WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. July 4, 2008: Asbestos removal has begun and bids are being sought by the White Plains City School District for a complete new gymnasium floor at Post Road School due to flooding at the beginning of June. The flooding, Assistant Superintendent of Business Fred Seiler said, was  caused by the contractor (Unitek) building the new Post Road School failing to make adequate drainage provisions while putting in footings for the new school foundation.

Construction on the new Post Road School footings installation has been identified as the cause of the flooding of the Post Road School Gymnasium (to be incorporated into the new school under construction), requiring replacement of the gymnasium floor.

WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. July 1, 2008: WPCNR has learned that White Plains teacher negotiations on a new contract have been suspended through the summer and will not resume until the fall. A source close to the negotiations, speaking on condition of anonymity, told WPCNR there will be no agreement until teachers return to work in September because the teachers' contract specifically forbid any vote on a contract during the summer.

A vote on a teachers' contract can only occur while the contract is in effect from September 1 through June 30, the source said. The source said the current items under discussion are salary and medical benefits. The source said the teachers were particularly annoyed at the increases in the salaries of 42 full-time Coordinators, Directors and principals and assistants who received $444,553 in salary increases for 2008-2009, an average of 7.5%, and an average raise in pay of $10,584. Though no salary figures have emerged from the clandestine negtiations, the teacher salaries in last year's contract were held at 3.2% across all steps, substantially less than 7.5%. Some administrators received salary increases over 10%

Our contact said that the current contract for 2007-2008 would remain in effect until a new contract is negotiated and approved. The last time this happened, they recalled was in 1999-2000,

WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. July 1, 2008:  John Silvanie, President of White Plains Bus Company told WPCNR today he saw no relief in sight for the 50% increase in diesel fuel prices his company is facing due to the runup in diesel fuel.  He told WPCNR his company is locked in to a transit contract with the White Plains  City School District that entitles his company to fee increases tied strictly to the state Consumer Price Index, which he said this year is 4%. 

 The district is presently protected against school bus transportation increases, however they face possible monthly increases in their cost of electricity from the New York Power Authority. (The authority has the right to increase the cost of electricity they sell the district, at one third less than consumers pay, a spokesperson told WPCNR last week.)

Silvanie said that the State School Bus Contractors Association and other school districts across the state are mobilizing an effort to get the state legislature to provide more school aid to offset the doubling of transportation fuel costs.  A bill has been introduced in the Assembly by Assemblyman Peter Rivera to roll back fuel taxes for school bus operations (the state gets 70 cents a gallon for every gallon of diesel fuel), and also force school districts into a 4-day school week to conserve fuel costs. Presently the legislature is on vacation, and expects to be on vacation the rest of the year, pending the governor’s calling them back into session.

WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. July 1, 2008 UPDATED 3:15 P.M. EDT: An announcement of a possible new contract with the White Plains Teachers union which expired at midnight last night, will not be announced tonight at the Reorganization an the first meeting of the 2008-2009 Board of Education. Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors and White Plains Teachers Association President Kerry Broderick have not returned calls as of noon today from WPCNR asking whether  a new tentative contract has been reached.

A member of the Board of Education has informed the CitizeNetReporter  moments ago that an agreement has not been reached yet, noting that  "There is no settlement yet and discussions are progressing.  There is no impasse.  It just hasnt happened yet."

New member of the School Board Randy Stein, left, and re-elected member Rosemarie Eller right will be sworn in this evening and a new Board of Education President appointed.

The School District will hold its Reorganization Meeting for the coming school year this evening, followed by a regular school board meeting of the newly constituted Board The new Board is expected to approve a series of consultant spending contracts totaling $822,404.

The Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors will discuss test scores and the capital improvement project, and the Board expects to approve the purchase of Infinite Campus a new “student information system” that is expected to provide at last, longitudinal Kindergarten through high school individual and collective student performance by grade and class,on in-district academics and state achievement tests, vastly improving the district ability to gauge the effectiveness of their curriculum and teacher performances.

In spending approvals, the Board is expected to approve contracts for a Hearing Officer for $60,000; Donna Klein & Associates for Occupational Therapy Evaluations and Services for $300,000; Blythedale Children’s Hospital for Occupational and Physical Therapy Evaluations and Services for $150,000; MBF Investigative Services for residency investigations/surveillance and special assignments to verify legal residency of students for $60,000; and to the Children’s Literacy Initiative for 2008-2009 for $252,374.

