A Failed Education

Covid-19 has exposed the financial instability and struggles of many of the residents of the Town, highlighting the disparity along economic lines between the educational offerings afforded to our students. We continually witness the failures of the school district, as highlighted by Superintendent Chase, and with long time School Board members whose agenda for consolidation does nothing to address improving education over a marginal one. The diminishing test results saga over the last umpteen years highlights the failures of the district and the Board of Education. English Language Arts (ELA) scores have faltered despite the fact that immersion in English is a proven, successful educational standard adopted throughout the world for over a century, but just not in Greenburgh. Similarly, math scores continue to plummet, further exposing these two increasingly problematic failures.

Yet through all of the “feel good” discussion of graduation scores and college admissions, we're asked to believe that every child, whether enjoying breakfast and lunch at school, or those who simply turn on their computer for 5 seconds during the school day, are accounted for and learning. These same students, we're told, will graduate at the end of the year with an academic degree, although that degree will hardly be worth the paper it's printed upon. These success stories are as disingenuous as saying we have a thriving Mandarin program!

Incredibly, no child in the Greenburgh Central School District is ever left behind. Indeed, they move through the system and graduate every year collecting their high school degrees, ready to enter the reality of hopelessness and despair as they learn it has little value in the "real" world. This practice of graduating students who fail needs to end no matter how catchy the "no child left behind" mantra sounds! Some observers of the system choose to blame the teachers, but clearly the fault for the conditions of the school system and its graduates resides in the conduct, demeanor and callousness of the Greenburgh Superintendent of Schools and the Greenburgh Board of Education members. Those teachers who fail to stand up for their students must shoulder some of that blame. But how many have been intimidated and coerced to accept these policies or fall out of favor with the district and jeopardize their livelihood? Could this be why we experience such a high turnover of teachers in our schools?

Parents cannot be blamed for not understanding test score results or the subject matter. In some cases parents have difficulty understanding the English language or dare we say, were a product of the Greenburgh School system? This basic flaw of failure to meet the basic educational needs of most of our children needs to be addressed before we lavish praise on initiatives such as a Baccalaureate program or Mandarin language courses. Having a 35% success rate in Math and English is an abomination. Work on transforming and improving the standard courses that most of our children take and only then should we look to expand into others. Stop projecting the image of a small group of  children that are academically gifted as the face of the entire school system!

Society has promised it was all knowing and capable of teaching our children proficiently so that the children could succeed upon graduation and delve into the "real" world. But parents and guardians have clung to a promise that the school no longer fulfills. Society in general is at fault; as well as are our parents who falsely believed that the school system would do right by their children. It has not. Parents have shirked their responsibility to ensure that the school system works for our children. Our collective mistake is that we believed the District knew better than we did as to how to educate our children and we left this crucial responsibility up to them. Even though it began with good intentions, Greenburgh Central has failed those of us seeking a better life for themselves and their children.

It's been said that education is the elixir of success. And, while we can certainly place blame for our failing school on the District, the Superintendent and the Board of Education -- and we should -- we must also blame ourselves. We forgot to demand what our grandparents and parents expected our schools to offer our children, which is a well-rounded education, enabling them to be able to earn a living and be productive in society. Our forgetting is not an excuse. Resolution of the deficiency exhibited by the present Greenburgh Central School Board of Education, is imperative. The Board, who are in fact the “employer” of Greenburgh Schools District Superintendent Chase, have not only dropped the ball, and still seemingly struggle in correcting the circumstances they've allowed for too long.

Parents, taxpayers and all stakeholders must make it known to the Greenburgh School Board of Education that they have failed to deliver on our collective trust of them. It is time we force them to step up their game plan and for us to do the same. Let's stop lip-syncing, "For the children!” Nothing less than change at the Board level is acceptable, academic improvements must take place to wake up this current Greenburgh Central School District and nothing else, such as consolidation, will improve our children's educational well-being. It's time we make a significant change and remove the long time trustees who have wallowed in their own self-grandeur and archaic functionality. We need new ideas, new blood and new people who can help to improve our schools and propel our children into a successful future. It's the only way to get A Better Greenburgh School District!

