Bronxville School Board of Education Holds Final Meeting of 2020

By Staff

Dec. 23, 2020: The Bronxville School Board of Education held its final meeting of 2020 on December 17th.  The meeting was broadcast on YouTube.

Arleen Thomas, President of the Board, thanked teachers, administrators, staff, the PTA, students, parents, principals, the superintendent, and the assistant superintendent for all their work this year.

Thomas also thanked the Director of Counseling, Anne Abbatacola, for her 15 years of service to the Bronxville School. Thomas said that Abbatacola "probably touched the lives of about 1,500 students." Bronxville Superintendent Dr. Roy Montesano noted that even though Abbatacola is retiring, she is staying on with the School to guide the senior class through the college process.

Dr. Montesano also expressed his appreciation for the way the community has come together during these challenging times and commented that the luminaries placed on the front lawn of the School in early December were "just amazing." He also reminded people traveling over the holidays to please follow the quarantine requirements set by the state upon their return.

Dan Carlin, Assistant Superintendent for Business, said that, based on the preliminary financial report for October, the School faces challenges on the revenue side due to decreased interest income and an expected 20% reduction in State aid. As a result, the School has issued a "halt" on non-essential spending.

Carlin has begun working on the budget for next year and expects that the School will face the same revenue challenges. This could result in a tax levy of 4% or higher. There will be a budget workshop on January 30, 2021.

Carlin reported that the School's construction projects are "down to the punch list," with the exception of the guidance suite and the high school lobby addition, where construction will continue through the new year. He noted that the pandemic had caused supply chain issues with a number of punch list items such as door hardware, glass for doors, and window replacements. He is hopeful that the project will be completed in the next couple of months.

Photo by Staff