The agenda:

            WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. From New York State Education Department. (Edited) June 24, 2008: Achievement in grades 3-8 math and English has improved overall this year, according to State test results announced today by Regents Chancellor Robert M. Bennett and State Education Commissioner Richard Mills.

            This year, 81 percent of students across grades 3-8 achieved the math standards, compared to 73 percent last year, while 69 percent of students achieved the English standards, compared to 63 percent last year.

            Fewer students also are showing serious academic problems in grades 3-8 in both math and English. A more detailed breakdown of results as well as school by school results is available on the web at www.nysed.gov .

            College book awards:  Lorena Hoyos received the Barnard Book Award; Petergayle Patterson, Bryn Mawr College President’s Book Award; Danielle Solinski, Colgate Book Award; Max Chapnick, Columbia University Book Award; Tania Noriega, Cornell University Book Award; Jacob Paul,  Harvard Prize Book Award; Rebecca Neubardt, Mt. Holyoke Book Award; Rachel Fishkis, Oberlin  College Alumni Book Award; Anshu Hemrajani, Princeton Book Award; Stephen Zachary Sorrow,  Rutgers University Book Award; Paul Insinna and Sarah Lorden, Saint Michael’s College Book Awards; Minuse Thelsuma, Smith College Club Book Award; Caroline Couzens, University of Pennsylvania Book Award; Sandra Bonilla, Wellesley College Book Award; Jeanie Chen, Williams College Book Award; and Victor Brady, Yale Book Award.

            In other presentations, Melissa Hidalgo received the Rensselaer Medal; Fernando Luo received the Rochester Institute of Technology Award; Victor Brady received the University of Rochester Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science Award; Liscare Castro received the University of Rochester  Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony Award in Humanities & Social Sciences; Shamique White Received the University of Rochester George Eastman Young Leader Award; and Elie Rosen  received the University of Rochester Xerox Award for Innovation & Information Technology.

WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. June 10, 2008: Fred Seiler, Assistant Superintendent for Business for the White Plains City School District announced last evening that the school district has locked in a 4.31% interest rate on the first $50 Million of construction bonds to pay for the new Post Road School, and the Mamaroneck Avenue School renovations.

Seiler told WPCNR the interest rate originally estimated was 5%, so the district will realize a modest savings on the debt service associated with the bonds in the 2008-2009 school budget ( estimated as $1,573,005 Million in January, 2008), but he has not figured out precisely the saving. (The district begins paying the principle and interest on the first $50 Million of the bond in the 2008-2009 year) Seiler said the interest rate is locked in with the bidders.

Seiler says that the district will offer the final $16 Million in bonds  in the 2009-2010 year, where the district may be forced into higher interest rates. By putting the first $50 Million out for bids this spring, the school district appears to have had excellent timing and saved money. (The Federal Reserve Bank is reported today as announcing a higher prime rate to take effect in August).  Seiler explained the delay in the $16 Million going out to market, by reporting that the state prohibits districts from financing projects that have not begun yet.

Seiler reported the new Post Road School project was having foundations poured at the present time, and was on schedule to open in the fall of 2009.

WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. June 9, 2008: After digesting Governor David Patterson’s introduction of a bill to implement a 4% cap on property tax increases across the state, on the heels of the Suozzi Commission Preliminary Report on Property Tax Reform last week, Westchester County Executive Andrew  Spano issued a statement to WPCNR Friday saying it does not go far enough, saying that it is state mandated spending that needs to be capped – not property taxes.

On another front, those most affected, the school districts, Superintendent of Schools for the City of White Plains, Timothy Connors said that the district was examining the proposals, but that it was too early in the legislative process to evaluate  how a property tax cap would impact the White Plains district.

WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. June 3,2008; The New York State Commission on Property Tax Relief called for a 4% Tax Levy Cap across school districts yesterday, an aggressive Circuit Breaker program to replace the state STAR Basic and Enhanced Relief programs, and a new budget voting process where school district budgets would only have to go before voters if the proposed budget exceeded the budget cap. The Commission also provided for the voters of a district to place an “underride” vote on theballot to keep the levy growth to a level beneath the calculated levy cap.

