SBNC renominates Yusuf, Klein for board of education

During the tenure of Yusuf and Klein, the board has “overseen many important initiatives that directly support providing the best education for the students of the district,” the release said, noting the board conducted an extensive superintendent search and hired a new superintendent, collaborated with Scarsdale Village Board to enhance cell service in and around school buildings, expanded opportunities for community engagement and increased transparency with the community, focused on oversight and governance controls within the district, adopted a new policy to support equity, inclusivity and diversity, and conducted many other matters of the district during board meetings and through board liaison assignments with community organizations.

“I am deeply honored to receive the nomination from the SBNC to serve as a candidate for the board of education,” Yusuf said in the press statement. “I thank the SBNC committee [members] and chair and vice chair for all of their hard work during this process. I appreciate being nominated by the SBNC to serve our community for a second term.”

Yusuf’s professional experience is focused on the world of technology and consulting. She is currently a director of Service Delivery for The Acceleration Project, a nonprofit that is focused on creating a more equitable economy by delivering high-caliber and impactful services to under-resourced small businesses. Yusuf holds an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley, and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Washington University in St. Louis. She and her husband, Inder Grewal, have two sons at Scarsdale High School.

Nominee Klein said, “While the past three years have been challenging, I am even more committed to building on the strength of our team of board members and new superintendent, Dr. Patrick. Public education is a building block for creating a democracy that supports all our constituents and launches our children as engaged and productive members of society. I am honored to be given the privilege of SBNC nomination to represent the Scarsdale community in this important role as board trustee.”

Klein is an architect and strategic facilities planner as well as an active board member and volunteer for a variety of national and community organizations. He is a founding board member of Neighbors for Refugees, a Westchester nonprofit and resettlement organization, and also serves on the board of the Clay Arts Center, based in Port Chester. He is a licensed architect in both the United Kingdom, where he lived and worked for five years, as well as New York state. He has lived in Scarsdale for 38 years with his wife Jane, and both of their children are alumni of Scarsdale High School.

The SBNC in its press release congratulated Yusuf and Klein on their nomination and thanked all applicants who went through the nominating process. The committed said it engaged in “extensive candidate outreach” and “conducted extensive vetting and due diligence of the candidates, including presentations, interview questions with the candidates and extensive reference checks.”

The SBNC, which keeps its discussions, deliberations and references confidential, said it carefully researched and considered the background, experience and qualifications of each candidate, and selected candidates based “solely on their qualifications to serve the community, and not on their campaigning abilities or positions on specific issues.”

“We thank the SBNC, all applicants, and the Scarsdale community for their commitment to the Scarsdale school system and educational excellence,” noted Jon Lemle, chair of the SBNC, and Deborah Skolnik, vice chair. Voters in the Scarsdale School District are encouraged to vote Tuesday, May 16, in the auditorium at Scarsdale Middle School. In addition to voting for two school board seats, district voters will also vote on the proposed 2023-24 school district budget, as well as an anticipated bond to support renovations for the auditorium at Scarsdale High School.

For more information on the SBNC, visit scarsdalesbnc.com or contact the SBNC chair at sbncchair@gmail.com.