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District News and Announcements

NRHS Offices Move to House 4 Temporarily; Most Summer School Classes at ALMS

Administrative offices and most operations at New Rochelle High School have been moved to House 4 until late July while crews ramp up construction and replace electrical switchgear equipment in other areas of the building.

Most NRHS summer school classes have been moved to Albert Leonard Middle School at 25 Gerada Lane. There will be shuttle bus service from NRHS to ALMS for summer school classes. The buses will leave from North Avenue by the Huguenot Children's Library (near Eastchester Road) on the following schedule: 8:00, 10:00 and 12:00. Buses will leave ALMS at 10:30, 12:30 and 2:30, returning to North Avenue.

Other NRHS business, including picking up transcripts, will take place in House 4, where internet service and phone lines have been re-routed.

House 4 will also be the temporary home of the District’s re-registration process, which begins this summer with incoming ninth-graders.

Power was turned off in most of the building on June 26 to allow crews to replace the equipment. The work is part of Phase II of the $106.5 million bond project approved by voters in 2016. The $46 million phase is on course to be completed later this year.

Access to House 4 is off North and Braemar avenues or from the end of Flandreau Avenue. The building’s main entrance at 265 Clove Road is temporarily closed to the staff and the general public.

The NRHS administrative office can still be reached at (914) 576-4500.

For questions on the construction, contact Director of Facilities Carl Thurnau, cthurnau@nredlearn.org, (914) 576-4222.

City School District of New Rochelle
Congratulations, Class of 2018!

The New Rochelle High School Class of 2018 graduated Thursday afternoon in a commencement ceremony filled with advice, encouragement and challenges for the students to be the best that they can be.

“I call on the Class of 2018 to find a path that each of you finds genuinely purposeful,” valedictorian Elijah Pomerantz said to the sea of 670 fellow purple-robed seniors on the high school’s McKenna Field. “Standing on the precipice of adulthood, we all have to decide what this next chapter of our lives will bring. Whether we are heading off to college, to work or to serve our nation, we are all poised to begin our adult years auspiciously.”

An incoming member of Princeton University’s freshman class, Pomerantz was one of 15 graduating seniors who will attend Ivy League colleges in the fall. The class completed a sweep of the prestigious schools, sending at least one student to each of the eight ivies – including eight students to Cornell University alone.

Pomerantz and salutatorian Randall St. Louis remarked on the wide range of passions and skills exhibited by the class.

“As I look out at this crowd in front of me,” said St. Louis, who will attend Harvard University, “I see future scientists who have grown out of the Science Research Program, future athletes who have started their careers with championships here, future artists and performers from the PAVE program who will soon be walking red carpets, future engineers who will take us deeper into the age of technology and future leaders who I hope to see on ballots later in life.”

Class President Ever-Maat Mack challenged her fellow graduates and the families and friends present to think about “privilege and perspective.”

“If you can’t understand where others are coming from, you can’t empathize,” she said. “We should strive to treat each other with a certain level of unconditional respect.”

Principal Reginald Richardson said the seniors had faced challenges and had shown themselves to be “passionate, intelligent, articulate and resilient.”

“Because of you, I am filled with hope and optimism for the future,” he said. “Because of you, I can see a world much better than the one we have today.”

Board of Education Vice President Jeffrey Hastie also addressed the graduates, telling them that they have shown courage and kindness this year.

“The most impressive takeaway for me is your sense of now,” Hastie said. “Now is your time to action. Now is your time to speak. Now is your time to do. You are not waiting your turn, asking for permission. Nor should you. You will shape your future and no one else. Such a conviction at any age is inspiring, but more so in the young.”

Schools Superintendent Dr. Brian Osborne told the graduates that they are ready to shape, “even radically alter,” the world.

“Graduates, whatever you do next, learn as much as you possibly can in every possible way,” he said. “Your education is not a place you attend or a class you take. It’s how you ultimately make sense of the world and your place in it. May you take the critical thinking and deeply held core values that are so embodied by New Rochelle, and bring all your joy, creativity and compassion to lead us to a better tomorrow.”
City School District of New Rochelle
Voters Approve 2018-2019 School Budget

Voters Approve 2018-2019 proposed budget for City School District of New Rochelle

The $270,381,160 spending plan maintains existing programs, invests in social-emotional supports, safety and security measures, and adds teaching positions

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (June 19, 2018) – Residents today approved the City School District of New Rochelle’s proposed $270,381,160 budget for the 2018-2019 school year that stays within the state tax cap. The plan preserves programming and includes funds for several positions and safety measures.

