Welcome to New Rochelle Public Schools

Board of Education President Jeffrey Hastie sent the following email to the school district community today with an update on contract talks:

June 21, 2019

New Rochelle community,

As you may be aware, the City School District of New Rochelle’s Board of Education and FUSE, the union representing the District’s teachers and staff, have been engaged in collective bargaining for a new agreement. Although the current agreement between the parties will expire on June 30, 2019, it is important to note that the District has a legal obligation to continue to honor the terms and provisions of the contract until a new agreement is reached. This includes “step movement” (based upon years of service) and “lane changes” (based upon the completion of graduate course credits) within the existing salary schedule which will result in automatic base salary increases for certain staff members beyond the date of expiration of the contract.

Notwithstanding the parties’ inability to reach an agreement at this time, the Board wants to make clear how much we value and respect the hard work performed by members of FUSE on a daily basis for the educational welfare of the children of this community. We are cognizant of the work our staff members perform in our buildings each and every day and understand the important role that the staff has in the continued academic success of the District.

The Board is confident that the parties will ultimately reach a settlement that is fair and equitable for our valued staff and fiscally responsible for our community members. Most importantly, any settlement between the parties must maintain and indeed enhance our outstanding educational program, as this continues to be our highest priority. To that end, the Board has made requests at the bargaining table that we firmly believe to be in the best interests of our students. We are optimistic that by continuing to work through these issues with FUSE, all of our constituent groups will benefit in the long run.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey Hastie, President

New Rochelle Board of Education 

    Nine NRHS Science Research Project students win medals, honors at the international GENIUS Olympiad at SUNY Oswego.

Voters approved the 2019-20 school budget on May 21, and elected William Iannuzzi and Valarie D. Williams to the Board of Education.  The results, found here, are unofficial until they are accepted by the Board of Education tonight (May 22). The Board will meet at 7:30 p.m. in the Carew Room of the District offices, on the second floor of 515 North Ave.

The District issued the following press release following the results last night.  

Voters Approve 2019-2020 Budget for City School District of New Rochelle

The $281,067,000 spending plan invests in 20 more positions, resources for special education and building maintenance, and addresses priorities from administrators and the community

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (May 21, 2019) – Residents approved the City School District of New Rochelle’s proposed budget for the 2019-2020 school year by a vote of 2,232-1,122. The results remain unofficial pending verification by the District Clerk and acceptance by the Board of Education.

The $281,067,000 budget maintains existing programs and adds more than 20 positions, improves resources in areas such as special education and building maintenance, addresses priorities expressed by administrators and the community such as supports in social-emotional health and stays within the state-mandated property tax cap.

“The support from this community for this budget holds true to our commitment to provide the very best education for our students while maintaining fiscal responsibility,” said Interim Superintendent Dr. Magda Parvey. “The community has taken another major step to ensure the continued success of its students.”

“I am thankful to the voters of New Rochelle for their support of the 2019-20 budget,” Board of Education President Jeffrey Hastie said. “The School District continues to put its students in the best position to be successful in their academic careers.”

The budget includes additional special education teachers, English as a New Language instructors, academic intervention specialists, a literacy coach and Spanish teachers. Clinicians - two social workers and a counselor - would be added at the middle school level.

The budget also calls for an Assistant Director - Instructional Technology to evaluate the current instructional technology program and to foster a consistent and innovative approach to the use of technology in teaching, learning and exploration across the District.

The spending increase totals $10.7 million, or 3.95% over this year’s $270,381,160 budget. It is supported partly by increases of $4 million in state aid and $2 million in other non-tax revenue. The District will receive $51,470,106 in state aid for the next year, up from $47,416,327 for the current year's budget.

The instructional and related positions added to meet state mandates and address priorities expressed by administrators and community members include:

• 4 special education teachers (2 for NRHS, 2 for the middle schools),
• 3.4 English as a new language teachers (1 each for Jefferson and Trinity elementary schools, 0.6 for NRHS, 0.4 each for Ward Elementary School and Isaac E. Young Middle School),
• 2 academic intervention specialists for NRHS,
• 1.6 Spanish teachers (0.6 for Albert Leonard Middle School, 0.5 each for Columbus and Trinity elementary schools),
• 1 middle school social studies chairperson,
• 1 fifth-grade teacher for Columbus,
• 1 districtwide speech teacher,
• 1 home and careers teacher for IEYMS,
• 1 counselor for ALMS,
• 2 social workers for (one each for ALMS and IEYMS),
• 1 nurse for ALMS,
• 1 literacy coach for Davis Elementary School, and
• 1 districtwide elementary school literacy coordinator.

The total cost of those positions is estimated at $2.4 million. Other positions added under the plan are four general school aides who would assist with bus monitoring and school security; a night custodial supervisor; and a painter. Two network technicians are recommended for the Technology Department, in addition to an Assistant Director.

