5-26-12

Power of Ten Update
In this edition:
  1. Call for info on voting problems
  2. CBS Channel 2 News Coverage
  3. PIX Channel 11 News coverage
  4. Radio call in opportunity Tuesday
1. Call for info on voting problems at the May 15 election
If you or someone you know experienced problems voting in last week’s Board of Education Election, please contact Concerned Citizens of East Ramapo at concernedcitizensofeastramapo@gmail.com. Please be as specific as possible, providing the voters full name, phone number, email address and a brief description of the experience. We have been told that large numbers of voters were sent from one poll location to another, other voters who registered were turned away because their names were not in the County books, someone had already signed the book, etc. We are preparing a report of these voter irregularities to prevent these issues from happing again in the future. Time is of the essence, so please reply as soon as is possible.
2. CBS Channel 2 News coverage
SPRING VALLEY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — A school budget crisis in one Rockland County community has officials considering the unbelievable.
The money is so tight, the East Ramapo School District could be the first in New York State to get rid of kindergarten, CBS 2’s Lou Young reported.
The little ones Young saw on Monday at the Early Education Center at Kakiat Elementary School had no idea they could be the last students to attend kindergarten in East Ramapo for some time. They were oblivious to everything, except the adventure of learning.
3. PIX Channel 11 News Coverage
SPRING VALLEY (WPIX) —

Eliminating Kindergarten? It would seem unthinkable, or at least illegal. But that’s what could happen while a budget showdown at the East Ramapo School District plays out.

At the heart of the issue is the large orthodox Jewish population that mostly chooses to send their children to private yeshivas, or religious schools … “People think, at least in the Orthodox community, that too much money is being spent, and they want to cut back.”
4. Radio call in opportunity Tuesday
From Sharlene McCallum: This past week on WVOX the radio program ‘Let’s Talk About It’ was about education and more specifically on the East Ramapo School District issues.
We talked about the budget, the cuts, candidates, kindergarten and other topics.
Dr. Reginald Hudson is the host of that show and would like to have next Tuesday’s time slot dedicated to East Ramapo again.
Please get the word out to everyone to tune in, call in and STREAM in to the broadcast. PLEASE tune in and call in next Tuesday.

Listen at: http://wvox.com or 1460AM (note…it is a Westchester station).

The call in number is 914-636-0110.

Tuesday May 29th at 5pm!!!

5-18-12

Power of Ten Update
In this edition:
  1. Thank you to all who helped
  2. News Coverage of the election
  3. Forum on Testing Tuesday
  4. 2012 Election Analysis
1. Thank you to all who helped
Thank you to everyone who made a call, everyone who knocked on a door, everyone who donated, who came to an event, who volunteered on election day. Thank you to anyone who helped in any way. A special thank you to candidates Hiram Rivera, Joanne Thompson, and Kim Foskew.
As you have probably heard, our district was the only one in our area to not pass the budget. None of the candidates with children in the public schools was elected to the school board.
However, these sad results are certainly not for lack of trying. As you will see from the analysis below, East Ramapo Voters are the most active and involved of any in the county (and possibly the USA!)
Our public schools have been making due with less for a long time, despite increasing enrollment over the past three years and increasing needs of the children.
This is not due to any lack of concern or commitment on the part of the parents, many of whom are not citizens and therefore cannot vote, despite being parents and taxpayers.
2. News coverage of the election

An excellent analysis of the implications of the failed budget was published in the Journal News

Lack of signatures in this school board election undercuts the security of the entire system according to election experts, as reported in New York Newsday

3. Forum on Testing Tuesday

What is the future of testing in our schools? Don’t miss this opportunity to voice your opinion about our schools and testing.

Come to a public forum held by the Gordon Commission on the Future of Assessment in Education.

Learn more about the work being done to change testing nationally and how these changes can affect your school-aged children for the better.

 

 

Please join us on Tuesday, May 22 from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at Rockland Community College, Technology Center, 145 College Road, Suffern, NY. Light refreshments will be served. This event is free and open to the public.

