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Organizational Meeting: At 9:02 a.m., Dr. Patrick convened the annual Organizational Meeting at which newly elected Board members, Omer Wiczyk and Kevin Ziegler were sworn in for their first terms. Following nominations, Board Officers were elected for the 2026-27 school year. Suzie Hahn was elected Board President, and Colleen Brown was elected Board Vice President.
The Board acted on several annual requirements for the new school year, including the re-adoption of all Board of Education policies; the appointment of District Officers, District Consultants and a resolution for the appointment of the Audit Committee; the certification of payroll registers; designation of Board Officers to appoint impartial hearing officers; designation of depositories and the official school district newspaper; authorization of the bonding of employees; and authorization of several reimbursement rates, and bid procedures.
Public Hearing on the Code of Conduct: Board of Education President Ms. Hahn called to order a Public Hearing on the Code of Conduct. As required by State regulation, the Code of Conduct must be reviewed and re-adopted by the Board of Education annually. Mr. Rauschenbach reviewed the Code of Conduct, the annual review process, and noted that the Committee did not recommend any changes to the Code for the 2026-27 school year. Ms. Hahn opened the floor to both the public and virtual audiences, no one came forward in person, one person spoke remotely.
Business Meeting: Ms. Hahn called the Business Meeting to order at 9:42 a.m., noting all Board members were present (Suzie Hahn, President; Colleen Brown, Vice President; Leah Dembitzer; Jim Dugan; Laura Liu; Omer Wiczyk, and Kevin Ziegler). Dr. Patrick and members of his Administrative Cabinet were also present. Ms. Hahn formally welcomed newly elected Board members Omer Wiczyk and Kevin Ziegler to the Board table and Ms. Brown into the Vice President role for a second year. Ms. Hahn also extended a special welcome to the ex officio student Board members — Lucy Eisenberg, who will be serving a second term; and newly elected Nathan Goldfarb. Though they weren’t able to attend the meeting, Ms. Hahn thanked them for their service saying, “We very much look forward to hearing your thoughts and perspective as students here at the Board table this year.”
In her opening remarks, Ms. Hahn thanked the Board for the opportunity to serve as Board President this year, saying, “I consider it a privilege to work with all of you. By volunteering for this role, for making this commitment, you model our school motto, non sibi, and I am proud to partner with you as we undertake our important work on behalf of our students, our school community, and the broader Scarsdale community. She also noted, for the record, the 2026 Scarsdale High School graduates; thanked outgoing Board member Amber Yusuf for representing the Board at this year’s graduation ceremony; and extended heartfelt congratulations to the Scarsdale High School Class of 2026, the 5th and 8th grade students who moved up, and the parents of all of the graduates.
In closing, Ms. Hahn stated, “The Board looks forward to its important work this year, collaborating with the administration, faculty, students and community to fulfill our mission to sponsor our students’ full development so they can become effective, independent contributors in a democratic society and an interdependent world.”
Dr. Patrick added his welcome to the first Business Meeting of the 2026-2027 school year and echoed Ms. Hahn’s words of congratulations to Mr. Wiczyk and Mr. Ziegler. He also congratulated Ms. Hahn and Ms. Brown on their elections as Board Officers and Ms. Eisenberg, who will be returning for her second term as an ex officio student Board member, and Mr. Goldfarb for his first term, saying, “I am looking forward to our continued partnership as we navigate the new school year.”
Dr. Patrick also added congratulations to the 2026 Scarsdale High School graduates and recognized the work and dedication of the High School faculty, staff, and administration for providing another successful graduation ceremony on Butler Field, noting, “We are so proud of the accomplishments of our graduates, and we look forward to the contributions they will make in the years to come. I would also like to congratulate our 5th and 8th graders who have successfully completed elementary and middle school, respectively, and are bound for their next level of learning.”
Board members gave the following reports:
Ms. Dembitzer provided information on the final Health Advisory Advisory Committee Meeting that she and Ms. Hahn attended on June 16th. She noted that the next meeting is scheduled for October 6th. Ms. Hahn reported that on June 18th, she, Dr. Patrick, and Mr. Lennon continued discussions with Village Manager Alexandra Marshall and AKRF, the Village Consultant, regarding a potential project at Freightway. She noted that AKRF is gathering data on new multi-family constructions and enrollment impacts to school districts in the area.
Cabinet Updates: Dr. Patrick introduced Cabinet Members to provide the following updates.
Hearing From Those Present: Community members were invited to address the Board. One person spoke in person and three people spoke virtually.
Written Communications: Ms. Brown presented the emails that the Board received from members of the community since the last report, as listed in the Board meeting agenda, all of which received a response from the Board and/or District Administration.
Consent Agenda: The Board approved the items on the Consent Agenda, including the Code of Conduct and Personnel Report.
