Search Results

DISTRICT 19 : One-three year seat ​ Candidates: Tshering Amdo Amy Brown ​ TSHERING AMDO , M.D. Tshering (Jerry) has lived in Bronxville since 2019. He and his wife have three children, two currently in Bronxville Elementary School (grades 3 and 1) and one in pre-K at RCNS, heading to the Bronxville Elementary School fall of 2023. Tshering is an Associate Professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and the Section Chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care at NYU Langone Health-Brooklyn. He is concurrently pursuing an Executive Master's Degree in Health Administration at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. In the past, Tshering founded a non-profit organization Global Tibetan Professionals Network. GTPN is a volunteer-based networking forum consisting of Tibetan professionals from North America. The organization aims to connect and build a support network of Tibetan professionals in North America and globally. The organizational goals are to mentor aspiring young Tibetans through networking and sharing ideas, information, and resources. In his words, "Bronxville Village is a great place to live and bring up your precious young ones. But we can make this place better and safer. We engage in efforts to make Bronxville a walk and bike-friendly town. We petition to keep our village safe for children and everyone to walk and bike around the village without traffic hazards. I am eager to collaborate with like-minded people to initiate and create change." And regarding his desire to serve on the NPC, "Each of us has transcended from being individuals to life partners to parents. Our children and our school community are important aspects of our lives. I can contribute by using my innate leadership skill sets and participating in discussions and policy-making to build a better future for our children in the school and the community. I want to be an integral part of a dedicated committee that focuses on our children's growth while focusing on diversity, equality, and innovation." ​ AMY BROWN Amy and her husband, Kevin, have lived in Bronxville for over ten years, having previously lived in New York City and Brooklyn. Their oldest son attends Bronxville High School, their middle son is currently completing a gap year and will return to Bronxville High School in the fall, and their youngest child is in third grade at the Elementary School. Amy has served in many volunteer roles in the community, including the Parent Board of RCNS, ES Class parent for almost every grade from K-5, as well as Chair of the ES Book Fair. Amy has also served as MS Council Secretary and PTA Executive Council Secretary. In addition, Amy is an involved parishioner of Christ Church Bronxville and currently volunteers for Stable Therapy and Learning at Twin Lakes Farm in Eastchester. She is an avid tennis mom and looks forward to seeing both boys play for the Varsity tennis team next spring. This year the Broncos are in the final four at States—Go Broncos! Amy holds a degree in the History of Art from the University of Virginia, and prior to moving to Bronxville she was the Associate Director of Development at American Ballet Theatre. In her own words, “As a resident and extremely involved parent over the last ten years, I consider the Bronxville School to be the heart and soul of our small community. I have served the school and community in numerous capacities over the years, and would like to continue by joining the NPC. Of the many characteristics and qualities that truly make Bronxville a special place to live, it is the prevailing sense of community that I would like to continue to see thrive in our village. I hope the NPC will continue to be viewed as a community builder as its members identify and interview candidates for the Board of Education. Our sense of community depends upon individuals setting aside any political views as we come together as parents and concerned citizens to continue to ensure students are offered an exceptional academic and emotional experience at the school.”

NPC PLAN ​ As Adopted on January 13, 1936 and as Amended December 9, 1942; December 14, 1948; December 5, 1960; September 25, 1984; June 23, 1988; December 9, 2002; December 16, 2003; December 8, 2009; December 4, 2012 and May 29, 2019 To the end that elections of Trustees of the Bronxville Schools may be conducted on a non-partisan basis, the plan, which follows was adopted: ​ 1. At an informal meeting of the Bronxville School District (which term used herein shall be understood to mean Union Free School District No. 3), held on January 13, 1936, there was chosen a committee known as the committee for non-partisan nomination and election of School Trustees (hereinafter referred to as “the Committee”). ​ 2. The Committee shall consist of three members from each election district of the Town of Eastchester (hereinafter called “election district”) situated in the Bronxville School District, as such districts may at any time hereafter be constituted. One third of the Committee shall be elected each year for a three-year term. All terms begin on July 1st following election to the Committee, except where members are elected to fill vacancies, in which cases the election shall be for the unexpired term. Members of the Committee shall be at least eighteen (18) years of age and shall have resided in the Bronxville School District for at least one (1) year as of the first day on which their term begins. ​ 3. During the month of May (but after the Trustee election) through the first Tuesday of June of each year an election shall be held for the purpose of electing, by plurality of the residents in each district, one member of the Committee from each election district and for filling the unexpired terms, respectively, of vacancies which shall exist, preserving in so doing the election district representation as constituted in the original Committee. ​ The Committee shall cause notice of such election to be given by publication of a notice during the month of March in the local media and on the website of the Bronxville School District. Such notice shall specify the timing of the election, briefly state the purpose thereof, and shall state the procedure by which any person may have their name placed upon the ballot. Not later than ten (10) days prior to the mailing of the ballots, the Committee shall make available to the community a brief biography of all candidates whose names will appear on the ballot. ​ As soon as practicable in May, but not less than twenty (20) days prior to the scheduled NPC meeting whereby ballots will be counted, the Committee shall cause to be distributed in each district a ballot in form for return mailing to the Secretary of the Committee. ​ Names shall appear on the ballot alphabetically by district. The ballot shall include: ​ (a) the name of each candidate standing for election to a position then to be filled in said district; ​ (b) a blank line for each position for write-in vote. ​ The ballots for each district shall be distributed in such manner and to such extent as the Committee shall deem feasible in the light of the facilities and funds available therefore at the time. ​ 4. All residents of the Village of Bronxville eighteen (18) years of age or older shall be entitled to vote for members of the Committee. United States citizenship is not a requirement. If the right of any person to vote shall be challenged, such right shall be determined by the person appointed to administer the election. ​ A ballot shall be validly cast, if signed by a voter and received by mail or otherwise by the Secretary of the Committee prior to the meeting. ​ An independent organization, such as the League of Women Voters, shall be responsible for supervising the counting of the ballots. The person who receives a plurality of the votes for each position shall be elected. If there is more than one position to be filled in any election district, the candidate with the most votes will get the longer term. ​ 5. The Committee shall have the following powers and duties: ​ (a) The primary duty of the Committee shall be to procure the election of Trustees of the Bronxville School District in a non-partisan manner and to this end the Committee shall not later than thirty (30) days prior to each election of Trustees, choose a nominee or nominees for members of the Board of Trustees of the Bronxville School District for the vacancy or vacancies on the Board to be filled at such election; and shall take such steps as shall be necessary to cause the names of such nominee or nominees to be placed upon the election ballots by independent petition. In choosing such candidates, their party affiliations shall be disregarded and consideration given solely to their qualifications for the position. It shall be the duty of the Committee to take all proper steps to procure the election of the candidates so nominated. ​ (b) The Committee shall have power to choose its own chairperson, secretary and such other officers as it shall desire, and to prescribe its procedures. ​ (c) The Committee shall have the power to temporarily fill, for a term expiring with the next succeeding election of members to the Committee, vacancies which shall occur in the membership of the Committee between the annual election provided in paragraph 3 above, preserving in so doing the election district representation as constituted in the original Committee. Removal by any member of the Committee from the election district in respect of which the member was chosen shall ipso facto cause a vacancy to be filled in the aforesaid manner. ​ (d) Any matters or questions which may arise in connection with this Plan not covered herein shall be determined by majority vote of all members of the Committee until made the subject of an amendment as provided in paragraph 6 of this document. ​ 6. This Plan shall be subject to amendment by referendum of all voters eligible to vote in an NPC election. Such amendments may be submitted by the Committee on its own motion or submitted by the Committee on timely written request to the Committee, signed by fifteen (15) persons eligible to vote in an NPC election. ​ ​ ​