The vote was 1,757 – 1,004. The results remain unofficial pending the counting of absentee ballots.

The cap on the increase in the tax levy – the amount of money to be raised by property taxes – was 2.231 percent. The budget kept the increase to that level by cutting $3.4 million from the tax levy that was included in the $272.8 million budget that voters rejected in May.

The tax levy in the now-approved budget is $209,002,162. That is an increase of $4,560,520 over the levy of $204,441,642 in the 2017-2018 budget.

“This budget will serve the District well,” said Superintendent Dr. Brian Osborne. “By allocating resources responsibly, the budget preserves our programs, provides for necessary additions and also protects the fiscal health that we have worked so hard to improve in recent years.”

The newly adopted budget carries an estimated tax rate of $785.72 per $1,000 of assessed value. That’s an increase of $21 per $1,000, or 2.75 percent. The current rate is $764.72 per $1,000. The tax bill for a home assessed at $16,000, the city average, will be an estimated $12,571.52, an increase of $335.95. Such a home has an estimated market value of $695,000.

All necessary programs, faculty and staff positions currently in place for this school year are maintained in the proposed budget. It adds four school counselors at New Rochelle High School, one in each house. It also adds teaching positions to address pressing student needs. They include 2.1 English as a New Language teacher FTEs split among Albert Leonard Middle School, Isaac E. Young Middle School and William B. Ward Elementary School); three special education teachers (one each at New Rochelle High School, ALMS and IEYMS); and one special education teaching assistant and one special education aide (both at the high school).

A sum of $200,000 is included for additional safety measures that have been recommended by the Task Force on Reducing Violence in the Lives of Children and Youth and that will be recommended in a security assessment being conducted by the global firm Guidepost Solutions.

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.

City School District of New Rochelle
ALMS PTA Hosts Science Festival

Science experiments, games and exhibits enthralled students, parents and teachers at the Albert Leonard Middle School PTA Science Festival on June 5. Hosted by the PTA's STEAM Committee, it was the first science festival at the school in recent history. Among those taking part in the educational festivities was Albot, a robot created by the LEGO League Robotics Club at ALMS.

"The festival was a huge success and exceeded any and all initial expectations," said ALMS Principal John Barnes. "We give great thanks to the PTA steering committee who secured the grant and worked so hard to plan every aspect of the event. In addition, we had many Albert Leonard Middle School faculty members who participated in the event from planning to volunteering, and we thank the many fabulous high school, middle school and elementary school students who volunteered their time setting up, hosting experiments, distributing food and sharing their work with us."

Participating in the Science Festival were: the BioBus, which brings science exploration to students; IDEA New Rochelle, which promotes arts and technology; Mercy College's Center for STEM Education; It Takes a Village to Educate a Child, which offers STEM camps; We Future Cycle; Sarah Lawrence College Center for the Urban River at Beczak; and MacInspires. Interactive tables offered demonstrations of DNA extraction, shibori tie-dye technique, physics experiments and more.

The event was part of a national PTA program in which 30 schools across the United States were awarded a grant from Bayer.
City School District of New Rochelle
Seniors Receive Awards in Two Ceremonies

New Rochelle High School seniors received awards for academics, service, overcoming obstacles and many other achievements, all to the cheers and applause of classmates and family members in the Whitney M. Young Jr. Auditorium on Monday. The honors were given out in two sessions, the Senior Awards Assembly in the morning and the Senior Awards Ceremony in the evening.

"Seniors, congratulations for all of your honors," English teacher Lakia Robinson said after she was chosen by the class as the honored faculty member in the morning session. "May you continue to explore and excel, continue to push the boundaries and inspire everyone around you."

"Our students have proven to be talented, resilient and ambitious," said Dr. Magda Parvey, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, during the evening ceremony. "Our students are service-oriented, activists and leaders in their own right."

The awards come from each school academic department, community organizations and private scholarship funds. In addition to academics, awards were given out in a wide range of categories, such as political activism and recruiting blood donors.

For a full list of the awards, what they are given for and who received them, click here.

City School District of New Rochelle
IEYMS Choir Earns Second in Regional Competition

The Isaac E. Young Middle School's Castle Choir sang their way to second place in the regional Music in the Parks competition in Connecticut, performing "Alterations" by Andrea Ramsey and "Dona Nobis Pacem" by Mary Lynn Lightfoot.