Be The Voice Of The People: Vote

Voters will hopefully head to the polls today, May 21 to vote either for or against their school district budgets – all within the tax cap that “Governor Tappan Zee” enacted into a permanent tax cap, proposed bonds and of course, School Board races. We have been following the Greenburgh school board race which features six candidates. Two are incumbents and four are new faces. While all of the candidates seem to be very nice people, we were most impressed with Tanya Dragic.

Multi-million-dollar bond proposals will be voted on in four school districts - Briarcliff Manor, Irvington, Pleasantville and Somers. Whether or not there are tax implications from them remains to be seen. Most people are inclined to go along with tax increases if the are logical, within reason financially, adequately explained and communicated to the public clearly. After all, this is their money that’s being sought.

In this day of instant news feeds, 24-hour cable news, neighborhood blogs such as this one, podcasts, radio and residents talking amongst themselves, taxpayers (stakeholders) need to feel assured that their money is being well spent and with meaning. This was not the case with the recent $114 million bond the School Board and Dr Chase tried to foist upon the public in the 11th hour two months ago. They got their heads handed to them with a two-to-one defeat.

The take-away that the Board members and Dr Chase seemed to believe is that they did a poor job communicating their “vision” to the stakeholders. If that’s all they got out of this defeat, they really aren’t paying attention. What they also did was hide information. They repeatedly told the public that the $114 million was including interest. It was not. The interest alone would have been almost the face value of the note, coming in at $83 million. With a bond total of $197 million, and the yearly budget of $71 million ($70,752,506 actual), taxpayers will be on the hook for $267 million! In Mandarin, it’s 2.67亿美元！

When asked why the bond should be supported, we were told that the Bailey and Highview schools were in such disrepair that we needed to jettison them as soon as possible and build two new schools to replace them – at the Warburg campus. When asked why, one School Board trustee had the backbone to tell us, “The Board made a conscious decision to not maintain the schools to save teacher’s jobs. Others on the Board believed having all the schools on one campus would be their School Board legacy – as did Dr Chase. Sadly, their legacy will be the disrepair of our schools.

While this revelation was a stunning admission, the honesty and openness of the Board member was refreshing and what a dialog should be. During the entire event the age-old mantra was, “Do it for the children.” In fact, on a community gossip board, several residents kept posting to vote yes for the bond and saying those against it were lying with the facts they presented. They were not. But for Phil, Matty, Mona and a handful of others aligned with the School Board supporting a radical tax increase, many could or would not go along! Can they be persuaded to vote for it now? We’ll see...

The budget vote is upon us, with a small cheerleading crowd in the gossip sites trying desperately to convince those gullible enough to not learn the facts on their own to vote for the budget. When a question was posed on the site if Matty worked for the district and if he ever ran for the School Board, the conversation was closed down. Apparently, just as in Town Hall and the School Board, the flow of information works only one-way. It's ironic that after 3,000 people mobilized and voted "no" that the Board did not capitalize on the obvious interest of the public.

Briarcliff Manor’s $3 million bond proposal would include a roof replacement at the middle school, a track resurfacing, and infrastructure improvements district-wide. Irvington would see renovation projects, conservation initiatives, expansions and modernization efforts. Pleasantville will make repairs to school buildings, increase security, and asbestos abatement in school floors. Somers seeks to increase security, and if approved, would include a partial roof replacement at Primrose Elementary School.

These districts clearly show it is possible to do ongoing repair and maintenance without financially hammering the district residents. Those that can afford it will scrutinize the budget less than those who cannot. We need a Board that understands that it's our money and then their money and that it doesn't grow on trees. The current Greenburgh School Board and its Superintendent seem oblivious to this. Again, they’re not listening. In the Fairview Fire and the Hartsdale Fire Districts, 48% and 42% respectively are tax exempt. That means about half of the taxpayers are paying double of what they should have to to compensate for the tax exempt properties who still utilize their services. The school district suffers from the same malady with little recourse.

Consider how the current School Board behaved during this last episode when you go to vote. If you want more of the same you already know how you’re going to vote. If you want more transparency, open communication and budgets that are reasonably planned out and presented, think about voting differently. It’s one more way to get A Better Greenburgh School Board.