VOTING INFO At the Board of Education website https://go.boarddocs.com/ny/tbs/Board.nsf/Public ​ When and Where? Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at the Bronxville School Polls are open from 7am—9pm Voting will take place in the School BLUE GYM (use entrance on Meadow Avenue). Who may Vote? You may vote if you are a U.S. citizen, 18 years or older as of May 21, 2024, claim principal residency in the Village of Bronxville for at least 30 days prior to May 21, 2024, and if you are not otherwise prohibited from voting under the provisions of NYS Election Law. ​ ABSENTEE BALLOT INFO "A qualified voter must complete and submit an application (available on the website at www.bronxvilleschool.org or in the Superintendent’s Office) in order to receive an absentee ballot. The completed application must be received at least seven days before the election, if the absentee ballot is to be mailed to the voter; or by 3:00 p.m. on the day before the election if the absentee ballot is to be issued to the voter in person. The completed absentee ballot must be received by 5:00 p.m. on the day of the vote/election. The application is attached." ​ Absentee ballot application document ​ ​ NPC Introductory Letter to Applicants for Nominations to Bronxville School Board of Trustees May 21, 2024 Election ​ THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES ELECTION: The heart of Bronxville Village is the Bronxville School. A key factor in the continued excellence of the school is an outstanding Board of Trustees. This May, the Bronxville School District will hold elections to fill two open board seats for three-year terms. The NPC will then nominate two candidates (one for each open seat) to be placed on the ballot for the district-wide election on the third Tuesday in May, which is May 21th. The mission of the Bronxville Non-Partisan Committee (“NPC”) is to ensure that qualified candidates stand for the election of school trustees to serve on the Bronxville Board of Education. Insofar as New York State local school board elections are nonpartisan, the Committee’s criteria for consideration of applicants is intended to avoid discussion or consideration of partisan affiliations in its selection process, and focus on an individual’s overall qualifications to serve as trustee. The NPC Plan and Rules of Procedure outline the committee’s stated criteria for applicants, as well as its duties to the community in recruiting, vetting, and selecting nominees. The NPC Rule’s state the criteria for selecting candidates as follows: It is the policy of the Committee that a nominee for Trustee shall be an individual whose educational or professional background and/or volunteer experience will enhance the candidate’s effectiveness and who will make a substantial contribution to the deliberations of the Board. The candidate must be knowledgeable about the needs of the Bronxville School and community and must be a registered voter in the Bronxville, N.Y. election district. Candidates must be aware of the heavy time requirements for service on the Board of Trustees, and prepared to make allowances in their vocational and personal commitments so that they will be able to attend all meetings and fulfill committee assignments. THE TRUSTEE ROLE : The role of school trustee is defined under New York State law. Trustees set broad policy for the direction of the school. They provide leadership and direction to the school’s administrators and make important decisions and judgment calls on many subjects. The School Board may address a wide array of topics, including: Strategic Planning and Setting Priorities: How will the Board work with the school administration to implement the strategic plan? Curriculum: How should the curriculum be reviewed and evaluated? What should the respective roles of the Board, administration, faculty, and community be in setting priorities? Technology: Where do we want to be in three, five, and ten years? How should the school move forward on the recommendations of the strategic plan? Personnel Issues: How can the school make improvements in hiring, nurturing, and retaining talented faculty and administrators? Finances: Budget - how can the Board and administration prepare an appropriate budget that meets the school’s strategic goals and is acceptable to the community? Will voter resistance negatively affect school budget growth? Are there alternative sources of revenue that the school could pursue? Tax Certiorari Claims - How will tax certiorari claims affect the budget in the coming years? Funding - What level of support can the district expect in the future from the state and federal governments? Are there other sources of funding? Construction: How can the Board best manage current and future projects? Facilities: What is the strategy for capital improvements – plan for renovating the old part of the building? What additional capital projects need to be considered? Student Body: How should the school stay tuned-in to their needs and interests? Demographics: Do the estimated enrollment numbers allow for additional tuition students? How can the school best manage the rise in elementary student enrollment? Community Relations: How can the school and the School Board improve communication with the residents of the district? All applicants to the NPC should familiarize themselves with the current set of issues facing the current school board of trustees by watching or attending school board meetings. THE INDIVIDUAL: The successful Board Member is: Strong in decision-making skills, especially group decision-making. Capable of taking a leadership position as part of a team. Possessed of excellent judgment, based on penetrating thinking. Knowing when to seek additional information to help solve a problem. Willing and able to devote considerable time and energy. Willing and able to make a meaningful contribution quickly. Able to distinguish between setting policy, oversight, and micromanagement. Experienced in strategic planning. Fiscally responsible. An articulate and effective speaker. Informed about the needs of the school and the concerns of the public. Approachable and committed to the concept of openness with the public. Sensitive to those with different opinions but capable of taking a firm stand against popular opinion or request. Recognizes, and can deal with, the possible conflicts between the welfare of the district and the welfare of his/her children. DETAILS AND TIME COMMITMENT : The Trustee commitment is substantial and includes: An organizational meeting for new Trustees in July. Monthly Board meetings held from September through June, plus 2 – 3 meetings over the summer. Over the past several years, more frequent special Board meetings have been called and this trend may continue. Mandatory training within your first year of service required by New York State, including fiscal oversight training and governance skills training. NYSSBA provides online courses and regional academies to fulfill these requirements and to further your knowledge of public education and your responsibilities as a board member. The Board votes on the BOCES budget at a special meeting on the third Tuesday in April and also holds a special meeting on the third Tuesday in May to discuss the budget vote and the election of school Board members. Executive or nonpublic confidential sessions are held before each board meeting and are also held to discuss confidential personnel and litigation issues. Moreover, executive sessions are held between the months of February and April to discuss probationary faculty and staff and tenure decisions. Participation in either the Finance or Personnel Committee, which generally meet once a month early in the morning. Participation on other special or ad hoc committees as needed, such as Technology, Construction Management, Communications, and Policy Review. Liaison to one or more school, community, regional, or state organizations such as special education, staff development, the three school councils, the PTA, the Bronxville School Foundation, and BOCES. Each Trustee has a different perspective on the amount of time participation on the Board requires. Conversations with board members suggest an average minimum of 20 hours a month, though actual hours can vary greatly depending on tenure and position. LEGAL REQUIREMENTS: New York State law requires that a school board member must have the following minimum qualifications: 1. Be able to read and write 2. Have been a resident of the school district for at least one year prior to election 3. Be a qualified voter of the school district (18 years old & U.S. citizen) 4. Not be an employee of the Board of Education or school district 5. Not have been removed from a school district office in the past year 6. Not be the family member of a current Trustee In addition, it is the policy of the NPC that a candidate nominated by the NPC shall not be: 1. An elected official of the Village of Bronxville 2. A former Trustee who has not been off the Board for more than two years 3. The spouse of a faculty member or employee of the Board of Education 4. A retired member of the NPC who has not been off the NPC for more than one year 5. The spouse of a member of the NPC THE PROCESS FOR INTERESTED APPLICATIONS ​ Contact the NPC at bxv_npc@yahoo.com or any member of the NPC as soon as possible to indicate your interest. Complete an application and submit it to the NPC by Sunday, March 10th, 2024. All applicants will be contacted by a member or members of the Application Administration Committee of the NPC who will serve as point persons throughout the process to answer questions, provide information, etc. Applicants will be scheduled during March for a one-hour group interview with the 21 members of the NPC to discuss the applicant's experience and qualifications. Additional meetings with a small group of NPC members may be requested by the NPC. Due diligence will be conducted by the NPC by contacting references you submitted, as well as feedback solicited from the community. The list of applicants will be published online on local news sites, and on the NPC website and emails, where community feedback will be solicited. If you are nominated, you may be asked to present your qualifications in a live session that is recorded to be made publicly available, including on the NPC website. If you are nominated, you will be asked to attend an informal “meet the candidate” session tentatively scheduled for April 24th, 2024. and you may be asked to participate in a debate with other candidates if the seat is contested. REFERENCE CHECK PROCEDURES: NPC members have an obligation to conduct due diligence on all candidates for nomination to the school board. This includes checking references provided by candidates and searching out information and feedback from all members of the community. Reference checks will be conducted as follows: The NPC will ask candidates for nomination to submit the names of three individuals as references. These individuals should have knowledge of the candidate in a professional or volunteer capacity. The NPC is most interested in speaking with people who have worked with the candidate and/or served with the candidate on committees or boards, have worked with the candidate as a volunteer in the community, and/or who have seen in action the candidate’s commitment to education. The NPC may contact members of the Bronxville community who are not listed as references. Professional references not submitted by the candidate will be contacted only with prior notification to the candidate. Active BOE Trustees are not permitted as references. Please note: All members of the NPC have signed a confidentiality agreement stating that all discussions and information acquired in the course of due diligence will be held in confidence. ​ THE NPC TRUSTEE CANDIDATE APPLICATION PROCESS Timeline: Feb 15: NPC begins accepting candidate applications Mar 10: Candidate applications due to NPC - b xv_npc@yahoo.com Mar 12, 19, Apr 2: Applicant Interviews with NPC [location TBD] Apr 16: Announcement of NPC Nominees Apr 24: Meet the Candidates Reception [location TBD] May 21: BOE Trustee Election ​ In addition to our Application, you will need to provide your headshot and one-paragraph biography (see prior NPC candidate bios 2022 ; 2021 ; 2019 ; 2017 ). There will be two Trustee seats open in the May 21, 2024 school board election. Applications for the NPC nomination will be due March 10, 2024 and two applicants will be chosen by the NPC after the interview process in early April. Please see our Rules of Procedure for more information on how applicants are vetted and selected. If you are interested in applying to be an NPC candidate / nominee, please email b xv_npc@yahoo.com and an NPC member will reach out to you to discuss the process. SEE MORE ABOUT SERVING ON NY STATE SCHOOL BOARDS: NYSSBA

