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New Rochelle School District, New York

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New Rochelle School District
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Westchester County, New York
District details
Superintendent: Dr. Alex Marrero
# of school board members: 9
Website: Link

New Rochelle School District is a school district in New York. The district was the 11th-largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 10,992 students.[1]

About the district

New Rochelle School District is located in Westchester County, New York.

New Rochelle School District is located in southern New York in Westchester County. The county seat is White Plains. Westchester County was home to an estimated 974,542 residents between 2010 and 2016, according to the United States Census Bureau.[2]

Demographics

Westchester County outperformed New York as a whole in terms of higher education attainment from 2011 to 2015. The United States Census Bureau found that 46.7 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 34.2 percent of state residents. The median household income in the county was $83,958, compared to $59,269 for the state. County residents lived below the poverty level at a rate of 10.1 percent, while that rate was 15.4 percent for state residents.[2]

Racial Demographics, 2015[2]
Race Westchester County (%) New York (%)
White 74.1 70.1
Black or African American 16.2 17.6
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.9 1.0
Asian 6.3 8.8
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0.1 0.1
Two or More Races 2.4 2.4
Hispanic or Latino 24.2 18.8

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Superintendent

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This information is updated as we become aware of changes. Please contact us with any updates.

The interim superintendent of the New Rochelle School District is Dr. Alex Marrero. He was appointed after his predecessor, Laura Feijoo, resigned on October 6, 2020.[3] Marrero earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Fordham University, a master's degree in counseling from Manhattan College, and a doctorate of education in educational leadership from The Sage College.[4] Prior to his appointment, he worked as the assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction for New Rochelle School District.[4] He has also served as a learning facilitator for Harvard University's Graduate School of Education, an adjunct professor for Manhattan College and The Sage Colleges, an assistant superintendent of secondary education for East Ramapo Central School District, a principal, assistant principal, and guidance counselor for the New York City Department of Education, and a financial aid counselor for Manhattan College.[4]

School board elections

New Rochelle School District is overseen by a nine-member board, all of whom are elected at-large to five-year terms.[5][6]

New Rochelle Board of Education
Member Term Ends
William Iannuzzi 2024
Rachel Relkin 2021
Todd Kern 2021
Adina Berrios Brooks 2025
Katie Castellano Minaya 2025
Amy Moselhi 2022
Paul Warhit 2022
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This officeholder information was last updated on November 13, 2020. Please contact us with any updates.
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Election dates

See also: New Rochelle School District elections (2015), New Rochelle School District elections (2016), and New Rochelle School District elections (2017)

Members of the New Rochelle Board of Education are elected to five-year terms. Two seats were up for election in 2015, and two seats were up for election in 2016.

Public participation in board meetings

The New Rochelle Board of Education's policy on public participation in board meetings is under review. The board discussed adopting the following policy in a meeting held on August 5, 2014:

The Board of Education encourages members of the public not only to attend Board meetings, but also to express their views as to matters affecting the School District. A time for public comment will be provided on Regular Meeting agendas, but there may be times when, due to the press of other business before the Board, the Board may vote to suspend the public comment period for a particular meeting.

A School District resident who wishes to speak at a Regular Board of Education business meeting should contact the Clerk of the Board no later than 3:30 p.m. on the day of the meeting and indicate his/her intention to speak, with an identification of the topic which he/she wishes to address. These residents will be called upon during the first part of the scheduled public comment section on the agenda. Speakers are limited to three minutes each, with remarks limited to the scope of the pre‑announced topic.

Other residents attending regularly scheduled Board meetings who wish to address the Board will be invited to do so at the conclusion of the first part of the scheduled public comment section, and a show of hands will be requested to determine the number of persons interested in speaking. It will be the prerogative of the President of the Board of Education, based upon meeting time constraints and the number of persons wishing to speak, to set a time limit, not to exceed three minutes, for each speaker.

Each person who wishes to speak at a Board meeting shall be afforded no more than one opportunity to speak per Regular Meeting.