 

 

A confirmation is not necessary to attend, but will be helpful for our planning.

To confirm your attendance or for additional information, please email Jamila Brathwaite at jbrathwaite@cejjesinstitute.org.

To learn more about the Gordon Commission visit www.gordoncommission.org

4. 2012 Election Analysis

 

This year, once again, East Ramapo voters turned out in numbers far beyond the other districts in Rockland.

Voter turnouts were lower all over the county compared to last year, likely due to the steady rain.

The following table includes East Ramapo PUBLIC sector voters only:

 

 

Despite our far greater turnout, our budget was the only one which failed.

This is despite the fact that our YES vote turnout was also much higher than other districts:

 

 

The budget which was voted down was less than half of the tax cap limit allowed by state law.

Teacher Salary and budget increases had already been much lower than the county average.

Over the past five years they have been barely more than inflation.

 

 

5-14-12

Power of Ten Update
Time to Vote!!!
Now is the time to remind all your contacts to Vote!!!
Polls are Open Tuesday, May 15, from 7 AM to 10 PM
What else can you do? Here are some ideas:
  1. Go to www.poweroften.us and sign up for the online phone bank. Start making calls, right from home!
  2. Go to the phone bank location (Flaregas Corp, 103 Airport Executive Park Blvd in Nanuet (near Costco) from 5 PM to 9 PM Monday and Tuesday
  3. Donate to the campaign at www.ccoer.com
  4. Help on election day! Call 845 354 5809 or email at concernedcitizensofeastramapo@gmail.com for info on how to help!
Remember, the work we do for our children is not only for today. They are watching us and learning how to be responsible, involved citizens.

5-10-12

Power of Ten Update
In this edition:
  1. Emergency Budget Meeting TODAY at Ramapo High School regarding school safety
  2. Neighbor to Neighbor program celebrates public AND private school talent!
  3. How to help with the May 15 election
  4. Message from the editor
1) Emergency Budget Meeting TODAY at Martin Luther King Center
The Concerned Citizens of East Ramapo, are having an Emergency Budget Meeting and Voter Registration at the Martin Luther King Center 110 Bethune Blvd in Spring Valley Thurs May 10th (TONIGHT!) from 6:30pm-9pm.
If you are not already aware of the cuts that face our community, we have eliminated all Elementary Level Assistant Principals, half of the HS Assistant Principals, 3 Guidance Counselors, and 11 of 12 Social Workers in our schools along with some HS ESL services for our most fragile populations. There are many other cuts of concern that pose many questions of our children’s safety and hope for a future that a quality education would otherwise provide.

 

2) Neighbor to Neighbor program event celebrates public AND private school talent!

Saturday, May 12, 7 PM, Green Meadow School, 307 Hungry Hollow Road, Chestnut Ridge, NY 10977

A celebration of our wonderful local talent, featuring performers from Green Meadow, Spring Valley High School and other East Ramapo public schools

A public-private collaboration in support of our public schools and neighbors

Find out how education in our district’s public schools is being affected by budget cuts and how Green Meadow’s Neighbor to Neighbor programs have been reaching out to public school students and their families

3) How to help with the May 15 Election
Are you doing everything you can do to help with the election? Of course you can spread the word to your contacts, neighbors, etc. What else can you do? Here are some ideas:
  1. Go to www.poweroften.us and sign up for the online phone bank. Start making calls, right from home!
  2. Get a list of voters in your area and pay them a visit. It can be a very enriching experience to have a meaningful conversation with your neighbors about the value of public education. Email Michael Miller at miller66@optonline.net to volunteer for the Get out the Vote effort.
  3. Donate to the campaign at www.ccoer.com
  4. Help on election day! Call 845 354 5809 or email at concernedcitizensofeastramapo@gmail.com for info on how to help!
4) Message from the editor
You may have heard the polarization that is occurring in East Ramapo referred to as ‘public school vs. private school’. This is not really an accurate way to describe the situation, as there are many private school parents who do care about the education that students receive in public school. The neighbor to neighbor event on Saturday promises to be one of those moments when the celebration of diversity shows us a path to a better future. I urge everyone to come out and see how beautiful our diverse community can be when the public and private school students are encouraged to work together as peers. – Steve White, editor