2023 APPLICATION FOR TRUSTEE NOMINATION

DISTRICT 20 ​ Jose M anuel Rodriguez Professionally, I’ve had a career as an institutional salesperson and an investor. I’ve developed a deep interest in technology and recently completed an immersive software engineering program to pursue this interest. Personally, my wife Dana and I were married in 2007. In 2010, we welcomed our first child to the world. We moved from Manhattan to Bronxville a year later. Dana grew up in Westchester and, familiar with the exceptional reputation of The Bronxville School, we wanted to raise our child in Bronxville. In 2012, our second child arrived. We have enjoyed raising our boys in Bronxville, watching them grow into little gentlemen, creating formative friendships and participating in the community through sports and other activities. I care deeply about the safety and the well-being of my children and all of those in the Bronxville community. I believe in the Bronxville promise and want to keep that promise alive. Being part of the NPC represents an opportunity to uphold the traditions and ever enhance the quality of the education offered to the children in our community.

NPC Annual Open Meeting, Tuesday, November 15, 2022 Susan Conniff, President of the School Board, Dr. Roy Montesano, Bronxville School Superintendent Dr. Rachel Kelly, and Assistant Superintendent ​ NB: The following is a only an edited summary of the proceedings as the attempt to record the meeting was unsuccessful. Please send any corrections or questions to our email at bxv_npc@yahoo.com ​ NPC: Wendy Halley (Chair), Chris O’Gorman (Vice Chair) and Jim Cherundolo (Treasurer), Laura Busker, Michael Girimonte, Mike Ching, Sandra Borducci, Don Bringle, Alexandra Remmel, Jamie Powell Schwartz, Tracy diBrino, Elizabeth Kiehner, Anne Marie Heine, Jose Rodriguez NPC ARC: Michele Antonini, Jane Moynihan, Jane Devereux, Steve Krause, Aaron Shafer, Will Fulton Additional BOE Attendees: Michael Brandes, Michael Finley, Eddie Lennon Other Attendees: Amy Krause, Jennifer Leavell, Lia Gravier, Dale Frehse, Jimmy Walker, Delphine Quieti, Steve Kraemer, Christine Tormey, Rekha Waggoner, Teresa Brady, Carolyn Mattson, Beata Farber (and additional attendees) ​ NPC INTRO (Wendy Halley) Hello and welcome to the NPC’s Annual Open Meeting. I’m Wendy Halley, the Chair of the NPC this year. Along with my fellow officers, Chris O’Gorman, Vice Chair and Jim Cherundolo Treasurer, and Tatiana who is Secretary, as well as all 21 members of the NPC, we want to thank you all for coming tonight to hear from our school’s leadership. We want to give a warm welcome to Susan Conniff, President of the School Board, Dr. Roy Montesano, the Superintendent and Dr. Rachel Kelly, and the Assistant Superintendent, who will in January, serve as the Interim School Superintendent while the Trustees continue the search for a permanent replacement. Before hearing from our school district’s leadership, just a quick note about the NPC. The NPC was formed in 1936 - and is a volunteer organization of 21 elected representatives. Our purpose is to support the excellence of our school district by ensuring that qualified candidates run for the school board. So, the purpose of tonight’s meeting is to give NPC members and the community the opportunity to learn more about what school trustees do, and how they work with school and school leadership to address the issues facing the school district. One additional note for everyone is that, every four years, the NPC asks additional outside volunteers to conduct a feedback process to ensure that the NPC’s rules and procedures are working well. I want to thank our volunteers: Michelle Antonini, Jane Devereux, Lindy Devereux, Will Fulton, Jane Moynihan, and Aaron Shafer, who will be reaching out over the next couple of months across the community to get constructive feedback on the NPC. [NB: Steve Krause has also joined the ARC]. Now we’ll turn to Susan Conniff who has an overview of key issues for the Board: Susan Conniff: opened with Board’s goals for the year, including thoughts on future needs for Board of Education members as we begin the process of thinking about the two seats that will open up in the spring. Susan turned to the challenges and issues coming up this year. We began the Board year with the reorg meeting in July where they welcome new Board members. First order of business is to sit down with Roy to set goals and then we communicated the goals after the August meeting [see 8/23 Message ]. (1) Superintendent Search: The first goal for the Board was very busy over the summer with “people decisions”, the most important role of the Board is with respect including the Superintendent Search the Board decided to create the interim superintendent to enable the search process to move forward. The District has the good fortune to have Dr. Rachel Kelly with Dr. Montesano supported the successful transition to the interim superintendent which he has. Dr. Montesano continues to support the superintendent search process, he speaks with prospective candidates about the district and his ideas, helps the Board to understand the superintendent market and priorities for candidates. (NB: More info on the Search is on the School Website ) (2) MS & ES Principals: Next the Board addressed the changes in school leadership at MS & ES levels. The Board learned about how good a job the school has done with leadership and hiring since they were able to work with existing personnel to fill spots. Lucky to have internal candidates and make changes effectively. (3) Curriculum & Communication with Community. Set a goal to continue to improve communications to the community about curriculum worked with Dr. Koetke – she’s created timelines which are on the school website. The Board also put out summaries in plain English updates as opposed to formal minutes, although they also have those. Also conducted a survey to better understand how people want to receive communications about the Board and district. The plan is to present the results to be announced at this Thursday's meeting (4) Participate and support the District’s 100th Centennial Anniversary Celebration . Hope to do more celebrating this year - as you know, Homecoming Weekend there was a lot of activity. Rachel and Roy have been very active in that. We appreciate that. (5) Budget Planning & Long Range Planning. Considering feasible early planning and had two sessions on that. Early sessions on Annual Budget planning – they’ve discovered need . We’ve learned more about other districts in the search process. Other districts have long term and 5 year plans and while we have it to some degree, we need continuous improvement and need to have better articulation of long range goals though the planning process. Lastly we spoke to Roy about continuing to moderate the advisory discussions with constituencies. Dr. Rachel Kelly: Worked at the district since 1995. Over the 28 years, her role has grown. It’s been special to be here in her 28th year. Her role has grown over the years. When she started at Bronxville, we did not have Special Ed, so she was part time administrator and also taught special education. Over time, this developed into a full-time position and it grew as our programs grew. When she started in the mid-90s, they had 65 children in the graduating class, now we have 145 or so students that graduate. So we’ve seen enrollment double over the course of her career at Bronxville School. Rachel’s position also grew over time and she is very proud of our programs we run. Seven years ago became Assistant Superintendent, her role is in Pupil Personnel, which includes, Special Ed & Support Services, the Health office, psychology-related service and she oversees human resources. She believes we do an outstanding job of reaching every student regardless of how they present. We have an inclusive community with a culture of acceptance which is very important and the one of main reasons she’s been here so long. Susan Conniff: “What does the Board do?” Results of the survey show that a significant percentage don’t know what the Board actually does or its role. So the main elements of the Board’s role are to Hire guide and evaluate with superintendent and set goals Adopts policies - oversee program and curriculum Work with the leadership team to make recommendations on curriculum and strategy. A recent example is the HS Health textbook. The BOE’s Strategy & Curriculum committee reviewed the text book before it was approved for use in HS Board reviews and adopts annual budgets before they go to annual district wide vote Oversees facilities issues Adopts collective bargain and votes on tenure recommendations The Board has various committees - some more active than others in different years where different issues arrive. This year the most active committees are the Finance Facilities, Curriculum and Safety/ Next, “What the Board of Education doesn't do” The Board does not manage or participate in hiring for anything below superintendent. There may be a perception that the BOE is involved in picking teachers. But they do not, they do vote on tenure for teachers after they have been recommended by the school's leadership team, i.e., the school principals make recommendations on tenure. That has also already begun with a call for community input, there is a vote in the Spring. “What skills needed for Board of Ed” - two BOE trustees will be completing term this spring. We are heavy in business and finance experience on the BOE, which is a great thing. We