Hillcrest Elementary School Closing: An Inside Job?
- April 5, 1978 - Representatives and community members of New Square attend a public school board meeting. They urge the district to sell Hillcrest Elementary. The School Board votes unanimously not to sell the school. (Source: ‘The Journal News’)
- 2001 - 2007 East Ramapo spends $3.5 million on improvements for Hillcrest Elementary. (Source: NY State Education Dept)
- August, 2008 - Mark Kurzman, a Pearl River attorney representing a yeshiva, said yeshiva builders were competing with residential builders for land, adding that "the pressure is intensified by the fact that it has been well over 10 years since the (East Ramapo) school district has sold any of its sites as surplus." (Source: ‘The Journal News’)
- 2008 and 2009 - 5 men are elected to the East Ramapo School Board who are described as "Our own candidates from within the community in the village of New Square."
(Source: ‘Community Connections’) (courtesy of www.preserveramapo.org)
- June 7, 2010 - The East Ramapo School Board, now comprised of a majority of members endorsed by New Square, votes to sell Hillcrest Elementary School.Video: http://www.youtube.com/user/LuckyLouProduction#p/u/20/9OlfgcGwdIU
- July 7, 2010 - Two New Square entities, a school and a real estate firm, place bids to buy Hillcrest Elementary. Both bids are significantly below the appraised value according to Town of Clarkstown records. (Source: http://newcity.patch.com/articles/top-bid-for-closed-hillcrest-school-comes-in-at-41m)
- July 27, 2010 – The school board, now controlled by New Square endorsed candidates, votes to accept a bid of $3.16 million.Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtHWf0eYWF0
This sale benefits only the New Square yeshiva and not the public school district. The board members have essentially committed an "inside job", violating their duty to the taxpayers and the public school students. The sale amount is
approximately one third of its appraised value according to the town of
Clarkstown. It is less than what the district has spent on improvements over the last 10 years. The state will ask East Ramapo to refund a portion of state funds used to improve the school. There is no valid reason to close Hillcrest Elementary.
Claims have been made about declining enrollment in the public schools. The following chart is based on data from the NY State Education Department:
Claims have been made about declining enrollment in the public schools. The following chart is based on data from the NY State Education Department:
