6-12-12

In this edition:
  1. Attorney general probing East Ramapo real estate dealings
  2. Notice of Non-compliance from NY State Education Dept.
  3. East Ramapo Underground Radio is back!
  4. Town Hall Meeting at CEJJES Institute
  5. Budget vote on June 19
  6. Message from the editor
1. Attorney general probing East Ramapo real estate dealings
The Journal News has reported that the NY State Attorney General has subpoenaed records related to the attempted sale and current leases of two school buildings.
It should be noted that public school students and staff were evicted from these buildings by the school board under the pretext that enrollment was down. Actual enrollment this year is up by over 1000 students from projections made by the board. Overcrowding is now a serious concern, with one high school at 159% of recommended capacity.
We knew that closing schools was bad educational policy for our students. We knew that selling schools in a hurry did not adhere to the fiduciary duty to the taxpayer. We should not be surprised if it turns out that NY State law was violated too.
2. Notice of Non-compliance from NY State Education Dept.
East Ramapo has been forced to post a notice to the community regarding the result of a finding of continuing non-compliance.
In April 2010 NYSED found the district to be in violation of regulations pertaining to placement of special education students. These regulations are designed to promote placement in the environment which is most beneficial to educational outcomes for these students. It appears that the district may have been more concerned about parents desire for a segregated environment than about what was best for the students education. As it turns out, this was also bad for the taxpayer as the property owner has now been stuck footing the bill for these unapproved placements. The cost to East Ramapo property taxpayer for educating these special education students is in the millions of dollars. These students could have been receiving a superior education at state expense, and the money currently being sent to private religious special education schools could have been spent on improving the outcomes for our sistrict, which now has several schools deemed ‘in need of improvement’ by NY State.
3. East Ramapo Underground Radio is back!
The East Ramapo Underground radio show is back! The 2nd Friday of the month @ 10 o’clock on WRCR-1300AM tune in to find out what is happening in the East Ramapo School District. Each monthly show will be for an hour!
Find out what the school district doesn’t want you to know. The show is broadcast live over the internet at www.wrcr.com or if you can’t listen live, the show will be on our Facebook page. The studio number to call in is 845-362-0013.
Your co-hosts
Peggy Hatton & Antonio Luciano
4. Town Hall Meeting at CEJJES Institute
Saturday, June 30, 2012 6:00 PM
The CEJJES Institute
5 Cooper Morris Drive Pomona, NY

Donation requested Adults $5 Students Free

What is the future of Education in East Ramapo? What does it mean for our children? What does this mean for the community of color? How do we move forward? If you are an administrator, teacher; educator or just a concerned member of the community we want to hear your voice. Please come out and take part in this very important conversation.
rsvp required to: CEJJESinst@gmail.com or 845 362 8610 by June 25th, 2012
5. Budget vote on June 19
According to the superintendent, the May 15 budget was voted down as a crass manipulation to prevent public school parents Kim Foskew, Hiram Rivera, and JoAnne Thompson from being elected to the school board.
The same budget will be put up for a revote on June 19. Please do not allow the cynicism and pettiness of the board or the administration to deter you from exercising your right to vote. In the last message, I provided information of where to write to if you are sick and tired of the unethical behavior of the board and the administration. Don’t respond to this challenge by doing less. If you feel that the crass manipulations of the board are making you feel like your vote doesn’t count, take a few minutes when you get home from the poll and WRITE your representative about how you feel AT THAT MOMENT.
6. Message from the editor

Several years ago, the makeup of the East Ramapo School board changed. The majority of the members of the school board became people with strong family and community ties to private schools, specifically private religious schools for the ultra-orthodox Jewish community. Many people were concerned that this school board would use its authority to shift the priorities of the district more toward those schools and the segregated community that they serve. Others felt that the new board could faithfully serve both communities. Any citizen of the district has the right to run for school board, by law. Over the years there have been many confrontations over issues such as budget items and school closings. The non-public school members of the public school board have maintained that their main goal is fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayers which necessitates controlling spending.

 

However, several of their actions have been contrary to that cause:

  • They created a paid position (treasurer) for a close friend, Israel Bier. This job had previously been performed by a district employee at no extra cost.
  • They replaced an attorney for one that cost about 4 times as much per hour.
  • They sold a school (Hillcrest) for a fraction of the appraised value (fortunately the State Education Department halted the sale). Another school sale (Colton) is being held up by the state for similar reasons after a taxpayer complained that they were selling public property without doing their fiduciary duty to get the best return for the taxpayer.
  • They fired Pedro Santana, the most effective and beloved administrator the district has ever seen (according to staff, students and parents).
  • While many of our buildings are in need of millions of dollars of repairs, the two schools that the board voted to sell to non-public schools were the only ones that the state says need no money for repairs over the next 5 years.
  • One of the most powerful of the non-public school board members, Nathan Rothschild, who was president of the board, has been sentenced to federal prison for fraud involving a real estate transaction for another public agency (he was a fire commissioner).
  • The district has been cited by the NY State Comptroller for lack of oversight of millions of dollars of public materials loaned to private schools.
  • The district has been cited by the NY State Education Department Special Education Quality Assurance division for improper placement of students in private schools when a public school would provide superior educational opportunity.