do need and could benefit from BOE members with expertise in Legal and human resources because of our contract Bronxville Teachers Association. We are beginning the lengthy process of negotiating this contract. In addition, facilities and construction project management experience - always helpful to have people with that experience. Susan observed that the year she ran there was interest in getting representation on the board of people with younger children. Now, it’s important to understand that there’s been many years in the district where it’s tough to get anyone to run for the Board at all, so we had people in the role with older kids or no kids in the district. We now have two Board members with ES kids, one has a MS student, another with HS students and Susan will be an empty nester after this school year. So recapping that Looking ahead for what we’ll be focused on going forward: (1) we hope to identify a permanent superintendent starting July 2023l (2) we have a new negotiation with Bronxville teachers association next year and (3) building maintenance and capital improvements. We hire a consultant who comes up with a laundry list of improvements to do a survey to identify every potential project or improvement that may be necessary. And to prioritize them,the way we get approval from the state, it has to be identified on the list. We spend a lot of time prioritizing because we cannot do everything on the list, it’s a very long list. We look at the most urgent. Longer term planning for program and budget, great discussion in the last budget workshop. Rachel will speak more about some of the longer term strategic stuff and Roy can answer anything - Susan welcomed Michael Brandes and Michael Finley also present and thanked them for attending since it has been an incredibly busy week for the Board, with a meeting last night as well. Meeting with search consultants lastnight -to review the candidate pool. We have a Thursday meeting as well. Chris O’Gorman - thanked Roy for his tenure - community has come together with leadership and Board - seen the benefit of Covid period. We are number one in the state, and credit the leadership team for that. Thank you very much. Chris posed to Roy - What makes a good board member and what should they be engaged in going forward? Is there Expertise that we should consider for the BOE member, whether as the NPC or as a voter? Dr. Montesano: We’ve been very fortunate to have great board members, during his time and prior to that as well. A lot has to do with understanding the role of the Board, as Susan alluded to before what they can do and shouldn’t get involved. For those working inside the building, Board members appreciate that and let us do the job we’ve been hired to do and at the same time be held accountable. So understanding that balance is very important for us. Communication between the Board, Superintendent and leadership team is crucial. We want to be a team and it’s been a partnership and give and take - challenging at times - as with any situation like this. Board members who will listen and understand the community. And bring that back to us and let us do our work, while holding us accountable at the same time. It’s been fortunate that we have people who have served on corporate boards and those skillsets are transferable, so people who have that experience serving on a board before always helps. Someone who understands the legal issues, we’ve lost that over the past cycle and election. We have our own outside attorney certainly to help us with education law but it’s always helpful to have someone on the board who has that expertise and can identify legal issues - has been one of our strengths. A former Board member Jack Bierwirth had education administration experience which was very helpful - so that kind of balance - which Susan also has. There are public versus private nuances in education that it’s helpful for a BOE member to appreciate and understand. Chris O’Gorman - Most people in this town don’t have that educational experience. They have other valuable experience and skills … we want to commend the Board for its communications efforts with plain english summaries Question from Audience Member - Jimmy Walker: I’ve lived here since 1978, and have a very simple question, is the Non-Partisan committee relevant? Chris O’Gorman: That’s a very fair question. The reality is that we are in a cycle, where people are interested in being in the Board and that’s not always been the case. One of the NPC’s roles is to draw people out. The role of the NPC in the past cycles was to bring skills onto the board and ensure that candidates that we supported weren’t only focused on one issue. Right now we have a lot of [residents] focused on being on the Board, but will that cycle change? It's an enormous expenditure of time to serve on the Board, look at the Superintendent Search. Talking about 20-30 or more hours per month or more this year. Jimmy Walker: How many candidates did the NPC field last year. How many were former NPC candidates? And what happened to the other two? Chris O’Gorman: We selected three candidates, one of whom was Michael Brandes who had applied the year before as well. The other two NPC candidates lost to candidates that ran: one who had not applied to the NPC and one who had. Jimmy Walker: Does/doesn’t that show the NPC is not needed? Dr. Roy Montesano: Let me speak from my experience, I’ve been a Superintendent in four different districts and this is the only one with a non-partisan committee in place. I think it adds a tremendous value to the process of selecting Board members. Because it’s a focused search. And it helps quantify skills necessary for Board members to be successful. It doesn’t stop anyone from running in the election, but helps to move away from single issue candidates. It can be that people want to run and come into the role to go after a particular person or program, or are concerned only about something that happened with their child. I’ve seen that happen in other districts and [that system] doesn’t work as well as it does here. Michael Brandes (BOE Trustee): Yesterday was the first substantial meeting with our search consultant where we discussed our candidate pool. We have some very strong candidates who are very secure in their jobs. We asked the consultants, why would they consider coming here other than we are a great district, with a great culture and so many advantages. But again and again, applicants say that dealing with Boards, some are appointed, Democrats or Republicans, and as Superintendent (which I’ve never done) but to get things done, to accomplish anything from the Board's mandate (and these are candidates from top districts that’s who we are looking at) the idea of going through the selection process with an independent body that can get ahead of the issues and think through [challenges is a big advantage and we benefit from that which these candidates appreciate greatly]. Chris O’Gorman: I want to point out that we have the Advisory Committee Review process in place this year, which is to draw out from the community the things that the NPC might do better or things that they should not do. I would recommend that you participate in that process. While they could recommend the dissolution of the NPC or recommend changes that would engage the community better. Happens every four years, designed to be an institution that changes. ARC Member - Will Fulton / Aaron Shafer: We are actively soliciting feedback on the NPC and kicking off this process. Delphine Quieti: I arrived [to Bronxville] the year before Covid, and heard about the NPC, but how much did the new community that arrived during Covid hear about the NPC - do they know? Chris O’Gorman: That question has been raised to us - how well does the community understand the NPC? Mike Ching can tell you that last year [he had to build the website because we lost the domain] so we’ve been through a long process to rebuild and improve the website [see bronxvillenpc.org]. NPC has never been a “public relations” committee - it’s meant to bring in well-rounded people [as candidates for election] including with human resources and legal experience. These two candidates from last year [who had such experience] lost, but the fact is we brought forward people who would not necessarily come forward on their own because they don’t have an agenda other than the betterment of the community and want what’s best for all of our kids. Not all those people want to be in an election, so sometimes you have to recruit and talk to them, bring them forward. Susan was very active and served on Boards, not everyone has done that in the past. So that was the role of the NPC. We could communicate and publicize that better - Looking at possible recommendations. And that’s part of the ARC process to make recommendations on how to do it better. That is why we have community review Jennifer Heathwood from PTA: (paraphrase) what is the policy or procedures of NPC in contested elections? Chris O’Gorman: I’ve been on the NPC for two years. The year before last the election was uncomfortable with things that went on the election like rumors, innuendos, negative posters etc. so there was a feeling that we needed to stand up as a community and say this isn’t who we are. Fast forward in the past year, we were trying to avoid that kind of negativity that might come out of “campaigning”. But going forward we are going to ask candidate applicants to commit to certain minimum campaign efforts - and ensure they’re really willing to be in a contested election - understand what’s really involved because the NPC is not playing the role of campaign staff. We certainly will put forth the candidate selection and the reasons we believe the candidate is an excellent candidate -the bios of of course - and have conversations It’s a different time a much more engaged time - as a group we may have gone in the past cycle but we we’ll step back to So last year the community did not choose our two candidates- perfectly in the realm of what’s happened. And it’s happened before. It’s a function somewhat of Covid and we changed what we had done in the past Michelle Antonini: Should the NPC give the town more than the allotted spots than are open? If you don’t campaign for a candidate - your goal is not to campaign on behalf of candidates Wendy Halley: The goal of the NPC is to recruit, interview and vet candidates and then to announce our selection to the community. I don’t think it would make sense for us to try to select candidates who are then going to go on to oppose each other. And of course anyone in the community is welcome to run and the fact that we sometimes have a contested election shows the process is working too Chris: Each year we have multiple people who come forward to apply. RECORDING STOPPED RESTARTED Question from