Each person speaking shall:

A. Give his/her name and address, and name of his/her organization if speaking in a representative capacity;

B. Address all remarks to the chairperson of the meeting;

C. Understand that issues related to specific personnel will not be discussed in public session;

D. Refrain from personal attacks on individuals, it being the intention of the public comment period to obtain views on issues of concern rather than the airing of inter-personal disputes;

E. Not call for expressions of sentiment or support from others present;

F. Be prepared to offer supporting evidence for any factual assertions made in his/her remarks if requested to do so by a member of the Board of Education;

G. Persons who believe that they have information bearing on possible improper conduct by any employee or officer of the School District are requested to bring such information, in writing, to the attention of the President of the Board of Education or the Superintendent of Schools.[7]

—New Rochelle School District website (2014)[8]

Budget

From 1993 to 2013, the New Rochelle School District had an average of $164,680,667 in revenue and $163,351,476 in expenditures, according to the United States Census Bureau's survey of school system finances. The district had a yearly average of $68,977,000 in outstanding debt. The district retired $10,714,190 of its debt and issued $12,937,333 in new debt each year on average.[9]

Revenue

The table below separates the district's revenue into the three sources identified by the agency: local, state, and federal.

Revenue by Source
Fiscal
Year
Local State Federal Revenue Total
Total % of Revenue Total % of Revenue Total % of Revenue
2010$169,843,00071.08%$56,465,00023.63%$12,630,0005.29%$238,938,000
2011$166,390,00070.92%$53,733,00022.90%$14,495,0006.18%$234,618,000
2012$175,952,00073.84%$50,742,00021.29%$11,605,0004.87%$238,299,000
2013$176,696,00073.45%$53,473,00022.23%$10,401,0004.32%$240,570,000
Avg.$119,052,00073.36%$38,971,28622.79%$6,657,3813.85%$164,680,667

Expenditures

The table below separates the district's expenditures into five categories identified by the agency:

  • Instruction: operation expenditures, state payments on behalf of the district for instruction and benefits, and retirement system transfers
  • Support Services: support services, food services, and retirement system transfers for support service staff
  • Capital Spending: capital outlay expenditures (i.e., construction, land or facilities purchases, and equipment purchases)
  • Debt & Gov. Payments: payments to state and local governments and interest on school system debt
  • Other: all other non-K-12 programs, except food services
Expenditures by Category
Fiscal
Year
Instruction Support Services Capital Spending Debt & Gov. Payments Other Budget
Total
Total % of Budget Total % of Budget Total % of Budget Total % of Budget Total % of Budget
2010$141,176,00061.40%$76,444,00033.25%$4,507,0001.96%$3,399,0001.48%$4,407,0001.92%$229,933,000
2011$141,732,00061.82%$76,026,00033.16%$3,781,0001.65%$3,773,0001.65%$3,966,0001.73%$229,278,000
2012$145,153,00062.41%$78,918,00033.93%$967,0000.42%$3,590,0001.54%$3,956,0001.70%$232,584,000
2013$147,112,00062.99%$78,557,00033.64%$1,150,0000.49%$2,587,0001.11%$4,147,0001.78%$233,553,000
Avg.$93,628,66756.21%$54,944,81033.83%$8,419,4295.81%$3,213,7142.06%$3,144,8572.09%$163,351,476

Debt

The table below shows the amount of debt retired, issued, and outstanding in the district for each year.