5-3-12

Power of Ten Update
In this edition:
  1. Rally TODAY at Ramapo High School regarding school safety
  2. Nyack group organizes to restore education funding
  3. How to help with the May 15 election
  4. Message from the editor
1)Rally TODAY at Ramapo HS regarding school safety

The East Ramapo PTA has requested that the School Board President’s address security concerns in our public schools. The complaint is that individuals frequently walk through / trespass on school grounds during school hours, while children are at recess or in class. These individuals, when asked to leave by faculty and Administrators, do not heed the warnings and refuse to leave. To date,the School Board President has not formally responded to the PTA complaint. The Superintendent has publically stated that he has observed trespassers but has not proposed any action to resolve the problem.

The press conference and protest rally will be at Ramapo HS, on Friday, May 4th at 3:30 pm

2) Nyack group organizes to restore education funding
Restore Education Funding (REF) is a group of parents in the Nyack/Valley Cottage school district working hard to make our legislators understand the impact of their action (or inaction) on our kids.
They have organized a petition drive focused on increased education funding and decreased standardized testing. They are also working with groups throughout NYS on a boycott of the upcoming field tests

They will hold an open forum and planning meeting:
Wed., May 9th from 7:30-9:00 pm
Living Christ Church, 151 South Broadway in Nyack:
Nyack Superintendent Dr. Montesano will speak and answer questions about the scope of tests to be expected in schools throughout NYS in the 2012/2013 school year as a result of Federal and State mandates

3) How to help with the May 15 Election
Are you doing everything you can do to help with the election? Of course you can spread the word to your contacts, neighbors, etc. What else can you do? Here are some ideas:
  1. Go to www.poweroften.us and sign up for the online phone bank. Start making calls, right from home!
  2. Get a list of voters in your area and pay them a visit. It can be a very enriching experience to have a meaningful conversation with your neighbors about the value of public education. Email Michael Miller at miller66@optonline.net to volunteer for the Get out the Vote effort.
  3. Donate to the campaign at www.ccoer.com
  4. Help on election day! Call 845 354 5809 or email at concernedcitizensofeastramapo@gmail.com for info on how to help!
4) Message from the editor
I would like to take just a moment to thank all of you who read these messages and all of those who have written to me over the years. We have done so much more than just electing school board members and increasing voter turnout. We have made a large portion of our community aware of the importance of public educational institutions in our life as a community. We have created a sense of ownership. We have highlighted the common responsibility to the children. We have emphasized with bold print and headlines that our common hope for a brighter future depends on what we teach our children and HOW we teach our children. The model of “I got mine and too bad for you” has served humanity very poorly. The ability to win an election is a responsibility, not a prize. The East Ramapo School system is being run by folks who do not care about the education of the children. They do not consider the residents of East Ramapo to be one community- the result is increased segregation in housing patterns and educational institutions in our district. East Ramapo, which had once been a model of diversity, a veritable United Nations of school districts, has now become a model of segregation and polarization. For a while, they tried to pass this new arrangement off as a different kind of diversity. But as sure as the night follows the day, domination follows segregation, arrogance follows power, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. And so we cannot be silent. We will protest when they hire lawyers at triple the price while laying off teachers. We will protest when they close schools while enrollment grows and classes become overcrowded. We will protest each time they favor one group and snub another, because that is not what democracy is about. Please do everything you can to help the Concerned Citizens of East Ramapo win the election on May 15, but also please be aware that you are doing very much more as you work to promote the values of education, community, and diversity. We are one people, that is a truth too often denied, but it remains a truth nevertheless. – Steve White, editor