Among the items favored by the community, the budget allots $250,000 for a new press box and $200,000 for a renovated concession stand, both at New Rochelle High School’s McKenna Field.

Capital projects also include partial roof repairs and replacement of auditorium seating at several schools.

The tax levy - the dollar amount to be raised by property taxes - will be $213,591,114, which is an increase of $4,588,952, or 2.2% from the current tax levy of $209,002,162, staying within the increase permitted by the cap.

Voters also elected two members to the Board of Education. The two highest vote-getters – William Iannuzzi and Valarie D. Williams – will serve five-year terms beginning July 1, 2019 and ending June 30, 2024.

About the City School District of New Rochelle

With nearly 11,000 students in 10 schools, the City School District of New Rochelle, through an active partnership amongst community, parents, staff and students, provides a high-quality and challenging education for every child, in a safe, nurturing environment that embraces rich diversity and drives success.

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The Board of Education adopted the superintendent's proposed 2019-20 budget on Tuesday, April 23. Five candidates are running for two school board seats. Find information here. 

Sample Ballot - May 21, 2019 - English and Spanish

Where to Vote: Street Directory Guide 

Superintendent's Proposed Budget - April 23, 2019

Candidates for School Board Election and Library Board Election 

Budget Newsletter

Legal Notice - May 21, 2019 Vote

Legal Notice - May 21, 2019 Vote - Spanish

Budget Question-and-Answer Presentation - April 16, 2019

Superintendent's Preliminary Budget Presentation - April 11, 2019

Superintendent's Preliminary Budget - April 11,  2019

Superintendent's Preliminary Budget - April 9, 2019

Street Directory Guide - May 21, 2019

Absentee Ballot Application 

Absentee Ballot Application - Spanish

2019-20 Budget Calendar-English

2019-20 Budget Calendar-Spanish

VIDEOS:

Budget Review Session - April 16, 2019

Budget Review Session - April 11, 2019

Budget Review Session - April 9, 2019

Dear New Rochelle community,

This year continues to bring us many achievements and great news of our students, teachers and more.  

We’ve had teachers chosen to become STEM leaders; they will continue building on our creative inquiry-based lessons across our District that make use of everything from hot cocoa to an adult-sized robot. New Rochelle High School has chosen a valedictorian and salutatorian who are two great examples of our stellar student body.

Visitors to our District have included the head of the National Urban League, who taught us the importance of exploring our own histories and sharing in the celebration of others’ histories as well.

What a perfect message for our school district and its students, who come from virtually every corner of the world.

Our Black History Celebration was absolutely inspiring, our Science Research Program continues to grow and our PAVE arts students never fail to astound us with their boundless creativity. Our athletes continue to score honors near and far – even in Orlando, Florida, where our cheerleaders finished strong in a national competition.

In order to provide the best settings for our 11,000 students to experience the joy of learning and exploration, we must provide more than our incredible teachers and dedicated administrators and staff. We also must provide attractive, comfortable settings that stimulate the mind and imagination.

To that end, our $106.5 million construction program continues to restore our buildings to top condition.

As always, I invite you to get to know our schools, teachers and students better.

These are all crucial aspects of a system that provides a top-quality education for all.

Dr. Magda Parvey

Interim Superintendent of Schools

The District is providing answers to the questions submitted and raised at the February 25 Board of Education Town Hall meeting on Safety and Security, held in Isaac E. Young Middle School. Here you will find questions that were answered at the meeting as well as those that were submitted but were not addressed because of time constraints.

Questions and Answers 

Watch the meeting here. 

The District makes an effort to follow up on questions that are asked or submitted at Board of Education regular and Town Hall meetings but that remain unanswered in the meetings. Find the questions and answers here.

Board of Education Meeting, March 26, 2019 

Board of Education Meeting, Feb. 26, 2019 

Board of Education Meeting, Jan. 29, 2019 

Town Hall, Jan. 22, 2019 

Board of Education Meeting, Dec. 18, 2018 

Town Hall, Nov. 14, 2018 "Restorative Practices" 

Find questions and answers organized by category in the "Questions & Answers" section under "About Us"

Report issues with school buildings and facilities »

The City School District of New Rochelle has undertaken a process of residency verification for the 2018-2019 school year. The following is a Q&A about the process, along with a letter to the community from the Board of Education: 

Residency Verification Q&A 

Letter from the New Rochelle Board of Education,  August 8 2018 

Preguntas y Respuestas, Verificación de Residencia 

Carta de la Junta de Educación de New Rochelle, 8 de Agosto 2018 

Please take this brief survey on the skills and experiences the next permanent New Rochelle High School principal should possess. The City School District of New Rochelle  has retained consultants School Leadership LLC to conduct a search for candidates. The results will help guide School Leadership and the District in the search.

Principal survey in English

Principal survey in Spanish