INFORMATION/DISCUSSION
ACTION ITEMS |
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Information Items/Discussion: The Board considered several items under the information/discussion portion of the agenda:
Lisa Zareski, District Treasurer, presented the District Treasurer’s Report & Schedule of Investments for April and May 2026. In accordance with District Policy #6150, the Board of Education must approve all transfers of funds in excess of $25,000. Ms. Zareski presented the budget transfers that will be presented to the Board for approval later in the meeting. Board members asked questions that were answered by Mr. Lennon. In Dr. McIntosh’s absence, Dr. Troy presented the proposed new textbooks for the Middle and High Schools that will be presented to the Board for approval at the August 24th Board meeting. Mr. Rauschenbach presented the second reading of Regulation #5285 - Concussion Management Program; he reviewed the suggested revisions and the rationale as described during the first reading on June 8th; and he noted that the revisions are to the regulation only and no changes have been to the policy. With no further recommendations made, the regulation will be presented to the Board for adoption later in the meeting. Mr. Lennon presented the first readings of Policy #6670 - Petty Cash/Petty Cash Accounts and Regulation #2160-R - School District Ethics Regulation. He noted that as part of their Annual Risk Assessment Review, the Districts Internal Auditor recommended the revisions to Policy #6670 and Regulation #2160-R. No further revisions were recommended . The second readings will be presented to the Board at the August 24th Board Meeting. Policy #7335 - Change Order Policy: Mr. Lennon explained that in preparation for the upcoming construction projects included in the 2026 Capital Projects Bond, revisions have been made to Policy #7335 to ensure that effective management and cost oversight are in place. He further noted that the revised policy enables District Administration to prevent project delays and cost overruns with increased approval thresholds and the addition of a new tier of authority allowing the Assistant Superintendent for Business to approve change orders up to $50,000. The second readings will be presented to the Board at the August 24th Board Meeting. Dr. Patrick provided a brief background on the draft Guidelines for Student Expression at School-Sponsored Activities; he reviewed the feedback received since the first draft was shared on May 11th, and he reviewed the revisions made to the Guidelines that reflect the comments and feedback received. Dr. Patrick stated that the Guidelines stand apart from the Code of Conduct, and were drafted to inform and assist the faculty and District Administration to fulfill longstanding responsibilities. Dr. Patrick answered questions asked by Board members and noted that any additional feedback and revisions received will be taken into consideration and reviewed at the August 24th Board meeting. Board Goals: Preliminary Discussion: Ms. Hahn provided background information on the Board’s process of establishing goals and objectives each school year and referred to the 2025-2026 Goals and Objectives as a starting point for the Board’s discussion. A draft of the 2026-2027 Goals and Objectives, incorporating suggested revisions, will be presented at the August 24th Board meeting for further review and discussion. Superintendent Evaluation Template: Preliminary Discussion: To begin the conversation, Ms. Hahn provided a brief overview and timeline for the Board’s annual process of evaluating the Superintendent of Schools, and reviewed the template and evaluation tool that were used in last year’s evaluation. The Board will continue its discussion regarding the evaluation template at the August 24th Board meeting in order to approve a template in September, in accordance with the required timeline. Gift Procedures: Ms. Hahn explained that in August 2024, the Board engaged in a review of the gift procedures to ensure that the process is equitable and runs smoothly. She recalled the change to the two-step approval process for gifts over $1,000.00. Board members discussed options to modify the procedures, when necessary, to expedite the Board approval process. The Board reached a consensus to revise the gift procedures accordingly. Board Summer Work: Ms. Hahn introduced possible options for Board summer work including advocacy opportunities and updating the Boards Communications Plan. She also asked her fellow Board members for their thoughts on any additional work and asked them to reach out to her and Ms. Brown with any interest in this work. Mr. Lennon presented the background and proposed resolutions pertaining to the Health Insurance Reserve Increase and the Appropriation from the Health Care Reserve that will be presented to the Board for adoption later in the meeting. Draft 2026-27 District-wide Safety and Emergency Management Plan: Review of Appendix #7 - Village and School District Cooperation: Since the District-wide Safety and Emergency Management Plan was presented to the Board on June 8th and the required 30-day public comment period was opened, the District received additional feedback and revisions from the Mayor and the Village team regarding Appendix #7 - Village and School District Cooperation. Since the suggested revisions have been added to the Plan, the 30-day public comment period is being reinstated and the Plan will be reviewed during the August 24th Board meeting prior to the Public Hearing. Community members are encouraged to review these proposed changes to the plan and send any comments to erauschenbach@scarsdaleschools.org and/or the Board of Education. Ms. Troy presented a summary of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) - CSEA Transportation Unit. The MOA will be presented to the Board for approval later in the meeting. Ms. Troy presented a summary of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) - Scarsdale Association of Educational Secretaries (SAES). The MOA will be presented to the Board for approval later in the meeting. -
Before reviewing the following gift proposals, exceeding $1,000.00, Dr. Patrick reported that the gift proposals have gone through a new, more streamlined process that is still in development but will ensure timely communications and tracking of gift proposals. Dr. Patrick also thanked Mr. Lennon, Mr. Yang, and Ms. Zareski for their work in supporting the PTAs in submitting larger, annual donations, typically at the start of the school year, for gifts such as author visits, field trips, and the like.
Action Items: The Board adopted the budget transfers; the resolutions for the health insurance reserve increase and the appropriation from the health care reserve; the adoption of the 2026-27 tax levy; the 2026 Capital Projects Bond Resolution; Memorandum of Agreements (MOA) with the CSEA Transportation Unit and the Scarsdale Association of Educational Secretaries (SAES) the Regulation #5285 - Concussion Management Program and a gift proposal to the High School.
Public Comment: Community members were invited to address the Board; one person spoke in person, no one spoke remotely.
Adjournment: The Board adjourned the meeting at 11:55 a.m. and entered into an Executive Session to discuss matters related to collective bargaining and contract negotiations. The Board meeting may be viewed on the District website, Board of Education VOD.
* Note from the Board of Education: Please email your feedback, questions, or comments to boardofed@scarsdaleschools.org
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Scarsdale Public Schools