City School District of New Rochelle
News & Updates
January 29, 2021
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Budget Planning Kicks Off; Public Vote Set May 18
Click above to view budget presentation from Tuesday's meeting.
The 2021-2022 school budget season is underway in the City School District of New Rochelle with the adoption of a calendar of dates to discuss expenditures and revenues, and to then adopt a final budget before the public vote on May 18.

Assistant Superintendent for Business Gregory Kern presented the calendar at the Board of Education meeting Tuesday evening. He also presented some preliminary figures, noting that Governor Andrew Cuomo has projected an $15 billion shortfall in the state’s budget, and that the Governor has asked for the same amount from the federal government to fill the gap.

After a year of struggling with a pandemic that has taken its toll around the globe, the District faces some difficult figures. As it stands, state aid figures would give New Rochelle $588,937 less than in the current year, for a total of $49,363,834, based on the executive budget.

The consumer price index, a factor in determining the tax cap each year, is 1.23%, its lowest since 2016.

The District will calculate and file the tax cap calculation with the New York State Comptroller on March 1. The preliminary District budget is scheduled to be presented at the Board of Education meeting the following evening, March 2. The public portion begins at 7 p.m.

The budget calendar also includes the earlier Board of Education meetings on February 2 and 23 as occasions when the budget could potentially be discussed. A final budget is scheduled to be adopted on April 20. The budget vote and school board election will be on Tuesday, May 18.

Meetings are currently held via Zoom. Any changes in that format will be announced in subsequent e-newsletters and other channels. The full calendar follows here:

February 2, Tuesday: BOE regular meeting, public session 7 p.m.
February 15 – 19: Schools closed – Mid-Winter Recess
February 23, Tuesday: BOE committee of the whole, public session 7 p.m.
March 1, Monday: Tax Cap filed with the NYS Office of the State Comptroller
March 2, Tuesday: BOE regular meeting, public session 7 p.m. Tentative presentation of preliminary School District Budget
March 9, Tuesday: (Tentative) School Budget Review Session, 7 p.m.
Part I – Community discussion is invited.
March 16, Tuesday: (Tentative) School Budget Review Session, 7 p.m.
Part II – Community discussion is invited.
March 23, Tuesday: BOE committee of the whole, public session, 7 p.m.
Part III – Community discussion is invited.
April 6, Tuesday: BOE regular meeting, 7 p.m.
April 20, Tuesday: BOE special meeting: 7 p.m.
**ADOPTION OF 2021-2022 BUDGET** (Legal deadline: Friday, April 23.)
Board votes on resolutions pertaining to BOCES 2021-2022 Administrative Budget and Trustees;
Board approval of Property Tax Report Card
May 4, Tuesday: Public Hearing on the Proposed 2021-2022 Annual school budget (Ed. Law 1716)
(BOE meeting follows immediately.)
May 18, Tuesday: Budget Vote and BOE Election
May 19, Wednesday: BOE committee of the whole
Official canvas of the Returns of the Annual School Election/Budget Vote
Above: A moment from the Quest for Justice kickoff event last Sunday.
60 Years Later, Landmark
Lincoln School Case
Offers Lesson, Inspiration
New Rochelle residents and local officials gathered virtually Sunday, January 24, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the decision in the landmark Lincoln School desegregation case.

The January 24,1961 ruling by Judge Irving R. Kaufman of the Southern District of New York agreed with claims by the parents of 11 Black students that the New Rochelle Board of Education had created and maintained a racially segregated school. The case drew national attention as the first desegregation case filed, and won, in a northern city.
The Lincoln Park Conservancy, Inc., a nonprofit organization that seeks to preserve the history of the Lincoln School and Lincoln Avenue corridor, held the Quest for Justice kickoff event on Facebook LIVE via Zoom.

“The mission of the Lincoln Park Conservancy is to preserve, document, educate and promote the rich history of the Lincoln Avenue corridor and the City of New Rochelle at large,” said Executive Director Linda Tarrant-Reid.

The Lincoln School ruling led to the school board submitting a desegregation plan in compliance with the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court ruling. Lincoln School was torn down in 1964, but its attendance zone has never been erased. As the resolution to the segregation issue, students from the zone attend four other elementary schools based on parents’ preferences and schools’ available space.
During the commemoration, 21 state, county and local leaders and other speakers provided presentations. The virtual conference kicked off a series of events, Quest for Justice – A 60-Year Commemoration of the Lincoln School Decision – 1961-2021 including an exhibit entitled Struggle – An Exhibit of Our Times which opens at the Rotunda Gallery in City Hall and virtually on YouTube on February 15. 