Thirty-six IEYMS seventh and eighth graders performed in the festival at Central Connecticut State University on June 1. They competed with 12 other middle school groups. After the performance the IEYMS singers enjoyed the afternoon in the Nutmeg State, visiting Lake Compounce amusement park in Bristol.
City School District of New Rochelle
Watch May 30 Task Force Meeting Here

Dr. Jonathan Brice, chair of the Task Force on Reducing Violence in the Lives of Children and Youth, presented the Task Force's report of recommendations to the New Rochelle Board of Education, the New Rochelle City Council and the community on May 30 in City Council chambers. View the meeting by clicking on the link below.

Special thanks to the City of New Rochelle for recording the meeting and providing the video.

http://newrochelle.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?publish_id=a8286dba-6479-11e8-8074-00505691de41

City School District of New Rochelle
Adopted 2018-19 Budget Stays Within Tax Cap
The New Rochelle Board of Education tonight (5/29) adopted a new 2018-2019 budget that stays within the state tax cap while preserving educational programs and allowing for additional student social-emotional support and safety measures.

With input and direction from the Board of Education, the budget, proposed by the Superintendent, removed $3.4 million from the tax levy that was included in the $272.8 million spending plan rejected by voters on May 15. The reduction was needed to produce a budget with a tax levy increase that stays at or below the state cap of 2.231 percent for New Rochelle.

"This budget protects the District's core strategic priorities and avoids any unnecessary cuts that would directly impact students," Superintendent Dr. Brian Osborne said. "It also allows the District to stay within the tax cap and maintain the fiscal health that we have worked so hard to improve."

The measures total $3,398,617 in savings, reductions and additional revenue. They are:

$736,867: Foregoing the planned addition of three psychologists and three social workers.

$642,219: Foregoing the inclusion of several contingent positions placed in the budget for unexpected needs.

$200,000: A reduction from the initial $420,000 set aside to implement safety and security recommendations from the Task Force on Reducing Violence in the Lives of Children and Youth and from Guidepost Solutions. (The proposed budget allocates $200,000 for the recommendations.)

$598,778: Savings from a retirement incentive offered earlier this year that were not known when the initial budget was presented.

$245,069: Savings in technology purchasing by eliminating redundancy and products that are under-used.

$975,684: Appropriation from the employee retirement system reserve fund.

The new plan retains the addition of four high school counselors, one in each house, to address the need for social and emotional development. It would also retain the addition of 2.1 full-time equivalent (FTE) English as a New Language teachers divided among Albert Leonard Middle School, Isaac E. Young Middle School and William B. Ward Elementary School; three special education teachers (one each at the high school and each of the middle schools); and a teaching assistant and education aide, both in special education, also for the high school.

A public hearing on the budget will be held June 5, also at 7 p.m. in the high school library. The plan will be put to a public vote on June 19.

If voters reject the second budget, the District must adopt a contingency budget, which restricts the tax levy to the same size as this year's - $204,441,642. To reach that level, the District would need to cut about $4.5 million more - or nearly $8 million from the initial proposed budget. The District would need to consider measures such as forgoing capital expenses for security infrastructure and cafeteria improvements, eliminating non-mandated transportation, reducing athletics and extracurricular activities, cutting staff positions, increasing class sizes and diminishing elective class offerings.

Find the proposed budget here.
City School District of New Rochelle
Message on Task Force Report from Board President Rachel Relkin

The following is an email that New Rochelle Board of Education President Rachel Relkin sent to the community on the morning of May 25, 2018:

Dear New Rochelle Community,

I am writing to inform you that the Task Force on Reducing Violence in the Lives of Children and Youth has released its final report of recommendations. You can find the report on the City School District of New Rochelle website at www.nred.org.

For anyone who would like to learn more about the recommendations, Dr. Jonathan Brice, the Task Force chair, will present the report at a public meeting at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 30, in the New Rochelle City Council Chambers, City Hall, 515 North Avenue.

This is an important milestone for our community, and the Board of Education looks forward to delving into the recommendations provided. In the meantime, I want to thank Dr. Brice and the dozens of community members who devoted their time, knowledge, experience and dedication toward this vital project. I would also like to thank the members of the public who offered their questions and comments in emails to the Task Force and in the April 14 public meeting.

I am grateful that we can all work together to continue building a community where our children and teenagers can feel secure, experience the joy of learning and grow into healthy young adults.

Sincerely,

Rachel Relkin

President

New Rochelle Board of Education

City School District of New Rochelle
Watch Tonight's Board of Education Meeting

View the New Rochelle Board of Education meeting at 7 p.m. tonight here:

http://nred.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2

City School District of New Rochelle