Superintendent recommends new director of pre-K and elementary education; board hears about donations for outdoor play

Superintendent Christine Ackerman told the Chappaqua Central School District board on July 6 that the agenda included a recommendation to hire Dr. Karen Skarth as the district's director of pre-K and elementary education and highlighted ongoing summer professional development and a board-administrative retreat.

"Today and tomorrow is our board and administrative retreat," Ackerman said, noting workshops on building school culture and negotiating when parents raise concerns about technology. District staff member Andrew introduced Dr. Karen Skarth and said she has "a long track record of a building administrator moving up through the ranks as an assistant principal and then a principal for, about 13 years now," and that a site visit and interviews suggested she would be a strong fit for the district.

Staff also described a targeted grant—funded by a family, a community member and the Chappaqua Schools Foundation—to create an outdoor game space at Graflin Elementary, with Roaring Brook and West Orchard identified as potential future sites. District staff member Josh described a separate gift from the estate of former music teacher Linda Jolley that the district received for flexible use across programs.

Board members asked for clarity on how donations are handled. A board member asked whether donors may write checks directly to the district and how those funds are held before acceptance. Staff explained that donors commonly route gifts through the Chappaqua Schools Foundation; checks written directly to the district are held with an accompanying letter and deposited after board acceptance.

Board members also questioned how the new director’s time will be split between pre-K and K–4 duties and whether the funding allocation—partly a pre-K state grant and partly from the district operating budget—matches the position’s responsibilities. Ackerman said the position was moving from a 0.6 FTE to a full-time role and that staff would work to develop non-intrusive ways to report how time is allocated to the off-site pre-K program without requiring detailed timekeeping.

The board did not take a final vote on hiring during the reorganization meeting; the recommendation appeared on the agenda for consideration and staff discussion focused on fit, experience and operational details.

The board accepted multiple donations on the consent agenda later in the meeting, including the Graflin targeted grant and the Linda Jolley estate gift, which staff described as "pretty significant."