Beata Farber Audience about DEI? Dr. Roy Montesano: : paraphrasing [Committee made up of administration, faculty, students and parents. Still working on this. ] Dr. Kelly added that they had an agreement with an advisory committee meeting on the Bronxville Promise which allows us to stand apart from other schools. Most schools have mission or vision statements but we have the Bronxville Promise – we live that - our students understand what it is to be engaged citizens, to think critically, to be innovative and to be leaders. Everyone agreed we have to be strengthening the Bronxville promise and ensure that students who graduate HS are prepared for the next chapter – we spent one meeting really looking at issues of DEI and how we already have the DEI framework in our Promise already; in terms of being kind, being inclusive, being accepting, that was really important since given the various opinions on the committee – the decision is now up to the board as to whether they want to create a policy that speaks to DEI or strengthen the promise to ensure it’s hitting on all areas important to our community. Question: What does the state require on DEI? Dr. Roy Montesano: The state does not require DEI policies they only encourage a DEI policy The state has a set of frameworks that are not mandated – nothing we are beholden to. Dr Rachel Kelly:: she has seen the school double in size in 28 years, over the next 3-6 years what are the biggest challenges for the school. A couple of things weigh heavily on us is inflation. Tax cap restricts us from increasing our budget beyond the cap. Need a supermajority to override – board and leadership doesn’t have the stomach to do that. But then we may have to make tough decisions. Human capital – teachers and staff make up the vast majority of the budget from year to year – to make personnel/program cuts would be hard. Enrollment is a factor we keep a close eye on – projections are not a perfect science going out more than 5 years hard since those children haven’t been born yet. Districts nearby have decreasing enrollment but we have been pretty steady – we have gone down to 5 sections from 6 sections in two grade levels in ES – so we look very carefully at that – tough decisions for Boards to make – having 22-24 students becomes difficult Strong working relationships between the Board and leadership which is very important, people who consider coming here in everyone from superintendent positions look at that – they watch our board meetings that’s very important to keep in mind Roy added Capital projects 100 year old bldg. in constant need of repair – a capital improvement just done but it’s been 8 years D wing brick and steel behind it needs replacement – looking at a significant capital project plan and board face with blacing (?) financially with the last one LRP what makes us distinctive – trade offs to achieve – prioritizing can’t just always add on Jim Cherundolo – tuition based students – can we tap that? We do have tuition students - $250k+ per year – Board has heard from critical community members due to paying taxes people can pay $28k getting the same benefits – challenge – take them when we have room but will not take a student if it requires a new section. If populace were to decrease will they look at this to enhance – Susan - Board reviews tuition students as year – not that much as people thing 8-10 students in k-12 We are capped on what we can charge by the state law formula Carolyn Mattson: = how much is private school busing cost? Rachel: $700-$800k per year. State law requires us to bus private school with 15 miles Chris: note that other districts have had many have challenges with this issue –let’s say your school is sinks (?) in ratings and students leave for private schools, and then you have to spend a ton of money on busing Carolyn Mattson– I have a child in MS and noticed that many of MS school teachers have been teaching for 25 years plus, how does school handle teachers aging out. And how do you handle retirement – also how are we keeping teachers engaged since we’re all tired and been through a lot with Covid? How does the superintendent deal with that? Dr. Rachel Kelly – We are keenly aware of teachers' ages and how long they’ve been in the school and in their role. We find that it works out well to have seasoned teachers who are still open minded and still open to professional development. This is part of what we discussed in the Long Range Planning workshop. Overall, we handle this quite well. And coming out of Covid, we are consistently performing well compared to other schools. Recent news came out that we are ranked Number one in the state with ELA and Math scores – that said, we are not resting on our laurels and continue to put forth our best. For Teachers that reach a point in their career and if we’re in a budget crunch, the board can consider offering a teacher incentive to retire – pay them to retire – some advantages to this – allows us to hire new teacher or sometimes we don’t need to hire – we can achieve savings – very thoughtful decision and based on the individuals needs. Susan Conniff– this is not a direct correlation with age – wonderful experienced teachers that we hope will stay forever Chris O'gorman– last question – Roy, what are your top accomplishments that you are most proud of? Dr. Roy Montesano: First, Roy says great team -leadership and staff with support of the community – resources of the Bronxville School foundation gives us ability to do things other places cannot do. For Roy, it always goes back to kids and what they accomplish when they graduate. The Bronxville Promise ….the proof it is working is what our kids go on to do and how much they accomplish. Chris O'Gorman Final comment: We are always looking for board members who want to put the kids first, above personal agenda above personal desire whatever that might be – ultimately that is the goal not the other stuff that goes on – turning out kids that can go out in the world, be successful and have a solid background education. ARC committee will take what we discussed and follow on with survey and collecting community feedback

DISTRICT 18: One three-year seat ​ Candidates: Susan Frehse Katelin O’Rourke Gorman ​ SUSAN FREHSE Susan and her husband Woody have lived in Bronxville for the past four years, and Woody was raised there. They have a son attending the Bronxville High School and twins in the Bronxville Elementary School. Susan is a stay-at-home mom, with a degree in Political Science from Lander University and has also attended Parsons School of Design. Prior to having children, she worked in the technology sector in sales and business development for companies including Xerox, and established Satterfield Interiors. Susan serves as a deacon at the Reformed Church of Bronxville and is a Sunday School teacher. She has served the Elementary School PTA in many capacities. She has been a class mom, co-chair of the lecture series, is currently vice chair of the Elementary School PTA, and in the coming year will chair the Elementary School PTA. She was also the previous Middle School PTA 8th grade co-chair, and the High School PTA new families 9th grade chair. Prior to Bronxville, she was a deacon at The Brick Church in New York City, served on the Women’s Association board, was the lead Sunday School teacher, and volunteered and chaired other committees within the church. At The Brick Church School, Susan was a class parent and helped raise funds for the school through their annual auctions. She has served in other volunteer capacities in New York City, including at St. Bernard’s School, New York-Presbyterian Komansky Children’s Hospital Pediatric Support Committee, and The African Dream Academy. For many years she was on the board of Young Audiences New York, bringing arts back into underserved school districts in the New York City area. ​ Education is a passion of Susan’s, specifically world history and studio art. She believes volunteering at any level is an obligation to her children and community. When discussing the Non-Partisan Committee, Susan says, “This group runs a valuable process by encouraging and vetting our next School Board leaders. It’s a great way to get involved and help find an exceptional balance of talented people willing to help our school community.” ​ KATELIN O’ROURKE GORMAN Katelin and her husband Michael have lived in Bronxville for about two years. They have a four-year old attending RCNS. Katelin is an attorney and partner at Clyde & Co LLP, and earlier in her career, served as a law clerk for the Hon. Charles L. Brieant, Jr. (US District Court for the Southern District of NY). She is a graduate of The Ursuline School, Boston College with a degree in History, and New York Law School. Within the community, Katelin has served this past year as the RCNS Asst Treasurer and will serve again as RCNS Treasurer next year. She has also held several mentoring and leadership roles, past and present, including as a member of Clyde & Co LLP’s Management Board, a Clyde & Co LLP Women's Initiative Founding Partner and Chair, a Fordham Law Negotiation Competition Coach, and the NYC Bar Association’s High School Pipeline Committee Co-Chair, among others. In her own words, Katelin would “like to volunteer on the NPC because I sense an earnest desire for discussion between trustee candidates and the community, and I want to help that engagement however I can. Providing opportunities to discuss the issues, trustee candidates’ solutions, and the principles and practicalities underlying those solutions are the hallmarks of what the NPC can offer, through respectful debate, information sharing, and dialogue. In my work and in life, I always try to build consensus through connection. Here, I would like to help our community and future candidates find as many ways as they can to connect on proposed plans for the continued excellence of our school.” ​

DISTR ICT 21 ​ H ugh Al lan Hugh and his wife, Andrea, have been residents of Bronxville since 2019. They have a daughter who attends the Bronxville Elementary school. Hugh and Andrea are members of The Reformed Church of Bronxville and the Bronxville Field Club. Hugh worked in finance for 20 years and transitioned careers to become a mental health therapist five years ago. Hugh currently has a private therapy practice in Bronxville. Hugh works with patients that are facing mental health challenges such as anxiety and depression. Hugh also works at The Parallax Center in New York which is an outpatient substance abuse facility. Hugh graduated from St. Lawrence University and received his Masters Degree at the NYU Silver School of Social work. Hugh wants to serve on the NPC to participate in the process of finding the most qualified leadership to help ensure that the school and community provide an enriching environment for his daughter.

