Yonker‘ Free Pre‘‘ S»cial Edition FRIDAY FEBRUARY 28, 2020 - BRIAN HARROD EDITOR PUBLISHER Dr. Edwin M. Quezada new contract commences February 1, 2020 through January 31, 2025 Yonkers Board of Education Trustees Gives A Five Year Contract To Superintendent Of Schools By BRIAN HARROD At the February 26, 2020 Stated Meeting of the Yonkers Board of Ed- ucation, the Trustees unanimously adopted Resolution 10.8 appointing Dr. Edwin M. Quezada to a new five year term as superintendent of schools. Statement from Yonkers Board of Education President Rev. Steve Lopez.... “One of the Trustees legislated duties is to employ a superintendent of schools who will administer with fidelity the goals and policies estab- lished by the Board as well as re- quired compliance with State Educa- tion laws and regulations. The superintendent oversees the school district’s budget and super- vises all functions to deliver a safe, healthy educational environment for students and staff to thrive and achieve at high levels. As the fourth largest school district in the state, this is no easy task. Over the past five years, our students, staff and infrastructure have undergone significant consistent progress. This is well documented and rec- ognized in New York State and na- tionally. The common denominator is Dr. Quezada. Driven by equity across all aspects of teaching and learning, his compas- sion for children and families, coupled with his tenacious leadership, our stu- dents, educators and staff are sub- stantially advancing because of Dr. Quezada’s work. Just last week, the publication, City and State New York distributed, The 2020 Education Power 100 - the 100 most powerful education leaders in New York State; Dr. Quezada was 11th out of 100 individuals. Therefore, to sustain this momen- tum and stabilize the school district for the next five years the Trustees offered and Dr. Quezada accepted a new five year contract. " Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano Re- leased The Following Statement.... " Our Yonkers Public Schools have experienced unprecedented growth Yonkers Free Press Special Edition FRIDAY FEBRUARY 28, 2020 - BRIAN HARROD EDITOR PUBLISHER 2 and milestone achievements due to the unrelenting commitment and leadership of our Superintendent, Dr. Quezada’s tenure has led to our students achieving the high- est graduation rates and test scores among the Big 5 Districts. His ap- proach to education is deliberate and progressive, all while putting our stu- dents and teachers first. Congratula- tions to our Board of Trustees and Su- perintendent on a job well done keep up the great work.” Jerilynne Fierstein, Yonkers Pub- lic Schools Communications Officer Provided The Following Details.... Yonkers Public Schools - Five Years of Improvement 2015 to 2020 Graduation rate at 88% - The only Large City District to graduate over 80% - 1 high school with a 100% on- time graduation rate, 3 with an over 90% and 3 with over 85%. Every sub-groups outperform the State and Large Cities Dropout Rate of 3%, half the state’s average of 6%, and it has de- creased by 61% since 2015 Increased Grades 3-8 State As- sessments in ELA by 5 percentage points and Math by 4 over 3 years. Yonkers outperformed the statewide gains of 0.2 percentage points on ELA and 2.2 percentage points on Math as well as all of the Big 5 large city school districts whose gains aligned more closely to the State’s results. Every Yonkers subgroup showed im- provements on both assessments. Diversified Central Office Leader- ship - Assembled a central leadership team reflective of the City of Yonkers rich diversity Expanded Community School Model Strong partnerships with Yonkers Police Department, Yonkers Fire Department, health and mental health institutions, vision and dental services and community organiza- tions. Increased and Sustained Sports Programs - Robust Intramural Sports grades 7 & 8 - Revitalized and expanded High School Junior Varsity and Varsity op- tions Yonkers My Brother’s Keeper is touted as a model program in New York State and has gained consider- able national recognition Advanced FamilyGuardian En- gagement - New efficient Student In- formation System and robust Parent Portal - New Mass Notification Sys- tem Completed 48 capital projects for $58 million over the past 2 years 12 more projects are in construction for $19 million SMART Bond capital im- provements for expansions and sig- nificant renovations at 4 schools - Kahlil Gibran School, Eugenio Maria de Hostos MicroSociety School, Patri- cia DiChiaro School, School 30 Increased technology opportuni- ties for teaching and learning Yonkers is the first large district to administer districtwide Computer-based Testing for grades 3 through 8 State assess- ments in English Language Arts and Mathematics considered a model in New York State Provided significant Professional Development - Next Generation Learning Standards - Technology - Addressing the needs of Multi-lingual Learners