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Yorktown superintendent reports enrollment, test gains and awards; budget passed about 75%
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Hatter presented the districtyear-end review, citing enrollment figures, improved percentile performance on state assessments, national recognitions and an overwhelming budget vote. He also briefed the board on a cell-phone ban survey and an agreement to pilot county bus stop-arm cameras for safety.
Dr. Hatter, superintendent of Yorktown Central School District, presented a year-end review at the board meeting on June 2 that summarized enrollment, student-assessment trends, recent recognitions and next steps for district policy and safety initiatives.
The most immediate data point: the district's K–12 October 2024 bed-state enrollment was reported at 3,455 students. Dr. Hatter also said the district's prekindergarten program had about 20 students currently and that prekindergarten enrollment for the coming year was “close to 150–160” and growing.
Why it matters: the presentation combined outcome metrics used by the district with examples of extracurricular success and national recognitions, and it framed near-term operational work — such as the approved budget, policy development and a pilot for bus stop-arm cameras — that will affect students and families.
Academic trends. Hatter presented five years of comparative percentile-rank data that, he said, places Yorktown above most New York State districts on recent state assessments. He noted that in English language arts (ELA) the district outperformed 89.1% of New York districts prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and outperformed 95.6% of districts in 2024. On Advanced Placement testing, he reported an 89% rate of scores at 3 or higher in 2024, the highest of the years shown on the slide.
Recognitions and activities. Hatter highlighted multiple district achievements: national recognition as a "Best Community for Music Education," national awards in science research (ISEF) and strong AP and Regents results in several subjects. He also credited district communications staff for winning national awards for the Yorktown Minute video program and the district newsletter.
Budget and community support. Hatter noted this was the first board meeting after the budget vote and said the community supported the 2025–26 budget by about a 75% approval rate. He thanked voters for the margin and said the administration takes the vote of confidence seriously as it implements the budget.
Policy and safety updates. Hatter reported several operational items requiring attention: the new state cellphone rule for students (a ban on bell-to-bell use) will be implemented at the high school level and the district is collecting community responses; 259 community members had completed the district survey by the time he spoke, and results were approximately 53% in support and 47% opposed. He also said the district had reached an agreement to opt into a Westchester County program to capture external stop-arm camera footage on some buses, with enforcement handled by the county police; the district will retain control of interior bus-camera systems and plans a limited initial pilot on a few buses.
Next steps. Dr. Hatter said the board will receive a final recommendation on an ex-officio student board member at the June 16 meeting and that policy language on the cellphone rule will be developed by the policy committee in the coming weeks. He also asked the board to set its areas of focus for the coming year so the administration can plan summer work and objectives for 2025–26.
The presentation closed with comments from trustees praising staff and communications efforts and with a reminder that the district plans further public updates as initiatives move from planning to implementation.