NPC ALUMNI BY DISTRICT (Listed by end date of term) ​ DISTRICT 16 2001 Laurie Hawkes (Chair 2001) 2002 Deborah Pilla-Volpi 2003 Anne Grunseich 2004 Silas Ford 2005 Ann Parks (Vice Chair 2004; Chair 2005) 2006 Ivy Fredericks 2007 Betsy Harding 2008 Betty Crowley 2009 Kathy Mullen 2010 Grant Babyak 2011 John Knox 2012 Michael Pytosh (Chair 2011) 2013 Margaret Monahan-Bopp (Sec/Treas) 2014 Kathleen Knox (Sec/Treas 2013) 2015 Anne Cox (Chair 2014) 2015 Sheila Stoltz 2016 Jennifer Mackesy (Chair 2015) 2017 Michelle Meyercord 2018 Katie Shah 2019 Larry Bettino (Chair 2018, Treasurer 2019) 2020 Louise Parzick 2021 Helen Knapp 2023 Jocelyn Angelone (retired 2022) 2022 Dean Vanderwarker 2023 Sandra Borducci 2024 Wendy Halley (Chair '23) - Current 2025 Simone Kane - (Secretary/Treasurer) - Current 2026 Paul Heathwood - Current ​ DISTRICT 17 2001 Dennis Tormey 2002 Joan Henle 2003 Jane Vergari (Vice Chair 2002) 2004 Jane Bierwirth (Sec/Treas 2003; Chair 2004) 2005 Tom Welling 2006 Steve Palfrey (Chair 2006) 2007 Brian Beglin (Chair 2007) 2008 Jennie Thomas 2009 Steve Tighe 2010 Steve Thomas (Vice Chair 2010) 2011 Michelle Faselt 2012 Mark Connors 2013 Diron Jebejian 2014 Won Young Giuriceo (Chair 2013; Vice Chair 2014) 2015 Elizabeth Vranka (Treasurer 2015) 2016 Jennifer Lescott (Vice Chair 2016) 2017 Sara Kenny 2018 Tania Neild 2019 Andrew Harwood 2020 David Brashear 2021 Lianne de Serres 2022 Ed Reilly (Chair 2022) 2023 Michael Ching 2024 Laura Busker 2025 Jamie Powell Schwartz 2026 Michael Utell - Current 2026 Matt Christ - Current ​ DISTRICT 18 2001Dreux Claiden (Vice Chair 2000) 2002 Julie Sullivan (Chair 2002) 2003 Maureen Hackett 2004 Jayne Warman (Sec/Treas Spring 2004) 2005 Margy Whyte 2006 Mariellen Carpenter 2007 Don Gogel Moved 2008 Susan Meaney (Vice Chair 2007; Chair 2008) 2009 Jim Keating (Chair 2009) 2010 Tony Lemberger 2011 Henry Blom 2012 Robert Diserens 2013 Jan von Mehren 2014 Carlos Lamadrid (moved, served two years) 2014 Kathleen Knox (Sec/Treas 2013; completed Lamadrid term) 2015 Jane Moynihan 2016 Steve Kraemer (Vice Chair 2015; Chair 2016) Moved 2017 Alain Sunier 2018 Gillian Mueller Goddard 2019 Courtney McCarthy (resigned, served two years) 2020 Abby Hail 2021 Greg Gilliam (Chair 2020) 2022 Jeff Hine (completed McCarthy term, Vice Chair 2021&22) 2023 Elizabeth Kiehner: 2024 Tatiana Castro-Taboas (Secretary '23, Vice-Chair '24) 2025 Vincent McBride - (Vice-Chair '24) - Current 2026 Katelin O'Rourke Gorman - Current ​ DISTRICT 19 2001William Donner 2002 Kathryn Hicks 2003 Maureen Veitch (Sec/Treas 2002; Chair 2003) 2004 Mary Thaler (Chair Fall 2004) 2005 Maryann Bugas 2006 Bob Shearer 2007 Marianna Bruton 2008 Leslie Alberti 2009 Leslie Meyers 2010 Anna Foley 2011 Dale Frehse 2012 Bob Galbraith (Vice Chair 2011; Chair 2012) 2013 Melissa Warble 2014 Michael Gaffney 2015 Romy Coquillette 2015 David Pasquale 2016 Sharon Robinson (Co-Secretary 2015) 2017 Berit Block 2018 Michael Meyers 2019Jim Purdy 2020 George Zivic 2021 Thomas Hansen (Secretary 2020) 2022 Nick Willoughby (Secretary 2021; 2022) 2023 Shelly Klose 2024 Jonathan Beer - Current 2025 Alexandra Remmel - Current 2026 Tshering Amdo - Current DISTRICT 20 2002 Edmund O’Toole (Vice Chair 2001) 2003 Pam Minetti (Vice Chair 2003) 2004 Jeffrey Horn 2005 Tess Lewis 2006 Allison Devlin 2007 Priscilla Bender 2008 Antoine Broustra 2009 Bill Grealy (Vice Chair 2008) 2010 Beth Campbell (Sec/Treas 2009) 2011 Elizabeth Yienger (Sec/Treas 2011) 2012 Brigid Buendia 2013 Michael Broderick (Vice Chair 2012) 2012 Chris Granger (moved, served one year term) 2014 Mark McWilliams (completed Granger term) 2015 Richard Thomas 2016 Jim Fowler (Treas 2016) 2017 Tim Reidy (Chair 2017) 2018 Cathy Flanagan (Co Vice Chair 2017) 2019 Lindy Devereux (Vice Chair 2018; Chair 2019) 2020 Valerie Otto (Vice Chair 2019; Treasurer 2020) 2021 Katie McGrath (Treasurer 2021) 2022 Beata Gocyk-Farber 2022 Eleyna Whittingham (retired 2022) 2023 Jose Manuel Rodriguez * One year term 2024 Robert Andrews - Current 2025 Tracey Di Brino - Current 2026 Jose Manuel Rodriguez - Current ​ ​ DISTRICT 21 2001John Casterline (Sec/Treas 2000) 2002 Douglas Rossini (Sec/Treas 2001) 2003 Janis Cohen 2004 Mary Dennen 2006 Joan Rudd 2007 RuthAnn Brazill (Vice Chair 2006; Vice Chair 2007) 2008 Barbara Biel 2009 Mary Petite Yoo 2010 Bruce Jackson (Vice Chair 2009; Chair 2010) 2011 Sugar Genereaux (Sec/Treas 2010) 2010 Peter Licursi 2012 Patrick Noone 2013 Giselle Licursi 2014 Joan Gasior (Vice Chair 2013) 2015 Tracy Walsh (Sec/Treas 2014) 2015 Amy Wiser (Co-Sec 2015) 2017 Tara Saridakis (Secretary 2016) 2018 Niamh Hartlett Merluccio (Treasurer 2017) 2019 Charlotte Rizzo 2020 Vanessa O'Friel 2021Rich Gegenwarth (Chair 2021) 2022 Lee Huang (completed Rizzo term) 2023 Chris O’Gorman (Vice Chair 2023) 2024 James Cherundolo (Treasurer 2023) - Current 2025 Anne Marie Hein Niogi - Current 2026 Hugh Allan -Current ​ DISTRICT 22 2001George Michas 2002 Kenneth Nochols 2003 Letizia Alvisi-Seirup 2005 John Corry 2006 Schatze Thorp (Sec/Treas 2006) 2007 Murdoch McBride 2008 Adriana LaRaja (Sec/Treas 2008) 2009 Bob McGrath 2010 Joseph Peddy 2011Tom Burns 2012Laura Stichter 2012 Alexandra H. Nicholas (moved, served one year) 2013 Peter Thorp 2014 Mark Vollmer 2015 Craig Unis (completed Nicholas and Thorp term) 2015 Joseph Villanueva (resigned, served two years) 2017 Dale Frehse (Secretary 2017) 2018 Jim King (Co Vice Chair 2017) 2019 Donald Bringle (completed Villanueva term, elected to add’l 3 yrs) 2020 Jessica Turko (Secretary 2019; Vice Chair 2020) 2021 Susan Meaney 2022 Anthony Mercando 2023 Gail Solomon (resigned 2022) 2023 Donald Bringle (replaced G. Solomon by temporary appt) 2023 Erin Lovett 2025 Michael Girimonti - Current 2026 Jamie Abruzzo - Current

Bronxville NPC activities and member elections are financed by its members and village residents’ contributions alone. Please consider supporting the Bronxville NPC with a financial contribution. Any amount would be appreciated as we have no other source of funds. Note that although NPC is a not-for-profit organization, we are not a 501(c)3 entity, so donations are NOT tax deductible. Please Donate to the Bronxville NPC

coming soon

RULES OF PROCEDURE OF THE NON-PARTISAN COMMITTEE Adopted Pursuant to Paragraph 5(b) of the “Plan” Adopted January 13, 1936 As adopted on December 11, 1967; Revised December 12, 1977; Amended December 13, 1982; November 22, 1983; October 2, 1984; June 23, 1988; December 7, 1993; January 27, 1998; December 9, 2002; March 24, 2009; December 4, 2013; September 23, 2014, March 17, 2015; May 26, 2015, March 1, 2016, September 27, 2016, January 30, 2018, and May 15, 2019. I. NOMINATION AND ELECTION OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS 1. In the Spring of each year, the Chairman shall convene the Committee for the purpose of nomination by the Committee of candidates from each election district for election to the Committee. The time-frame for this process shall be consistent with the sequence for election stated in paragraph 3 of the “Plan.” 2. 21 days prior to the first meeting at which the Committee will consider candidates for Committee member the Chairman shall make public in the local media and on the NPC website: a. a request for the submission of names of potential candidates; and, b. a description of the Committee’s purpose and processes, including its role in a contested election. 