Voters said “Yes” on Tuesday to the Rye City School District’s proposed $76.8 million budget for 2013-2014. There were 1,434 votes in favor of the budget and 406 votes against.
By Sarah Varney
Voters said “Yes” on Tuesday to the Rye City School District’s proposed $76.8 million budget for 2013-2014. There were 1,434 votes in favor of the budget and 406 votes against.
Katy Keohane Glassberg retained her School Board position as vice president. First-time candidate Nicole Weber defeated former Board member Bob Zahm. Glassberg received 1,305 votes, Weber garnered 1,037 votes, and Zahm got 854. Zahm’s early departure from the Board in 2010 may have hurt his chances this time around, some observers noted.
“I am so pleased that our community supported the 2013-14 school budget, which will allow the District to maintain the educational priorities of class size at the elementary level, team structure at the middle school, and excellent course offerings at the high school,” said Glassberg. “I am grateful to have been re-elected to the Board and will continue to work hard to ensure children in Rye City Schools have excellent educational opportunities and that we provide those in a cost- efficient manner.”
Weber was clearly excited by her victory. “This process has been wonderful. I’ve gotten to know so many people with all sorts of perspectives on the issues. I’m really looking forward to serving on the Board,” she said. Weber and her husband have lived in Rye for two years.
Glassberg was first elected to the Board in 2010 after serving in a volunteer capacity at Milton that culminated in a two-year stint as PTO president. She is a litigation attorney with degrees from Boston University in Communications and Brooklyn Law School.
Weber is a former human resources specialist for Bloomberg Media. She said her candidacy is the result of wanting to serve the community in a capacity that matches her corporate experience and skill set. Her other work experience includes HR stints at McKinsey and Merrill Lynch, and as a Financial Analyst at Goldman Sachs. Weber holds a Bachelor’s degree from Trinity College and an MBA from Cornell.
In other Board action Tuesday, the District received $32,486.78 in FEMA funds that will go toward reimbursing various costs accrued in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. In addition, proposed curricula for Mandarin IV, adoption of the Pathway to Engineering Program, and the Science 21 elementary science program all were approved.
In security news, District officials confirmed that there would be a follow-up meeting for the community on the results of the security report presented to the board by StoneGate Associates. The costs of the individual upgrades are in the process of being determined, said Superintendent for Business Kathleen Ryan, who is retiring this summer.
