Last Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting featured a variety of updates and presentations, including housing construction projections for the City of New Rochelle and an outline of how the school district is working to create its 2022-23 budget, which will be presented to voters in May.
City of New Rochelle Housing
City of New Rochelle officials presented an update on the 2015 Downtown Overlay Zone, outlining approved housing construction projects and potential impacts on the school district. The 2021 update provides for additional construction over the next 20 years.
Highlights:
- 3,000 new residential units have been added in the downtown zone, for a total of 10,000 residential units
- Approved projects (7,000 units) have more studio and one-bedroom units and fewer three-bedroom units than anticipated
- Impacts to individual school enrollments are reduced from 2015 projections. Only Columbus Elementary School is expected eventually to need additional capacity
The presentation is posted on the school district website, at this link.
Budget Planning
Superintendent Jonathan Raymond presented budget assumptions and expectations that will frame and guide development of the 2022-23 school budget. In line with his 100-Day Report and previous findings, the presentation set forth a few budget priorities and will focus on supporting needs associated with wellness and unfinished learning.
Highlights of the presentation:
Safe, Welcoming, Respectful, and Rigorous School Learning Environments
- Cultivate school climates and cultures where students feel physically safe, supported, and academically challenged with a sense of identity and belonging
- Promote wellness through social and emotional skill building and supports for students and employees
Equitable Opportunities Toward College and Career
- Continue to address unfinished learning and as such, each school will provide targeted interventions in reading and math for non-proficient learners
- Expand after-school and summer learning opportunities
- All 10th-graders will take the PSAT and students will take the SAT in their junior year, with the opportunity to retake it the following year
- Design a graduate profile with aligned pre-kindergarten to 12th-grade benchmarks
- Provide more career-focused opportunities
Family and Community Engagement
- Create a Family/Community Welcome Center
- Establish Parent University
- Begin parent/teacher home visits
Organizational Excellence
- Improve teacher and staff pipelines, especially for bilingual and special education teachers, and educators of color
- Create employee mentoring and onboarding programs
The presentation can be viewed at this link on the school district website, nred.org