3. At the first meeting at which the Committee will consider candidates for Committee member: a. the Chairman shall advise the Committee of the eligibility for re-election of members with expiring terms; b. Committee members shall present to the Committee the names of candidates qualified for nomination to the Committee; and, c. any Bronxville Village resident or any other Committee member may present names of qualified candidates in each district. ​ 4. The Chairman shall assign to various Committee members the names of candidates for the purpose of an interview to determine the candidate’s willingness to serve. Those candidates willing to be considered will be required to complete a brief form covering basic biographical information and relevant experience (the “Information Form”); this form should also summarize the duties of Committee members. The Chairman shall eliminate from consideration for membership on the Committee any candidate who is an elected official of the Village of Bronxville or an officer of a political party; or one currently seeking election to a Village office or to an office in a political party. ​ 5. Prior to the mailing of ballots as required in Paragraph 3 of the Plan, the Secretary of the Committee shall: a. verify that each candidate is a resident of the election district he or she is to represent and has been a resident of the Village of Bronxville for at least two years, unless otherwise agreed upon by the Committee; b. distribute to each member a list containing the names of candidates arranged according to election district; c. verify that each candidate is not an elected official of the Village of Bronxville or an officer of a political party; or that the candidate is not seeking elective office in the Village of Bronxville; and, d. verify that each candidate is not a faculty member or employee of the school district, or a family member of a faculty member or employee of the school district. 6. After the Committee has received Information Forms from candidates and has a full list of candidates for election to the Committee: ​ a. the Chairman shall publish the biographies of the candidates called for in paragraph 3 of the “Plan”; and, b. the Chairman shall with the concurrence of the majority of the Committee appoint a person to administer the election with adequate safeguards to protect voters’ privacy. ​ 7. The Committee shall not campaign on behalf of a candidate but an individual Committee member may do so. ​ 8. The Committee shall actively encourage residents of the Bronxville School District to be placed independently on the ballot for election to membership on The Non-Partisan Committee by making available to the community the Information Form, required to be filled out by those wishing to have their names placed on the ballot, in advance of the date for composing the printed ballots. The Information Form shall be available for download from the NPC website and available for pickup from the Superintendent’s Office, Village Hall and The Village Library. ​ 9. In counting ballots cast in the election for new NPC members, an existing NPC member shall not be involved in opening or counting ballots cast by voters from the Election District represented by such NPC member. ​ 10. Election of NPC members may take place through mailing of paper and/or electronic ballots. The NPC shall use reasonable efforts to (i) update annually the email list used for online balloting and (ii) use the most current and reliable technology for distributing email ballots and casting votes. An electronic ballot shall be considered authentic after confirmation of voter’s e-mail address. The electronic vote is reviewed by an independent organization, such as the League of Women’s Voters. II. NOMINATION AND ELECTION OF COMMITTEE OFFICERS In September, the Executive Committee (which shall be defined as the Chairperson, the Vice Chairperson and the Secretary/Treasurer, collectively) with the concurrence of the majority of the NPC shall appoint no less than five members representing different election districts, the majority of whom shall be members retiring from the Committee, to serve on the Nominating Committee. In the Spring, the Nominating Committee shall present to the NPC a slate of candidates for officers for the ensuing year. The NPC shall vote for officers at a meeting held in May or June. The officers shall consist of a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, and a Secretary/Treasurer. The NPC may elect Co-Chairs for each office. Potential NPC officers are encouraged to commit to more than one year as an officer. Any member may submit nominations for officers. Officers may not succeed himself or herself in the same office. It is preferred that officers reside in different election districts. Each Spring, the NPC shall decide which subcommittees, including but not limited to those set forth on Appendix II, it shall form for the upcoming year. Each Spring, the Nominating Committee shall present to the NPC for its approval subcommittee Chairs and/or Co-Chairs for the ensuing year. III. NOMINATION AND ELECTION OF TRUSTEES 1. In January, the Chairman shall convene the Committee for the purpose of nomination by the Committee of one candidate for each vacancy on the Board of Education. The time-frame for this process shall be consistent with the sequence for elections stated in paragraph 5(a) of the “Plan.” 2. In September, the Chairman shall distribute to each Committee member a copy of the “Plan,” of the Rules of Procedure, a map showing the Bronxville Village election districts, and a statement of the powers, functions and duties of the Trustees of the Bronxville School District. 3. The Chairman shall advise the Committee of the number of vacancies to be filled on the Board at the next election, of the names of Board members with expiring terms, and of the eligibility for re-election of Board members with expiring terms. Prior to January, the Chairman shall ask each Board member eligible for re-election to advise the committee in writing, with a copy to the local media, of his or her intention of standing for re-nomination. 4. Prior to interviewing and evaluating Trustee nominee candidates, the Committee shall discuss issues facing the Board and their implications for selection of nominees. To facilitate its discussion, the Committee may wish to invite one or more current Trustees and/or the Superintendent of Schools to address the meeting; it may also wish to sponsor a public general meeting or district meetings to ascertain the views of the community. It shall be the duty of The Non-Partisan Committee to announce publicly each year its search for candidates for School Trustees, and incorporate in that announcement the language from IV-14(a) of the Rules of Procedure. 5. Each Committee member shall present to the Committee the names of candidates qualified for nomination to the Board. 6. The Committee shall contact every potential candidate suggested to it. The Chairman shall assign to various Committee members the names of candidates for the purpose of an interview to determine whether the candidate will consent to be a Committee nominee. 7. Prior to the interviews: a. the Committee shall develop an action plan for promoting its candidates in the event of a contested election. Such plan shall include the public meeting required by paragraph III (12) of these Rules and other measures primarily directed toward demonstrating to the community that the Committee’s process is thorough and fair and that the process results in the nomination of candidates who are best able to serve the interests of the school community. The emphasis should be on enhancing the community’s understanding of the Committee’s function and process as well as maintaining the trust that the community has in the Committee. The Committee’s action plan shall be articulated in writing to each candidate who interviews with the Committee; and, ​ b. all candidates will be asked to complete a form provided by the Committee which will cover basic biographical information, relevant experience, involvement in the school, current issues facing the Board, and a list of references. References shall not include any current BOE trustees. 8. The Chairman shall circulate the completed forms to the Committee members prior to the initiation of the Committee interview process. 9. All nominees shall be interviewed by the Committee, whether standing for election or re-election. 10. Each Committee member is responsible for becoming acquainted, either through the interview process or in some other manner, with each nominee. 