The State Commission on Property Tax Relief is expected to release a proposal for a property tax cap this Thursday. To demonstrate the impact of a property tax cap on school district revenues, the NYSUT Research and Educational Services Department has developed an online worksheet to estimate the cumulative impact in your school district if a tax cap had been implemented in 2005.

Click here to see how your school district would be affected.

(Courtesy of Carl Korn/New York State United Teachers)

Rockland Community College is offering a videoconference course in Arabic this summer that will be available to students at community colleges in Rockland, Orange, Sullivan and Ulster.

Syrian-born Guzide Kobati will be in a classroom at RCC, but her course will be videoconferenced to the other colleges. Over the course of the four-credit class (9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, eight weeks from June 10 to July 31), Kobati will also teach at each of the other college campuses at least once apiece.

Here’s what RCC said in a press release regarding Kobati’s feelings about course:

Ms. Kobati believes that learning Arabic eases the way for American travelers. “When students visit a very conservative Arabic community, I want them to understand not only the language, but also culture.” Kobati was troubled by the recent account of a British teacher in the Sudan who was jailed for naming a teddy bear, “Muhammed,”unaware that using that name for an animal is viewed as disrespectful. Kobati teaches her students phrases that enable them to communicate respectfully.

And here’s some background information about Kobati, who’s lived in the United States since 1992:

She was born and raised in Syria, where she spoke Turkish at home, Arabic at school and in the community. She learned English at school and by listening to the world broadcast, “Voice of America.” Her first experience teaching Arabic as a second language was as a college student in Turkey. In addition to teaching Arabic at RCC, she also works at Columbia University on a project to build an Arabic language database for computer translation.

The course is just the first semester of a one-year course, which “emphasizes the development of basic language proficiency in listening, speaking, reading and writing through intensive training in oral fluency, basic grammar and sentence structure, as well as through enrichment of cultural experiences and activities.”

RCC students must register by June 10 for Arabic I in Summer Session II.

For more information, send an e-mail to Mara Lee Bierman, professor of Spanish and coordinator of foreign languages, mbierman@sunyrockland.edu or call him at 845-574-4361.

The Mildred E. Strang Middle School 8th grade students were treated to the fab trio: Suzanne, Glenn and Phil of Squeaky Clean who performed The 1960s – Decade of Turmoil and Triumph.

The local musicians showed video from the era, shared sing-alongs and narrated events of the period while performing a 60s selection from the Beatles, Jimmy Hendrix, the Doors, Aretha Franklin and more.

The multimedia and music presentation brings history a little closer to life for the kids as the music reflected the struggle of the civil rights movement, the new hope of space travel, the conflict of the politics and the chaos of war.

Rock on!!

(Report courtesy of Leo Sposato/Yorktown school district.) 

My colleague brought this savings calculator to my attention and I thought you all would be interested in giving it a go.

She has three young children and her calculations exposed a grim reality: She and her husband have to start saving $6,684 per month starting right now in order to send all three kids to Ivy League colleges without depending on any financial aid or scholarships.

Her response?

“Riiiiight…”

Dominican College held its 54th Commencement ceremonies at 2 p.m. today. Lauro F. Cavazos, former U.S. Secretary of Education, delivered the address. Following is a full list of all the LoHud graduates, here’s a link to the photo gallery for the ceremony and here’s a link to the home page for all the graduation photo galleries.

Congrats to all!

Read more of this entry »

Westchester residents have experienced a 42 percent increase in their school tax levies over the last six years. Along with that, school spending has jumped 43 percent while enrollment has increased by 2 percent.

In Rockland, school spending has increased by 34 percent while tax levies are up by 33 percent even as enrollments overall dropped by a half percent. Putnam County residents also have felt the impact of rising school spending (an increase of 37 percent in six years) while levies rose by 33 percent. Enrollment dropped by 3 percent.

A new interactive database created by The Journal News shows each school district’s tax levies, spending, and enrollments have how they have changed between the 2003/04 school year and the upcoming 2008/09 year.

The fifth grade at Clarkstown’s Strawtown Elementary School is conducting a bike donation project tomorrow (Saturday, May 17) for People to People.

The students are collecting used bicycles and then, with their parents, will fix them up (fill tires with air, replace broken pedals, etc.), wash them and give them to People to People, which will give them to children and adults who don’t have bikes.

