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The Mount Vernon City School District, through a shared decision-making process, is committed to helping its scholars, parents, teachers, and administrators enhance their academic, social, economic, and technological skills to prepare individuals to function effectively in today's global society.
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that a Regular Meeting of the Mount Vernon Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, beginning at 6:30 p.m., at The Board of Education, 165 N. Columbus Avenue, Mount Vernon, NY 10553.
Members of the public may view the meeting LIVE on our website:
https://www.mtvernoncsd.org/our-district/board-of-education/meeting-video-library
Mount Vernon residents will vote on a $272,206,615 school district budget for the 2025-2026 school year on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Click here to visit the budget webpage for more information. The Knight Times 2025-2026 school year budget newsletter is available online and can be viewed and downloaded by clicking here.
There will be a mobile pantry at Cecil H. Parker School on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Denzel Washington School of the Arts will present their spring musical – A Night of Broadway, A Musical Revue – at 6:30 p.m. on May 16, 2025, in the Phylicia Rashad Auditorium. Tickets are $20 for general admission, $10 for senior citizens, and $5 for students with their school ID. Click here to buy tickets.
View this month’s events and workshops at the Parent Resource Center here! Read more about the events below or click here to register.
The Mount Vernon Knights Youth Football Clinic will be held at Mount Vernon High School from 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 20, through Friday, May 22. Join the Knights for a three-day football clinic with special guests from the New York Giants, college football players, and more! Open to grades 3-8, click here to register.
View upcoming Visual & Performing Arts events here!
NOTICE OF THE DISTRICT-WIDE BUDGET HEARING AND ANNUAL SCHOOL BOARD/BUDGET VOTE ELECTION OF THE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT OF THE CITY OF MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK AND THE MOUNT VERNON PUBLIC LIBRARY
The Mount Vernon City School District has opened its pre-K3 and pre-K4 lotteries from March 3 to June 27, 2025. Click here to visit the registration page and learn more.
Middle and high school auditions will be held at Denzel Washington School of the Arts on Saturday, June 14, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
An application must be complete prior to the audition.
The Mount Vernon City School District is offering subsidized Metro Cards for $145 per semester, half of the full price of $290, for all grade 7-12 students. The Metro Card is only valid on Bee-Line buses, not MTA. Cards are valid for five months, September through January and February through June. Cards are valid Monday through Friday from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. with up to four trips per day.
Contact Daffodil Graham at dgraham@mtvernoncsd.org, 914-358-2888, or in room 231 of Mount Vernon High School from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Monday through Friday. Submit cash or a money order payable to MVCSD to purchase the passes.
Visit https://lhric.tedk12.com/hire/index.aspx, or scan the QR code, to view open positions in the Mount Vernon City School District. The District is looking for talented professionals who want to make a difference in the lives of its students.
Please see the instructions below on how to create your new Infinite Campus Parent Portal account. To begin, click the following link: Parent Portal Activation (Please note Infinite Campus Portal works best in the Google Chrome browser.) If you did not receive your access code, please contact us via email at smcgarty@mtvernoncsd.org.
See The PRC
Click below for more information and updates about the Parent Resource Center at Mount Vernon STEAM Academy, available to all parents and guardians in Mount Vernon.
School District News
Dr. K. Veronica Smith, Acting Superintendent of Schools:
As has been recently reported and thereafter confirmed by the Westchester County District Attorney’s office, a former volunteer coach for the District, Dwayne Murray, has been arrested for certain alleged acts of sexual misconduct involving a minor. The organization identified as being affiliated with Mr. Murray in a recent Journal News report, the Junior Knights, is an independent entity from the District. As of this morning, the District has not been made aware that any of our students or former students are in any way connected to this matter.
On Wednesday afternoon, members of the Mount Vernon STEAM Academy Mock Trial Team received certificates from the City of Mount Vernon and the Commitee on Law, Youth and Citizenship from the New York Bar Association, presented by Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard. These certificates recognized the team for their success in going four rounds into the New York State High School Mock Trial tournament, which is held by the Westchester Bar Association and the New York Bar Association.
View this week's edition of the One Mount Vernon Digitial Newsletter here, featuring a joint community message from Acting Superintendent Dr. K. Veronica Smith and incoming Superintendent of Schools Dr. Demario A. Strickland.
Students show resilience by thriving in challenging situations, and two Mount Vernon City School District students were recognized for their academic excellence and accomplishments at Student Advocacy’s Overcoming the Odds Awards. Kwanell Williams, a senior at Mount Vernon STEAM Academy, and Prosper Ibeto, a senior at Mount Vernon High School, received about $700 in financial assistance to help start their post-secondary education.
Moving on up! Congrats to the seniors at Mount Vernon High School, Denzel Washington School of the Arts and Rebecca Turner Academy who celebrated their post graduation endeavors on Thursday. Students shared their future plans with classmates and teachers as they honored all the hard work they have put into their education. Click here to view photos from the day!
The Mount Vernon Board of Education unanimously selected Dr. Demario A. Strickland as Mount Vernon City School District’s new Superintendent of Schools. The appointment, effective July 1, was made during the Board’s special meeting on Wednesday.
The aroma of essential oils filled the gymnasium at Mount Vernon Honor Academy Wednesday as mothers made their way in for a morning of meditation and mindfulness. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, the school is putting on various events to educate families about the importance of social and emotional health.
Jasmine Damian is a senior at the Mount Vernon STEAM Academy who balances extracurricular activities with a keen focus on academics and her education. With a little over a month left before completing four years of high school, Jasmine is ready to celebrate all of her accomplishments and walk across the graduation stage!
The Knight Times 2025-2026 school year budget newsletter is available online and can be viewed and downloaded by clicking here. The newsletter contains a comprehensive overview of the proposed budget for the 2025-2026 school year. The budget vote will be held on Tuesday, May 20, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Click here to visit the budget page for more information about the 2025-2026 budget.
Ninth graders at the Mount Vernon STEAM Academy presented short stories that they wrote in class to kindergarteners at Nelson Mandela/Dr. Hosea Zollicoffer School. This project-based learning assignment is titled “Little Readers, Big Authors” and is a part of a trilogy of events that allowed STEAM students the opportunity to interview younger students, learn about their likes and interests, and write children’s books tailored to what they’ve learned.
Last Thursday morning, the mothers of Hamilton School students enjoyed a wonderful breakfast and fun activities during the Muffin with Mom’s event. These mothers got to spend the morning with their children, engaging with arts and crafts, enjoying a breakfast put together by the Parent Liaisons of the District, and even had the chance to enter into a raffle where they could win gifts and games in celebration of Mother’s Day.
The Mount Vernon City School District hosted a budget presentation and Q+A last Thursday at Pennington School. Parents and community members listened to the presentation and asked questions throughout to gain a better understanding of the budget in a conversational setting.
The Career and Technical Education Department closed out CTE Week with the CTE and Transition Fair on Friday, hosting trade schools, colleges and organizations to share a wide range of opportunities with students.
As part of the school counselor-led Preparing for Your Future series, students at Rebecca Turner Academy took their career exploration beyond the classroom with two inspiring and hands-on events aimed at turning passions and interests into real-world aspirations. In late March, students visited the Westchester School for Medical and Dental Assistants, where they had the unique opportunity to observe and practice essential skills used daily in the medical field.
The series continued this Thursday, when students welcomed Mr. Cruz from Universal Technical Institute.