Home › Posts tagged Pedro Santana

Pedro Santana

Rockland Clergy for Social Justice in Albany

Posted on

Power of Ten Update

In This Issue:

  1. Rockland Clergy for Social Justice in Albany
  2. Memorial for Pedro Santana May 13
  3. Advocates for Justice Needs Your Help

1) Rockland Clergy for Social Justice in Albany

The organization “Rockland Clergy for Social Justice presented their case to the NY State Senate, Assembly, and the office of Governor Cuomo on April 30th in Albany.  The video is on the NY Senate Website: http://youtu.be/qqxq2NEDeZ8

2) Pedro Santana

The memorial service for Pedro will be held Tuesday, May 13 at 6 p.m. at the Lafayette Theater in Suffern.

3) Advocates for Justice needs your help

Education IS a civil right. Advocates for Justice is dedicated to protecting our children’s civil rights. They are working tirelessly, but have limited financial resources. Your donation to Advocates for Justice is tax deductible and goes 100% to obtaining justice for the children and families of East Ramapo. All the information you need is at http://poweroften.us/donate/

Meet and Greet Today; Mr. Smith moves closer to Grammy Award

Posted on

Power of Ten Update

In this issue:

  1. Four Hundred Turn Out to Support Pedro Santana
  2. Former East Ramapo Band Director closer to Grammy
  3. Meet and Greet Today

1) Beloved Educator Battling Cancer

Former Assistant Superintendent for East Ramapo Pedro Santana has been diagnosed with a very serious form of cancer and is fighting for his life.  Over 400 people came to the Nyack Center on Friday to show support and Pedro treated them to his one man show.  He is a real genius; he had the whole room laughing more than crying.  For those who missed the evening, you can still donate through the following Web site   https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/q073/-santanastrongbattlescancer

Checks can be sent to:

Pedro Santana

1 Tempo Road

New City NY 10956

2) Former East Ramapo Band Director closer to Grammy

Michael E. Smith, the celebrated Band Director who was let go by the same unbelievably incompetent administration that also fired Pedro Santana, is now in the last cut (the top 25) to receive the first ever Grammy award for Music Educator.  Although he is listed as a teacher for Nyack High School, we know that his heart will always be with East Ramapo.  He would be bringing that award and honor to East Ramapo if our administration valued excellence.

3) Meet and Greet Today

East Ramapo Activist Dr. Weldon McWilliams IV will be presenting his vision for the future of the Town of Ramapo and introducing his team of Preserve Rockland candidates to the public tonight, Monday October 14, at 7:00 PM at the Martin Luther King Center, 110 Bethune Blvd in Spring Valley. All are welcome to this free informational event.

7-8-12

Posted on

Power of Ten Update

In this edition:

  1. Action items: Call the Governor, come to the county legislature
  2. Loss of Band Director hurts district
  3. Message from the editor
1) Action Items!
In a previous update, it was reported that NYSED found the East Ramapo district to be in violation of regulations pertaining to placement of special education students.  A new law has been proposed which would allow the district to make these placements at taxpayer expense.  Only governor Cuomo can stop this bill from becoming law.
The problematic nature of this law has been exposed in the Wall Street Journal and denounced on Huffington Post

Please call Governor Cuomo’s office this week!

Call 518-474-8390 then ext 2. and leave a voice message:

I am (your name), live at (address and county) … I urge Governor Cuomo to to VETO S7722 (SAY THIS NUMBER!!!) – “special education placement bill”.  The bill DOES NOT protect special education children.  The bill favors religious groups over everyone else. The bill will cost public school districts hundreds of thousands of dollars and will create a segregated school system using taxpayer money.

Please  come to the Rockland County Legislature meeting on Tuesday!

County Legislator Joe Meyers is planning to introduce a resolution urging Governor Cuomo to veto the bill.  The public can speak at the beginning of the meeting in support of this Resolution.

Time: Tuesday, July 10th at 7:00 pm (come at 6:15- see the next item)
Place:11 New Hempstead Road, New City

2) Loss of Band Director Michael E. Smith hurts district

According to The Journal News, “For more than 20 years with Smith at the helm, the marching band has proven itself a gem among East Ramapo’s athletic and extracurricular programs even as the district has floundered in other areas.”

What kind of school leadership would lay off  the one district-wide employee most identified as creating an image of success and pride in the district?

This same leadership last year fired Pedro Santana, whose leadership was inspiring a revival in school spirit and renewed optimism among students, teachers and  parents.

These were the two most prominent district-wide employees who were inspiring pride and hope in the staff and the students. Coincidence?

The Rockland County Legislature will honor Mr. Michael E. Smith on Tuesday, July 10 at 6:15 pm. (Please stay to support Joe Meyers’ resolution re: “special education placement bill”)

3) Message from the editor

Please take some time to look over the content on the Power of Ten website.  The story of our struggle is told there in documents such as the Comptroller’s report, the NYSED violation notice, and the Commissioner’s Hillcrest sale decision. It is documented in the videos of parents, students, teachers, administrators, and community members pleading with the board not to destroy our educational system.

For years, those who have been at the helm have cited financial reasons for their actions.  But how does this explain that 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.  How does this explain that they replaced our long time attorney for one that cost about four times as much per hour? Or trying to sell two schools for a fraction of the appraised value? How about losing track of millions of dollars worth of textbooks loaned to their friends who run non-public schools, or violating regulations of the state to place students in non-public schools at public expense?  Is any of this sound financial policy for the district?

And then they fired Pedro Santana, the most effective and beloved administrator the district has ever seen.  And now they have let the LEGENDARY band leader Michael E. Smith go.

Are the board members  sincerely trying to protect the taxpayer?  The record shows that they have been cited time and again for failure to protect the taxpayer’s interest. The record shows that they have taken actions which hurt the reputation and morale of the district even when there is no financial reason for doing so.

This message is to the school board and the superintendent: as former NFL head coach Bill Parcells would say: “you are what your record says that you are.”