All of this evidence points to the conclusion that what seemed to be a conflict of interest, is indeed a conflict of interest.

 

The people most directly affected (students and parents) have tried every avenue available to them to protect the quality of education in the district. They have written to every elected and appointed official. They have filed formal appeals with the state. They have raised funds and run coordinated elections bringing out triple the voter turnout of any nearby district. While there have been some achievements, the underlying problem- conflict of interest- has not been resolved.

 

In a recent board meeting, one of the board members made quite a long speech essentially alleging that all of the complaints from the parents and students are not based on any of the actions that he and his colleagues have taken, but rather were based only on prejudice on the part of the public. This is an obvious attempt to change the discourse away from the facts, which have been presented to the board in precise detail by students, staff, and parents over the years, all of which is well documented in video form on youtube at www.youtube.com/luckylouproduction

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.

 

 

5-10-12

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

4-16-12

Power of Ten Update
In this edition:
  1. Video Highlights from the last school board meeting
  2. Concerned Citizen’s fundraiser Tuesday
  3. Radio show “East Ramapo Underground” update
1) Video Highlights from the last school board meeting
Here are the videos from the April 4th School Board Meeting. Spring Break is almost over & the next meeting next Wednesday, April 18th (7:30) is the first chance to see the budget before its adopted. This will get you back up to speed.
April 2012 cuts & addbacks http://youtu.be/xBWX9LelrVo
Principal Pat Simmons http://youtu.be/6tuM_5Zmnsg
Subpoena by NYS Attorney General http://youtu.be/nAmrUypiZ3o
Lack of textbooks http://youtu.be/KEJty5Md5sM
East Ramapo School Board has done this http://youtu.be/VWEiq2DktU0
Social Worker talks about needs http://youtu.be/p6Q2dCMk-68
2) Concerned Citizen’s Fundraiser Tuesday
Let’s show support for the long overdue change in the leadership of the East Ramapo Schools. This is a one time opportunity to get out the vote-we must restore the district’s educational reputation as a leader in providing a quality educational program for a diverse student body. Please see attached flyer. Please circulate! Look forward to seeing you all!
JOIN US! As the Concerned Citizens of East Ramapo Present: Meet the Candidates Night
At the Chuggin’ Rhino (Corner of Rte 45 & 202)
Tuesday April 17th
7pm-9pm
Suggested Contribution of $25

3) Message from the East Ramapo Underground

East Ramapo Underground Show from April 12, 2012. With Special Guest Judith Johnson. Judith was the 2008 NY State Superintendent of the Year. During the Clinton administration, Judith was acting Assistant U.S. Secretary of Elementary & Secondary Education.
Judith Johnson describes an effective learning environment, the role of the superintendent & the board in the budget process and many other issues.
Remember you can follow the East Ramapo Underground by going to that Face Book Page. Press the Like button.
If you have questions or topics that you would like to see covered write to EastRamapoUnderground@hotmail.com
or follow them on Twitter at ERUnderground
The next show is Thursday @ 10 am on WRCR 1300AM, right after the Steve and Charlie Show.
Thanks, Antonio Luciano

Last Minute Change: Board Plans to VOTE on BUDGET TONIGHT!

OK…in true East Ramapo form, the Board put up the agenda only this morning and we confirmed that there was no public speaking. At 2:30 the agenda was ‘revised’ to include public speaking. They are also calling for the Board to adopt the budget tonight. According to the budget outline, the Board was to adopt the budget on 4/6/11.

Why would the Board be doing things this way? Well, to confuse the public and provide the least amount of notice to hear from the public. The last time there was public speaking was 3/16/11 and there have been proposed changes to the budget. We have not been afforded the time to speak about those changes yet….and what impact will the resoration of fund from Gov. Cuomo have on the buget?
What is the hurry? Maybe it has to do with the Board having to make a decsion about what Dr. O’s future is with the District….that has to be addressed by 3/31/11. Take a look at the AGENDA for 3/31/11…it looks rather ominous.

Peggy Hatton
Candidate for ERCSD School Board

AGENDA for 3/30/11 (TONIGHT!!!)