District Discusses Changes in Special Education with Forum

Parents of the Mount Vernon City School District learned about the changes under way in the Special Education Department in a Zoom forum Wednesday, October 13, 2021. The process of determining initial eligibility for special education has been centralized which allows for closer monitoring of compliance. About 40 special education teachers have been trained in the Orton-Gillingham Multisensory approach to reading.

Notice of Public Hearing: Amani Charter School Renewal Application

The Mount Vernon City School District has been notified that the New York State Department of Education is in receipt of a renewal application for a charter school within the Mount Vernon City School District. The charter school applying to renew its status is “Amani Public Charter School.” As part of the approval process, the Mount Vernon City School District is required to host a public hearing and collect comments related to the application. The hearing will take place from at 6 p.m.-6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 26, 2021. The public hearing will take place virtually via Zoom to meeting. This hearing is being held pursuant to New York State Education Law 2857(1) which states: “Prior to the issuance, revision, or renewal of a charter, the school district in which the charter school is located shall hold a public hearing to solicit comments from the community in connection with the foregoing.” “Such hearing shall be held within the community potentially impacted by the proposed charter school.” “In addition, such school districts shall be given an opportunity to comment on the proposed charter to the charter entity and such charter entity shall consider any comments raised and submit any such comments to the board of regents with the application for issuance, revision, or renewal of a charter.” The New York State Board of Regents and the Mount Vernon City School District welcome comments on the application, including those related to the programmatic and fiscal impact of the renewal proposal on public and non-public schools in the area. If you are unable to appear in person at the public hearing comments may be submitted to the District Clerk via e-mail at rmccormack@mtvernoncsd.org with “Amani Public Charter School” in the subject line, via fax at 914-665-6104 or through regular mail at District Clerk, 165 N. Columbus Avenue, Mount Vernon, New York, 10553.

Board of Education Meeting Tuesday, October 19, 2021

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that a Meeting of the Mount Vernon Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, October 19, 2021, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at The Education Center, 165 N. Columbus, Mount Vernon, NY. Members of the public may view the meeting LIVE on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MountVernonCitySchoolDistrict and the district website www.mtvernoncsd.org. The meeting will also be available for playback on the district's Board Docs website.

New Mount Vernon High School Principal Brings International Baccalaureate Experience

Mount Vernon High School students were greeted in September by a new principal, Dr. Matthew Gonzales, an education leader with more than 20 years of experience, including with the International Baccalaureate program. The Mount Vernon Board of Education hired Dr. Gonzales in August to lead the school of 1,200 students. The position puts the veteran educator in charge of overseeing the high school’s new configuration, splitting the student body into three divisions named for role models and acclaimed figures – Maya Angelou, Benjamin Banneker and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Thrusha Henderson, Mount Vernon Educator With Vast Experience Named Pennington School Principal

Thrusha Henderson, who has built a career as an educator in the Mount Vernon City School District over the past 24 years, is the new principal of the Pennington School. She took the position starting in August after serving as assistant principal in three district schools over several years, including serving twice as an administrator shared by two schools. For the past school year, she served as assistant principal for both the Nelson Mandela/Dr. Hosea Zollicoffer School and Rebecca Turner Elementary School.