The Rev. Gwen Hall, whose mother Barbara Hall was one of the Lincoln School parent litigants, delivered remarks, and filmmaker Arden Lewis introduced a clip of her documentary, Leveling Lincoln, about the case. (A screening of the Leveling Lincoln, about the children of the desegregation case, is scheduled for May.)
 
“I thank God for the fortitude, tenacity, strength and courage that He gave those five families,” said Hall. “I thank God for you today because you continue in that strength, that fortitude, that courage and that tenacity to ensure quality education for all of our children.”

New York State Senator and Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins was one of several state legislators who offered remarks.

“I commend the Conservancy for telling the story and bringing forward the people who are instrumental in what was a critical, important and impressive turn of events because of the ideals of this Constitution and because of the system of democracy, but mostly because of the parents who refused to take less of what this dream was,” she said.
Student Daniel Colangelo watches Chef George work his magic at Juliano's Caterers.
Special Ed Students Getting Hands-On
Culinary Training
At Juliano's
A group of New Rochelle special education students are learning the culinary arts and restaurant operations in an actual catering hall that is a mainstay of the community.

In a partnership with the Culinary Tech Center of White Plains, students train and work at Juliano’s Caterers on Main Street.

This year, 12 students are working in the kitchen learning how to prepare and cook food, clean their workstations, and work as a team in a culinary setting. They are also making valuable connections. 

“I really like it, I am learning to cook and clean in the kitchen,” said student William Monzon. “The chef is my best friend.”

Their time in the kitchen and catering hall help them to fulfill their program requirements while gaining invaluable practical experience to help them enter the workforce. A speech clinician provides support for the program, helping the students reach communication goals which are also important for their success.

“This is a remarkable opportunity for our students to participate in educational and vocational training that is so critical for the transition into adulthood,” said Director of Special Education Dara Joseph. 

As a nationally accredited vocational training school specializing in Culinary Arts and Hospitality programs, the Culinary Tech Center provides the students with the opportunity to learn in a real-world setting with emphasis on teamwork and professionalism. Juliano’s, which has catered events for 30 years, is an ideal establishment for the program.

“We are very fortunate that this is a great facility to work in,” said Joseph Monaco, Vice President of the Culinary Tech Center. “The kids are able to get real hands-on experience each day.”
Dr. Anastasia Tzortzatos
New Director of Technology Draws On Extensive Experience
Dr. Anastasia Tzortzatos, an educator and technology leader with years of experience in Long Island schools, will take the position of Director of Technology for the City School District of New Rochelle on February 8.

Dr. Tzortzatos most recently served as the Executive Director of Instructional Technology and Data Privacy Officer for Carle Place schools, but was drawn to the New Rochelle district, she said.

“Its large population, diversity of students and the organizational structure of the District itself will allow me to fulfill my dream of implementing positive changes to help the maximum number of students,” she said. 

In addition to the duties of ensuring appropriate technology is available to both students and staff and managing department budgets, Dr. Tzortzatos hopes to create a more immersive environment for students.

“Dr. Tzortzatos’ expertise and innovative vision made her the perfect candidate for our Director of Technology position,” said Interim Superintendent Dr. Alex Marerro. “I look forward to collaborating with her and the administration team to enhance our technology offerings to ensure our students receive the best education possible.” 

Positions Dr. Tzortzatos held before joining the Carle Place schools in 2017 included Director of Library Media Services and Technology Integration at the Uniondale schools and Program Specialist with Nassau County Board of Cooperative Education Services. As an educator, she served as an English as a second language teacher for 12 years in the Lawrence Public Schools in Cedarhurst.

For New Rochelle, her vision includes equipping departments, including art and science, with the technology and creative space to ensure students graduate from the District college- and career-ready. 

“Often, the focus is on preparing students for a standard four-year collegiate education. While that's an important goal, we cannot overlook the students whose post-graduate goals include entering the workforce or pursuing a technical degree,” Dr. Tzortzatos said. “I hope to create maker spaces that offer an ‘imaginative touch’ where students can explore in their free time and develop skills to give them a competitive edge in areas such as graphic design, programming and more.