You can download the flyer for the program here (it’s a Microsoft Word document).

People to people has a list of 60 children who have requested a bicycle. As of Thursday, the group already had collected 28.

They’ll be at People to People, 121 West Nyack Road in Nanuet, from 9 to 11 a.m. tomorrow.

Check your garage and get rid of some bicycles you didn’t even remember you had.

Journal News file photo by Frank Becerra Jr.

Purchase College held its commencement exercises today. Following is a list of all the graduates from the Lower Hudson Valley. Here’s a link to the photo gallery for this ceremony and here’s a link to the graduation photo gallery index page.

Congrats to all!

Read more of this entry »

A local African-American philanthropic group, the F. Willa Davis Club, plans to hold its annual scholarship luncheon tomorrow at The Greentree in New Rochelle.

Honorees include Karen  Hill, Harriet Tubman Home President; Reverend Lamont S.  Granby, Assistant Pastor of New Rochelle’s Bethesda Baptist Church; and funeral director Lawrence Watkins

New Rochelle High  School senior Syretta Gladden will receive a college scholarship, known as the Nellie Ruth Cooke  Scholarship Award.

The F. Willa Davis Club is  affiliated with The  National Association of Colored Women Club, believed  to be the oldest black women’s organization in the United States.   Named in honor of its  founder, F. Willa Davis, the Club evolved from a  1901 “Mother’s Club” in New  Rochelle’s Bethesda Baptist Church to its  current status as a philanthropic  organization.

We will be posting a few more Young Einstein videos next week. The videos showcase the research conducted by students in science research classes throughout the region, focusing on those chosen this year as semi-finalists and finalists in the Intel Science Talent Search. Read our story here.

Also on the kid genius front, Rye High School will be holding the annual symposium for its science research class at 7 p.m. on May 28. Read on for the text of a letter to sent to Rye residents. Read more of this entry »

I’ve been writing about how Ossining’s deputy superintendent of schools, Raymond Sanchez, plagiarized a letter sent May 5 for National Teacher Appreciation Week. (Click here for past stories and here to compare the letters.)

Yesterday, the district required me to file a Freedom of Information request to get his current and proposed 2008-09 salary. Turns out the district already had this information at the ready, because it’s listed in the 2008-09 proposed budget document available right on the Web site! (To the district’s credit, I have never seen this information posted so plainly in a budget presentation before. Kudos for being so forthcoming with the public.)

According to page 25 of this document, Sanchez stands to take home a whopping $180,840 in salary and benefits during the 2008-09 school year.

The breakdown of his pay includes $177,840 in salary and a $3,000 “performance merit award.”

I do not know if his current salary has a similar “performance merit award” built in, but if so, I wonder if this will be something the district withholds in light of the recent events? The community has been calling for some sort of consequences, but doesn’t feel Sanchez should be fired.

Meanwhile, I just received a letter Ossining resident Matthew Lenaghan sent to the school board and superintendent. He is looking to add additional signatures and can be reached at madL99@hotmail.com.

Here’s the letter:

Dear Ms. Joselow and Dr. Glassman:

As concerned citizens of Ossining and proud champions of the virtues of both our community and its schools, we are gravely concerned with the recent actions of the Deputy Superintendent. Too often, we are subjected to negative press and misinformed put-downs about our schools. This time, your actions, or rather inaction, gives naysayers a reason to criticize our school system. Given the approaching vote on the school budget, it is an inopportune time for such publicity and such an inadequate response on your part. Indeed, we are dismayed by the tepid response that appeared on the internet today. In your letter, you describe this as a “teachable moment,” but you have neither capitalized on this opportunity to instruct our children nor seized this chance to prove your commitment to excellence.

As parents, we appreciate the difficulty of teaching ethics and morals in a rapidly changing world. We strive to instill values and virtues in our children in our homes, in their school work, and in their extracurricular endeavors. We recognize the prohibition of plagiarism as a bedrock principle of education that can be extrapolated to all of life; one should not take another’s work and present it as one’s own. When one takes credit for the work of another, even signing his name as author, as Deputy Superintendent Sanchez has done, it is not a momentary lapse, but rather an indication of a lack of ethics and sound professional judgment. It is galling that the second highest ranking educator in our school district has committed this act. The fact that Mr. Sanchez was able to make such a decision is not an inconsequential error; it brings into question his qualification for the job of educating our children.

