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Patch Picks: Engineers Expo; Carol Channing; Easter Eggs

There is something for everyone to do this week in the Hudson Valley.

March 25. 11 a.m. Demystify the world of engineering for middle schoolers and college-bound students at the annual expo. Volunteers from the engineering community are on hand to discuss their jobs. Colleges and universities also attend. Middle Schoolers can explore a room dedicated to hands-on, age-appropriate engineering experiments. Students who register at the door are eligible to win an iPad. Free. 550 North St. #A, White Plains.

March 25. 7:30 p.m. Broadway and comedy legend Carol Channing gets her due in "Carol Channing: Larger Than Life," directed by Dori Berinstein with co-writer Adam Zucker. Channing's trademark hair and smile are on display in the film, which chronicles her 90-year career. $8. , 175 Wolfs Ln., Pelham.

March 26. 9:30 a.m. The Harrison Library gives burgeoning writers the chance to shine with its annual writing contest, which runs through April 29. Children in kindergarten through sixth grade can participate. Stories must be handwritten, doubled space and one-to-three pages long. Prizes are awarded in May. The contest is sponsored by the Friends of the Harrison Public Library. Call the Children’s Room for more information at 914-835-0324. Free. , 2 Bruce Ave., Harrison.

March 26. 4 p.m. Support Westchester County's youngest ballers at the tourney sponsored by the Westchester County Parks Department. $3. , 198 Central Ave., White Plains.

March 28. 8 a.m. Rockland County is holding its quarterly blood drive in support of Gabrielle DiCarlo, who was diagnosed with a rare cancer. Gabrielle will receive a teddy bear and card signed by donors courtesty of Hudson Valley Blood Services. Donors will have the chance to win Yankee tickets, a Munno’s gift certificate and teeth whitening by Dr. Giglio. Refreshments and lunch will be available to those who donate. Free. , 1 Sanatorium Rd., Pomona

March 28. 7 p.m. Arts critic John Simon discusses career highlights at the Donnelley Lecture Hall in Heimbold Visual Arts Center at Sarah Lawrence College. Free. 1 Mead Way, Bronxville.

March 31. 8 a.m. $5 gets you a delicious pancake breakfast and helps support the Lake Carmel F.D. Explorer Post #2041. The Easter Bunny will be on hand for pictures. $5. A, 115 Independent Way, Brewster.

 March 31. 10 a.m. Kids love hunting for eggs at the annual Yorktown Lions/Park and Rec Easter Egg Hunt. Free. , 2881 Crompond Rd., Yorktown Heights.

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Lisa Buchman (Editor) June 6, 2013 at 10:14 am
I loved all the music - the band belting out 'Sweet Caroline' was great!
Lisa Buchman (Editor) June 6, 2013 at 10:12 am
Heather, thanks! I saw you in the crowd! These are awesome. It was a perfect night for it! I'll addRead More a link to your post from mine.
Josephine Ziegler presented the school board with the petition at the May 9 meeting.
John Craig June 3, 2013 at 11:50 am
Regarding paragraph 5 -- the retirement incentive. I haven't read anything to suggest that theRead More retirement incentive and the insurance switch are related or that that KLDTA asked for one to get the other. When I read the initial release from the board, I saw them as 2 different cost savings initiatives. ---The district indicated that each retirement saves a net of $32,500 per year. Early Retirement Incentive Plans (ERIPs) are fairly common stuff among downsizing private organizations. I think it makes sense to use them here to accelerate cost savings. ---The original petition was well written. Now that we have addressed point #3, I think it's time to make further progress on point #2 -- a financially sustainable contract. ---And, experience suggests that if you really want to move forward in a collaborative way, you have to let go of the past. Continuing to harp on past mistakes undermines point #5.
Sara Weale June 3, 2013 at 12:36 pm
Thanks for your comment. I agree that we all need to move forward -- but in my opinion, althoughRead More this side agreement made a long-overdue change in health care carriers (while maintaining a high level of health care benefits/access to teachers, retirees and their dependents), the KLDTA again asked for retirement incentives in return - just as they did for the December 2010 MOA that extended the terms of their contract for two years and avoided going to Triborough. Under the 2010 MOA, KLDTA requested a $10,000 retirement incentive and 21 teachers took the offer (including the current leader of KLDTA) -- resulting in an outlay of $210,000 by the district. Although some savings might have been realized for "early" retirements, it is difficult to calculate the exact amount because the district has no way of knowing when a teacher would have retired without the incentive. If 20 additional teachers take the new retirement incentive which was increased to $17,500 for some reason -- that is a total cost to the district of $350,000. Don't forget that regardless of the incentive, teachers retire with full pension and retiree health care benefits. Yes - the district will realize some savings from the incentives -- but we likely would have realized similar savings without incentives and natural attrition/retirement of our teaching staff. What I think we need to pay attention to as a community is that it seems the only way that KLDTA leadership will agree to changes in the status quo is if they get something in return. The last two agreements with the KLDTA will likely result in approximately $500,000 spent by the district in retirement incentives over a five year period -- money in my opinion, better kept in the district system during these difficult economic times and in the tax-cap environment. In my opinion, finally switching health care carriers did not merit financial rewards for teachers likely retiring in the next three years anyway.
Katonah19 June 6, 2013 at 08:08 am
For more insight, take a look at BOE Member Charles Day's statement on retirement incentives inRead More exchange for KLSDTA's agreement to changes in Health Care here: http://bedford.patch.com/groups/opinion/p/days-statement-on-kl-union-contract-changes