"If we can create pathways to give students a head start in the working world, why wouldn’t we?”
Bold Ideas Discussed
At 'Civics Symposium'
In the annual New Rochelle High School Civics Symposium this week, intellectual heavy hitters discussed and debated proposals from students to improve their community – including a suggestion to radically redesign the City School District of New Rochelle grade structure.

Having gleaned ideas and data from communities around the country, teams of students from Tim Kuklis’ Advanced Placement U.S. Government and Politics class proposed bike lanes, community policing and a required NRHS course in African-American history. Perhaps the boldest idea presented was to invert the District, repurposing the high school – and City Hall – as centralized elementary schools while converting the current grade schools into themed high schools with focuses such as law, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and technical training.

Bringing together the youngest students from around the District would help erase disparities, “providing all students with the same start,” said Zoe Seward, one of the students presenting the idea, called the Princeton Plan 2.0.

The annual event, presented by the New Rochelle Fund for Educational Excellence in partnership with the NRHS social studies department, brings professors and other thinkers to the table to discuss the students’ ideas. This year, it was presented virtually on Zoom. Hugh Price, a former President of the National Urban League and one of the panelists, praised the Princeton Plan students for a “thoughtful and thought-provoking idea” but asked if there was a less extreme way to close achievement gaps: “Is there a path of less resistance with a similar outcome?”

Seward said the other end of the plan – the themed high schools – will engage students more.

“When students are allowed to choose where they learn and what they learn, they put their best into it,” she said.

Students advocating for more bike lanes in New Rochelle touted health and environmental benefits. Student Neil Costa recognized that a bike-share program in New Rochelle was discontinued not long ago, but he felt another push could make it work.

“With more bike lanes, it could make a very successful comeback,” he said.

(Indeed, the city is planning to reintroduce the program this year.)

Professor Alexander R. Eodice, chairman of the Iona College Philosophy Department, questioned whether there was demand for bike lanes and asked if narrow streets would become less safe if lanes were carved from the scarce space.

The team presenting The Inclusion Project advocated for an African-American Studies high school class that would be a required course. Students said the existing teachings about African-American studies focus on the same few figures, slavery and segregation.

“There have been other black leaders in the United States,” said student Ava Vernor. “There have been Black movements since Martin Luther King.”

New Rochelle City Councilwoman Yadira Ramos-Herbert, one of the panelists, took the idea further.
“It has to be more than a course,” she said. “It has to start with kindergarten.”

Kuklis started off by asking audience members to give serious thought to the students' ideas.

“I ask that you please give the ideas presented today serious consideration,” he said. “Talk to your friends and neighbors about these ideas. Write a letter to the City Council or to the Board of Education expressing your opinions – or do more.”

Jonathan Stark, Chair of the NR Fund, said the Civics Symposium has long been a highlight of the Fund’s enrichment programming at NRHS. "The high caliber of the students’ research and their discussions with the panel shows that we can take pride in our students and their teachers,” he said.
Eva Singletary shows the model she created of the layers of a human heart's wall; Leo Adams cuts onions tearlessly with the aid of an unlit match.
Science Fair Showcases
Students' Research
They explored the damage viruses inflict on the heart, found that thyme can grow in the dark and proved a great-grandmother’s kitchen tip that an unlit match can help a cook cut an onion without shedding tears.

Those were just some of the 28 research projects from 30 City School District of New Rochelle students who presented their research in New Rochelle’s Second Annual Science Research Fair. Featuring students in fourth through eighth grades, the fair was held on Zoom last Saturday. Visitors hopped from room to room, learning a thing or two about medicine, the environment or physics before moving to the next.

Albert Leonard Middle School eighth-grader Eva Singletary, an aspiring cardiothoracic surgeon, probed viruses in the heart’s three layers: the pericardium, the myocardium and the endocardium. She looked at the afflictions that cause swelling of the layers.

“Endocarditis is the most serious,” she said. “The farther you go into the heart, the more dangerous it is.”

Isaac E. Young Middle School sixth-grader Alivia Smith learned that thyme plants will grow in the dark, albeit much less than those nurtured by light. But that wasn’t the most unexpected result of her study.

“The most surprising thing about this is that the plants actually grew faster in artificial light than sunlight,” said Smith, whose project took third place in the Life Sciences category.

The fair was started last year by the Foundation for Science Research in New Rochelle, to supplement and prepare students for New Rochelle High School’s Science Research Program. By participating, the younger students are eligible to compete in the Tri-County Science and Technology Fair in April.