Your words attempt to reassure us that you understand that plagiarism is wrong. Your actions do not. We expect your help in the challenging endeavor of teaching our children to be good citizens. Your complicit treatment of this egregious violation indicates a lack of understanding of the gravity of this offense.

At this time, we ask you to reconsider your reaction and send a strong message to parents, children, and teachers that the district refuses to accept such misconduct from its employees. We also ask that you announce a path of action that will ensure that the Deputy Superintendent receive the professional development necessary to address his lack of understanding in this matter. Finally, we suggest that the Deputy Superintendent, if he is to continue in his position, address this publicly to reassure the parents, teachers, and students of our community that he acknowledges the importance of honesty in one’s work and the field of education.

Thank you,

Matthew Lenaghan

This is information regarding the Music Festival Competition attended by the Lakeland High School Jazz band under the direction of Paul Mesches and the Walter Panas High School Concert Band under the direction of Eugene Randolph.
Submitted by Annette A. Vaccaro, Department Coordinator with information supplied buy Paul and Eugene. May 16, 2008.

Both High School Band programs represented the Lakeland Central School District at the Music Showcase Festivals in New Jersey on May 10, 2008. Paul Mesches (LHS Band Director) and Eugene Randolph (WPHS Band Director) spent tireless hours preparing the Jazz Band and Concert Band respectively to participate in this festival.
The students, chaperones and teachers traveled in the early morning hours to New Jersey to perform for the festival judges, spent the remainder of the day as Six Flags Great Adventure to blow off steam and release the stress of competition and then that evening, they attended the awards ceremony for a job well done.

Mr. Eugene Randolph was so pleased with an Outstanding rating for the entire Concert Band from Walter Panas.  Mark Czuy was awarded the Outstanding Soloist award for his Alto Saxophone solo in Amazing Grace. Panas Pride was abounding that day!

Mr. Paul Mesches was similarly pleased with the Second Place award that the Lakeland High School Jazz Band was awarded. This win came the hard way as the group experienced scheduling conflicts with student’s last minute cancellations. Mr. Mesches would like to thank Ed Croft (Walter Panas Bassist) and Nick Tomaselli (Lakeland Freshman Drummer) for substituting for the regular Jazz Band players who were not able to attend. They really stepped up for the Jazz Band, as the rhythm section is the driving force for the entire group. Felicia Daniele ( LHS Pianist) won the Outstanding soloist award; the trumpet and trombone sections were also awarded the Outstanding Brass section honor.

The Lakeland Central School District is proud of these accomplishments.
Congratulations to the group’s directors and all the students who left a lasting impression on the judges at the Music Showcase Festival! Bravissimo!

Fresh off the e-mail:

The Upper Nyack Elementary School’s annual Goosetown Bazaar will be held on Saturday, May 31 from 11-3 at Upper Nyack Elementary School (336 North Broadway, Upper Nyack) to benefit the school’s PTA. There’s something for everyone – kids’ games, crafts, flower sale, food, raffles, and tag sale (toys, kid’s clothes and books). This event is open to the public, rain or shine.

The Irvington Middle/High School Midnight Run group will be hosting a “Cardboard Campout” on the grounds of the middle/high school tonight. Students and chaperones will be setting up a campsite in the quad area between the high school and middle school. Campsite shelters will consist of cardboard boxes, blankets, and plastic bags. The idea is to replicate the experience of sleeping on the streets. We will be trying to raise awareness within the school and community about the work that the students are doing for Midnight Run.

Read more of this entry »

Many schools and districts in Westchester, Rockland and Putnam received high marks from the state Education Department for their academic performance and for closing the achievement gap.

In all, nearly 150 schools and 24 school districts in the region were designated as “high performing” while another 22 schools and four districts were named as “rapidly improving” by the state Department of Education.

The reason? Students scored well on state-required English and math tests, which are given in grades three through eight. Journal News reporters Randi Weiner and Dwight R. Worley wrote about the designation and what it means in today’s Journal News. You can find their coverage here: Nearly 150 schools show improvement.

To see whether your school made the list, visit this interactive database, which contains more than 2,000 schools statewide considered to be either high performing or rapidly improving. You can find that coverage here:

Database: New York’s high-performing schools