School Board Slumlord; Candidate Forum; Pedophile Still Teaching; Non-public Education “A Fraud”

Power of Ten Update

In this Issue:

  1. Slumlords on the School Board?
  2. Democratic Primary Candidate’s Forum Today, September 3
  3. Convicted pedophile still teaching at non-public school in East Ramapo
  4. Unregistered non-public schools are failing children
  5. Message from the editor

1) Slumlords on the School Board?

The president of the East Ramapo school board has made the news for owning an illegal boarding house in Spring Valley. The property is reported for lacking working smoke detectors, construction without a permit, and occupancy of uninhabitable space in the basement.

The Journal News: East Ramapo board chief’s complex has illegal subdivision, inspectors say

This is not the first time a school board member has made the news for unethical activity. In 2010, a school board member was cited by the health department for an illegal boarding house with occupancy of uninhabitable space and violations that were considered life threatening. Children (presumably East Ramapo students) were living in the building.

Preserve Ramapo: Slumlord Sits on East Ramapo School Board and Spring Valley Zoning Board

Both school board members were using the same property manager, who manages many properties throughout East Ramapo. The fact that many properties are unsafe and overcrowded has been common knowledge for many years. The Journal News has recently done a blistering series of articles on reckless real estate profiteering that is putting school children, among others, at risk:

The Journal News: Landlords profit from illegal, dangerous housing, fire officials say

The Journal News: Haphazard housing: Ramapo lax as landlords profit

2) Candidate’s Forum TODAY, September 3:

Come and hear from Candidates running in the Sept 10 Democratic Primary Election for: County Executive and Village of Spring Valley Mayor & Trustee

When: Tuesday, September 3, 2013 6:30pm – 9:00pm

Where: Louis Kurtz Civic Center, 9 North Main Street in Spring Valley

3) Convicted pedophile still teaching at non-public school in East Ramapo:

The following special report titled “Broken Trust” is as frightening as it is infuriating:

Sex abuse victim from New Square speaks exclusively to News 12

The DA calls a plea bargain for probation “an appropriate way to keep control of this individual”, but in the next clip, students reveal he remains in the classroom!

4) Unregistered non-public schools are failing children:

This article in The Jewish Daily Forward includes riveting audio by graduates of East Ramapo non-public schools whose diplomas are not recognized by colleges.  One characterizes his education there as “a pretend education” and “a fraud”. Your tax dollars subsidize services to those schools.

Struggle and Triumph of College for Hasidim

5) Message from the editor:

The above four articles may seem unrelated, but there is one common string connecting them: the bloc vote.  It is hard to imagine a school board member in any other district being re-elected after being exposed as a slumlord.  It happens in East Ramapo because of the bloc vote.  It is amazing that a convicted pedophile should receive a deal that has resulted in him being able to continue to work with children. Those protecting the pedophiles by intimidating victims control large blocs of votes. The control of these voters is made possible by the East Ramapo school district, which decades ago made a deal to look the other way as thousands of children in unregistered schools are denied their right to an education, in return for some temporary relief from the bloc vote. If you come to the forum today, and you get to ask a question, perhaps it should be if the candidate has made any deals for votes?