Greenburgh Schools Schedule Information Session On Bond Referendum For $114.6 MILLION

In an effort to keep Greenburgh residents and taxpayers informed, we are posting this information. Sadly, Greenburgh School Superintendent Tahira Dupree Chase has met with one civic association, and the leaders of another, to detail her plans to consolidate the Greenburgh School District schools to the Woodlands campus. She has not shared information with residents through mailings, meetings or articles. It seems a bit disingenuous to foist this referendum onto the unknowing in hopes they will vote for it? Or, is her plan to not inform the residents and have only those she feels assured will vote for this come out and cast a ballot in favor of it? 

A referendum held in February can slam the voters and keep them from coming out if the weather turns out to be what February weather usually is. Regardless, it seems a very suspect and disappointing. Also disappointing is that Mr Feiner and his Town Board have just allotted $7,000 toward an East hartsdale Road traffic study for something that hasn't even happened yet and they don't know will be voted through! Their canned response is that they want to be prepared should the vote go through. Actually, if history has taught us anything about referendums in Greenburgh, and it has, this proposal will go through for a number of reasons. Many with school age children in the Greenburgh system, educators, well-off, well-paid residents will buy into the rationale being offered and vote yes. The uninformed, seniors, fixed-income residents and many not involved in politics or school issues may want to vote no, but may not be able to get to the polls at the Woodlands campus. Or, as we believe is the case, will not even know about it!

Several information sessions on the bond referendum for the Greenburgh School Districts proposal, will be voted upon on February 12, 2019, to spend a minimum of $114.6 MILLION to build replacement schools on the current Woodlands campus. School tax increases are being predicted to increase approximately $850 per year for property owners. Well-paid Superintendent Chase has used the analogy of equating this increase to a daily cup of gourmet coffee. Many of our fixed income readers have related to us that they are barely able to pay their taxes now and fear losing their homes should this referendum pass and these increases be instituted.

Consolidation for what purpose remains the unanswered question? To simply say we would have all grades on one campus does not validate the expense or return on this huge investment. To sell two current schools that are either in disrepair or needed repair begs the question why weren’t they maintained to begin with? And, can we expect more of the same should the referendum pass after Dr Chase has moved on? Mr Feiner insisted on letting WestHelp degrade to the point of ruin. He insisted on letting the buildings intentionally deteriorate so such a dismal picture could be painted, ultimately proving the need to destroy them. Also, what of security and threats to the younger children in our ever-burgeoning active shooter world? Somehow the separate locations seems a viable alternative.

The Greenburgh Central schools have a more surmountable problem with education. They are now teaching the Mandarin language from kindergarten through the high school senior class because studies show it’s an up-and-coming language. It used to be that French or Spanish were the two more popular foreign languages to learn. Frankly, after hearing some of these students speak English, the school probably needs to be working on speaking better English than learning others. And, with all of the special programs and remedial classes that are maintained, a fundamental education seems to be absent. Our suggestion to Dr Chase would be instead of trying to apply lipstick to make this proposal look pretty, fix the glaring problems before undertaking such a major expense and cost to the already beleagured taxpayers.

Here is a list of meeting dates that are being scheduled by the Greenburgh School district to discuss the $114.6 million dollar proposed Greenburgh School bond referendum that will take place on February 12th. The school district hopes to sell the Highview and Bailey schools and consolidate the Greenburgh schools into one campus.

To learn more, please plan to attend one or more of these upcoming informational Community Meetings:
◾Tuesday, January 15 - 7 p.m. @ Woodlands Middle/High School
◾Thursday, January 24 - 7 p.m. @ Richard J. Bailey Elementary School
◾Tuesday, January 29 - 7 p.m. @ Highview Elementary School
◾Thursday, January 31 - 7 p.m., @ The Greenburgh Public Library
◾Thursday, February 7 - 7 p.m. @ The Theodore Young Community Center

These meetings may be a little bit too late in the game to give this proposal the scrutiny it deserves. We hope that Dr Chase’s lack of forthcoming information is not how she normally operates. And why are they only on Tuesdays and Thursdays, instead of utilizing other days to accommodate those who work or have child care issues? This should be changed. Finally, she needs to turn the schools she already has around and prove that she has what it takes before selling us a bill of goods that should be expected out of the corner office on Hillside Avenue. Only then will we get A Better Greenburgh.