Debt
Fiscal
Year
Retired Issued Outstanding
2010$32,604,000$30,575,000$81,500,000
2011$7,095,000$0$76,590,000
2012$44,865,000$43,576,000$75,302,000
2013$20,771,000$13,500,000$67,986,000
Avg.$10,714,190$12,937,333$68,977,000

Teacher salaries

New Rochelle School District employed 174 K-12 teachers during the 2012-2013 school year.[10] Teacher salaries are categorized based on higher education achievement and years of service. The salary schedule accounts for a graduate degree by providing a higher starting salary and a greater potential salary. The following table details the salary schedule negotiated between the district and the New Rochelle Federation of United School Employees for 2013-2014:[11]

Salary structure
Degree level Minimum salary ($) Maximum salary ($)
B.A. 54,969 91,872
B.A. + 15 56,992 94,271
B.A. + 30 59,461 102,291
B.A. + 60 64,936 117,994
M.A. 63,236 113,995
M.A. + 30 66,633 121,994
M.A. + 60 70,371 129,266
M.A. + 90 73,163 131,839
Ph.D. 73,163 131,839

Schools in New Rochelle School District

Enrollment

New Rochelle School District served 10,992 students during the 2014-2015 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

District schools

New Rochelle School District operates 11 schools listed below in alphabetical order:[12]

New Rochelle School District
School Name
Albert Leonard Middle School
Barnard Early Childhood Center
Campus Alternative High School
Columbus Elementary School
Daniel Webster Elementary School
George M. Davis Jr. Elementary School
Isaac Young Middle School
Jefferson Elementary School
New Rochelle High School
Trinity Elementary School
William B. Ward Elementary School

Academic performance

The New York State Education Department facilitates assessment of student performance throughout the state in English language arts and mathematics. These annual evaluations determine where students fit into the State Testing Program's standards for grades three through eight and high school. The following tables detail how the school district compared to state averages across grade cohorts in both categories, with percentages indicating students who reached Level 3 or higher on state tests.

The New York State Testing Program assesses student performance based on a four-point scale for each test category:[10]

  • Level 1: Below Standard: Student performance does not demonstrate an understanding of the academic discipline for a particular grade level.
  • Level 2: Meets Basic Standard: Student performance demonstrates a partial understanding of the academic discipline for a particular grade level.
  • Level 3: Meets Proficiency Standard: Student performance demonstrates an understanding of the academic discipline for a particular grade level.
  • Level 4: Exceeds Proficiency Standard: Student performance demonstrates a thorough understanding of the academic discipline for a particular grade level.

Student Proficiency Levels, English Language Arts, 2012-2013
Grade District (%) State (%)
3 33 31
4 32 30
5 40 30
6 30 30
7 34 31
8 34 34
9-12 87 81

Student Proficiency Levels, Mathematics, 2012-2013
Grade District (%) State (%)
3 39 34
4 43 36
5 41 30
6 31 31
7 32 28
8 23 28
9-12 89 84

Issues

Board meeting policies

Robert Cox, a blogger on Talk of the Sound, published an opinion piece criticizing the New Rochelle Board of Education for proposed changes to its policy on public participation in school board meetings.[8] He listed several of the potential changes:

  • The "Public Engagement" session is now known as the "Public Comment" session
  • Pre-registered speakers may speak for no more than three minutes, which is less than the five minutes formerly granted
  • Speakers must provide the board with a summary of their topic in advance, and speakers may not deviate from that topic
  • Speakers may not criticize specific personnel
  • The public must provide complaints regarding improper conduct by district employees in writing to either the superintendent or the board president
  • The public may only participate in a maximum of one meeting per month
  • The board can suspend public comment during any meeting
  • The board may interrupt speakers
  • The board may request "supporting evidence" for factual assertions made by speakers
  • Board members are no longer required to answer questions from the public during or after meetings

Cox stated that the board under President Lianne Merchant was "where free speech goes to die." He argued that the board is attempting to reduce public involvement in meetings as a way of silencing the anger of parents over "an unfolding story of corruption and incompetence" in the district. Board members at the August 5, 2014, board meeting stated that the intention behind the change was to reduce the length of board meetings. After the proposed policy was first read at the meeting, only two members of the public commented on it.[6][13]

Contact information

New Rochelle School District.jpg

New Rochelle School District
515 North Ave.
New Rochelle, NY 10801
Phone: 914-576-4300
Fax: 914-632-4144

See also

New York School Board Elections News and Analysis
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New Rochelle School District
2014201520162017

External links

Footnotes