The Report, 124 pages in length, was forwarded to the media by John Reid, the Executive Director of the Commission. The  "Final" report is due to the Governor by December 1, (after the elections). This delays any reform in property taxes to the 2010-2011 tax year, at the earliest, by WPCNR estimates.

WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. May 21, 2008: The voters of White Plains passed the City School District 2008-2009 budget Tuesday by the slenderest margin in years Tuesday, 1,107 votes to 1,002, a passing margin of 5%. The $184.4 Million budget passed in all districts except  Battle Hill. The number of voters voting on the budget  yesterday was 515 more than 2007 (2, 109 compared to 1,594 voters in 2007).

Rosemarie Eller (right) won her second three year term on the Board  and  Dr. Randy Stein was elected to her first. Eller polled 1,401 votes, Stein, 1,262 and Charles Morgan, 886.

WPCNR Quill & Eyeshade. By John F. Bailey. May 15, 2008: Administrators  of the White Plains City School District  (Principals, House Administrators, Directors and academic Coordinators will receive  an average 5% increases in salaries for 2008-2009 with some receiving 13% or more in the new 2008-2009 school budget, coming to a vote this Tuesday, May 20, in White Plains.

Increases for the White Plains City School District Administrators  described in "The Big Yellow Book" pictured above, ranged from 2.6% to 15% in a year when the inflation rate as measured by the state was 2.8% according to the statement of property taxes and school budget comparisons being mailed to White Plains taxpayers this week. In the budget process, district budget crafters said the local New York Metropolitan area inflation rate was 3.3% according to the state.

The year to year increases for the salaried administrators makes up 11% ($444,553)  of the $4.2 Million  increase in salaries in the 2008-2009 budget.  Salaries of  all 1,200 plus employees and part-time employees make up  $100.1 Million of the $184.4 Million proposed budget. Fringe Benefits, another  $39 Million.  Negotiations with the White Plains Teachers are still continuing, but are expected to be settled within the salary  increase estimate plugged into the 2008-2009 Budget ($4.2 Million) – about 3.5% -- perhaps with some givebacks.

WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. May 13, 2008: The White Plains Board of Education considers itself to be “mindful” of the $184.4 Million school budget pressure on White Plains taxpayers, but offered no assurances or plans to rein in district costs next year. The Superintendent of Schools, Timothy Connors, entering the last year of his current contract in June said property tax relief was up to Albany legislators to have “courage” to establish a separate commercial property tax rate.  

Superintendent of Schools, Timothy Connors, explaining a fine point of the school budget last night at the public hearing on the $184.4 Million Budget. President of Board of Education, Donna Mclaughlin, is at right.

The School District in a second public meeting opportunity to report the state STAR cuts,  did not disclose the additional $200 increase in property taxes White Plains taxpayers (and taxpayers across the state) will pay automatically as a result of the state legislature quietly  cutting the Basic and Enhanced Star Exemptions by 10%, the largest cut the exemptions have taken since their inception  in 1997– despite having two public meetings in which to make full disclosure of this secret cut.

WPCNR MR. & MRS. & Ms. White Plains Poll. May 4, 2008: The recent poll on taxes has indicated that 93% of 346 respondents feel the present 7% annual increase in city and school taxes combined cannot be sustained. The school tax increase is 8.6%  (not 6% as reported by the district newsletter) thanks to the secret BASIC STAR Cut and Enhanced STAR cuts the legisature passed quietly April 14 (and still after three weeks, no other media other than WPCNR has reported this legislative sleight of hand). In their newsletter the school district describes the tax rate increase as 5.98%, failing to mention that the amount of your taxes for a median home is a fat 8.6%.  The $15,000 Assessed home paid $7012 in school taxes this year, and in 2008-2009 will pay $7,618.

Since the people have no control over the city budget, but can vote on whether to approve the school budget, we'd like to know how the public feels. Should White Plains send the school district a message to cut by voting down the school budget, effectively cutting the budget about $700,000 according to the School District newsletter, holding the budget to a 3.36% increase? .

The vote comes up May 20. There will be a public hearing on the School Budget May 12, 2008.