Only $166 MILLION To Consolidate With No Guarantees

In the summer of 2018, the Hartsdale Neighborhood Association (HNA) had a regular meeting at the Highview school on Central Avenue next to the Empire College and behind Webb Field. That’s the field on Central Avenue with the 9-1-1 Memorial that keeps falling apart. The Highview school is a grammar school with mostly younger students in attendance at the rear of the property.

During this particular meeting, Greenburgh School Superintendent Tahira Dupree Chase was a guest speaker and there to talk about a few things school-centric. One of them was related to recent school shootings and the safety of the kids at our schools. Everyone agrees that these horrible shootings should stop but for every one idea that can be implemented there’s an argument made against it. It seems to be a vicious cycle that will likely continue. Regardless, we learned that Safety Officers were being hired amongst other things that were being done to protect the students. Of course, this is good. But with the increased security presence becoming more well-known and pronounced, it tarnishes the reputation of an already tarnished school system. As a parent, many wonder if sending their child to Greenburgh schools is a good idea or if private school is the better way to go? Obviously, there are many families who cannot afford the private school route regardless of any safety concerns they have. But many residents have chosen the private school route.

Superintendent Chase indicated, as do so many who want the public to buy-in to their consolidation proposals, that the cost wouldn’t be much, about $97 per family per month. Broken down even farther, she equated it to $3.50 a day for a premium cup of coffee (for the next 30 years)! While the coffee analogy may make her plan more palatable (pun intended), the reality is our taxpayers are already hurting as we continue to pay off (and anticipate) guilty verdicts against Mr Feiner and his administration. We’re into year two of the Fortress Bible Church guilty discrimination verdict for $6.5 million with pending law suits in connection with the Shelbourne, Dromore Road and Ferncliff projects. And while a daily cup of premium coffee is not a problem for the extremely well-paid Dr Chase, many residents don’t make that kind of money and struggle to merely get by, glad when they can afford a deli coffee.

But consolidation for what purpose is the nagging question? To simply say we would have all grades on one campus is not enough. To also say that we would sell two current schools that are either in disrepair or needed repair begs the question why weren’t they maintained to begin with? Or is this a page from Mr Feiner’s playbook with WestHelp. Let the buildings intentionally deteriorate so such a dismal picture can be painted showing the need to jettison them? Possibly. And by bringing the younger grades to this campus, what of security and threats to them in our ever-burgeoning active shooter world. Somehow the separation seems like a viable alternative.

The Greenburgh Central schools have a more surmountable problem of education. They are now teaching the Mandarin language from kindergarten through the high school senior class because studies show it’s an up-and-coming language. It used to be that French or Spanish were the two more popular foreign languages to learn. Frankly, after hearing some of these students speak, the school probably needs to be working on speaking better English. And, with all of the special programs and remedial classes that are maintained, the lack of a fundamental education seems to be absent. Our suggestion to Dr Chase is instead of trying to apply lipstick to make it look pretty, fix the glaring problems before undertaking such a major expense and cost to the taxpayers.

Since we never see the school budget get lowered – as we are always told to vote for it “for the kids” – raising our taxes and moving all of the kids to one location solves little. Let’s not forget that 49% of the Fairview district is tax exempt so the other 51% are carrying them – in effect paying twice the amount they should have to pay. So now, instead of $3.50 per day or $97 per month, it’s more like $7 per day and $194 per month. That’s significant to seniors on a fixed income, low income families, out-of-work taxpayers and others just struggling to get by. Even more significant is the lack of proof of savings by executing this multi-year change should voters elect to approve it. Dr Chase needs to get her house in order before she looks to build a new one and then move in. While this seems like a great exercise for a resume update, we need more tangibles before we decide to go along with this. While the budget increases are touted as “for the children,” the reality is it’s for the teachers and other personnel costs. We don’t need to speak Mandarin to know that this system needs attention before we start raising taxes for this expensive game of chess. Only then will we get A Better Greenburgh.