“Whether or not you receive an award today, you have all won because you’ve made it here, and that’s an extraordinary accomplishment,” Jeff Wuebber, the head of the Science Research Program and fair emcee told the students. 

The youngest students in the competition were from William B. Ward Elementary School and Daniel Webster Magnet School. 

Ward fifth-grader Leo Adams showed that an unlit match can prevent tears when chopping onions. Ten subjects all cried when cutting a yellow onion without the match. With a match held in the mouth, eight subjects sliced into the pungent bulbs tearlessly. The sulfur in the match absorbed the enzyme that irritates the eyes, Adams explained.
 
“As you can see, the match was a very effective,” he said. “Only two participants cried with the match.”

The experiment, based on advice his great-grandmother gave him, earned him the Best in Category honor in the elementary division.

Webster fifth-grader Andrew Babu crystalized types of sugar to find differences in weight. Cane sugar weighed the most, at 4.49 ounces, and brown sugar weighed the least, 4.33 ounces, possibly because molasses that gives it its color dissolved in the water. Powdered sugar weighed 4.44 ounces.

Andrew was interested in the topic, he said, because “crystallization is everywhere in our daily lives.” The project earned him the Excellence in Science Communication award in the elementary division.

Board of Education member Amy Moselhi praised the students on behalf of the board.

“We are so excited to see all of you here this afternoon,” she said. “You are all part of a cohort of students who love to study, learn, investigate and think outside of the box. The sky is the limit for all of you. Stick with it and stick with science research.”
Award Winners

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
 
Best in Catetory
Leo Adams, Ward School. “The Effect of a Match on the Lachrymatory-Factor Enzyme in Onions.”
 
NR-USE Innovation Award
Lia Seelenfreund, Webster School. “Blackberry Preservation.”
 
Excellence in Science Communication
Andrew Babu, Webster School. “Super Sugar Weights.”
 
Excellence in Collaborative Research
Veronica Garrett and Nia Nkomo, Ward School. “Crystallization to Liquefaction: The Transformation of Honey.”
 
Exceptionalism in Experimental Design
Nina Kietlinski, Ward School. “What Helps it Grow.”
 
 
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Earth Science
First Place: Sameen Choudhary and Isabella Beneti, IEYMS “Testing Air Quality Around New Rochelle”
Second Place: Carlos Hernandez, ALMS “Air Pollution’s Impact on Humans”
Third Place: Karun Krish, ALMS “Biomedia Bonanza”
 
Physical Science
First Place: Noah Rosencrantz, ALMS. “The Exploding Bomb Inside Your Car!”
Second Place: Justin Craig, ALMS. “Meteor Impact: Which Material Causes the Greatest Meteor Impact?”
Third Place: Julian Belfast, ALMS. “Virtual Learning: Optimizing Low-Cost Display Screens for Better Health” and Cory Seelenfreund, ALMS. “Poker Probability.”
 
Life Science
First Place: Elena Adams, ALMS. “The Training of the Vestibular System.”
Second Place: Joseph Francois, ALMS. “What is the Effect of Ciprofoxacin on Gram Negative and Gram Positive Bacteria in the Soil?”
Third Place: Alivia Smith, IEYMS. “Thyme after Thyme.”
 
Chemistry
First Place: Sarah Alareqi, ALMS. “The Elephant Toothpaste Reaction.”
Second Place: Scarlett Hartzman, ALMS. “Backyard Rockets.”
Third Place: Mollie Aisner, ALMS. “Bath Bomb Science.”
Citizens Committee Formed to Aid
In Superintendent Search
The New Rochelle Board of Education established a 12-member Citizens Advisory Committee on Tuesday to help with the search for a new permanent Superintendent of Schools.
 
The members are: Angela Farrish, Anthoinette López Araníbar, Courtney Walker, Edwin Morales, Ghipsel Cibrian, Hank Nourse, Joe Andrews, Keith Singletary, Kenya Bynum, Meghan Moore-Wilk, Robert Jackson and Roshanie Ross.
 
Committee members were chosen from among more than 100 applicants. The Board chose a slate of members that represents all areas of the District and every school. The Board also sought members who had not served on previous District committees in order to hear from new voices in the community.
 
The committee’s mission is “to strengthen and deepen community engagement in the superintendent search process and provide feedback to the Board at regular intervals throughout the search.”
 
The Board plans to select a Superintendent in time to begin serving on July 1, 2021.
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