11. Voting for Committee nominee shall be by ballot and be performed according to the procedure detailed in APPENDIX I. To be designated a Committee nominee for a Board vacancy; a candidate must receive at least fourteen (14) affirmative votes, except as otherwise may be provided in APPENDIX I. A motion to make the designation unanimous can be defeated by one negative vote. ​ 12. A public meeting shall be held each year to meet The Non-Partisan Committee candidates for Trustee. ​ ​ IV. GENERAL PROVISIONS ​ 1. A quorum of the Committee shall consist of eleven (11) members, except that at a meeting to elect Committee members and/or Trustees, a quorum shall consist of fourteen (14) members. ​ 2. The Secretary shall keep minutes of Committee meetings. ​ 3. For purposes of disseminating the district ballots described in paragraph 3 of the Plan, the Secretary may rely on the most reasonably current Village mailing list that is available. The NPC should make every reasonable effort to enable all residents to vote. The NPC should send ballots to every household on the mailing list, include two ballots in each envelope sent, and provide extra ballots in the Superintendent’s Office, to be used by additional members of a household who are eligible to vote in the election. 4. Committee interview and elections shall be kept confidential by the members. 5. Committee meetings shall be called by the Chairman upon at least five days written notice to Committee members. The purpose of the meeting shall be identified in the notice. 6. Committee ballots for nominees shall be counted by two NPC members. One counter shall be an NPC Officer: either Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, or Treasurer, selected in this order. The second counter shall be a non-NPC officer and shall be either a former NPC officer or a 3rd year NPC member, selected in this order. Selections will be determined by the NPC officers and approved by the NPC. Vote counts shall not be disclosed to anyone, including other Committee members, as stated in Appendix I of the Rules and Procedures, NPC Voting System 7. A Committee member shall not be elected for more than one full term, except: ​ a. a former Committee member is eligible for re-election after an absence of three (3) years from Committee membership; b. a member may be re-elected once after serving a partial term of less than one-half of one full term; c. a member who, during the course of the year moves from one election district to another within the Bronxville School District without having completed a full term, shall be eligible to stand for election from the new district for one full three-year term. ​ 8. It shall be the policy of the Committee that any Committee member who, during his or her tenure on the Committee, chooses to run for political office or becomes an officer of a political party, shall immediately resign from the Committee. Any Committee member who, during his or her tenure on the Committee, seeks or commences employment with the School District, or whose family member seeks or commences employment with the School District, shall immediately resign from the Committee. ​ 9. Each officer shall maintain a record of his or her activities relating to the execution of the duties prescribed in these Rules of Procedure and the “Plan,” and of any other duties or assignments carried out in the Committee’s interests. The record shall be given to the officer’s successor. 10. It is the responsibility of Committee members to inform themselves of the qualifications of candidates for Committee officer, Committee member and Trustee. Each Committee member may make inquiries of other Committee members and/or non-Committee members to inform himself/herself of such qualifications of candidates. Committee members are urged to express their opinions freely in Committee meetings, including any doubts and reservations, in regard to the qualifications of candidates under consideration for Committee and/or Board membership; their comments should be objective, factual, and avoid hearsay. It is the duty of the Chairman to focus the discussion, to the extent possible, upon the qualifications of the candidates and the needs of the school. 11. Committee members shall attend meetings of the Board of Education as often as possible. The Committee should consider having a brief report on the preceding Board meetings at each of its meetings. 12. Each member of the Committee should make a concerted effort to communicate with neighbors, friends and the community to ascertain the needs of the school and actively canvass the community for possible candidates for Trustees and committee members. 13. Once a nominee for Trustee has been duly designated as a candidate by the Committee, it shall be considered inappropriate for any individual member or group of members of the committee to (a) personally promote a Committee candidate with language or in a format that differs significantly from that approved by the Committee and the Public Relations subcommittee, or to (b) promote a non-Committee candidate in the public election. ​ 14. The criteria applied in selecting Trustees include: ​ a. It is the policy of the Committee that a nominee for Trustee shall be an individual whose educational or professional background and/or volunteer experience will enhance the candidate’s effectiveness and who will make a substantial contribution to the deliberations of the Board. The candidate must be knowledgeable about the needs of the Bronxville School and community and must be a registered voter in the Bronxville, N.Y. election district. Candidates must be aware of the heavy time requirements for service on the Board of Trustees, and prepared to make allowances in their vocational and personal commitments so that they will be able to attend all meetings and fulfill committee assignments. b. It is currently the law of New York that a nominee for school board trustee shall: ​ 1. be able to read and write; 2. be a qualified voter of the school district (i.e., must be a U.S. citizen, 18 years or older, a district resident for at least 30 days, and not be a convicted felon or have been adjudged an incompetent); 3. have been a district resident for at least one year prior to the election (but need not have been a taxpayer); 4. not have been removed from a school district office within one year of the election; 5. not be an employee of the Board of Education; 6. be the only member of his/her family (defined as those within the same household) on such board. ​ c. It is the policy of the Committee that an applicant for school board Trustee shall not be: 1. an elected official of the Village of Bronxville; 2. a former Trustee who has not been off the Board for more than two (2) years; 3. a faculty member or employee of the Board of Education; 4. the spouse of a faculty member or employee of the Board of Education 5. a former member of the Non-Partisan Committee who has not been off the Committee for more than one (1) year. ​ In the event an applicant is the spouse of a member of the Non-Partisan Committee, such NPC member shall recuse him/herself from the NPC activities during such year. ​ 15. An appeal for funds should be included in the mailing of ballots for election of Committee members. Additional fundraising methods should be employed as and when necessary. 16. At least every four (4) years the Committee shall form an advisory committee to review its procedures. The committee shall be composed of Committee members, former Committee members and representatives of the community. 17. These Rules of Procedure were adopted by the affirmative vote of fourteen (14) Committee members. Any waivers of or amendments to these Rules of Procedure shall require the affirmative vote of fourteen (14) Committee members. 18. Where not otherwise provided, the procedures of the Committee shall be governed by Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised.