12-30-12

Power of Ten Update

In this Issue:

  1. Over 2000 people have signed the petition!
  2. Please support the class action civil rights lawsuit
  3. End of year message from Power of Ten

1) Petition for state oversight of East Ramapo now over 2000 signers:

There are now over 2000 signers to the petition at www.poweroften.us/petition which was created only 10 days ago.

Please share the petition with all your email contacts, Facebook friends and Twitter followers. There are share buttons for Facebook and Twitter right on the petition. The link to email your friends is www.poweroften.us/petition

There is a Facebook event page at: http://www.facebook.com/events/342604792513847/ Clicking “Going” to the event is another great way to show your support and also an easy way to spread the word.

Please confirm your signature: If you have not confirmed already, expect to get a confirmation email for your petition signature. Please add steve@poweroften.us to your “safe sender” list, (aka contact list, friend list or address book) to ensure that the confirmation goes to your inbox.

2) Please support the class action lawsuit:

Advocates for Justice, a New York based, non-profit, public interest law firm, has filed a class action, civil rights lawsuit on behalf of East Ramapo School District parents, students, and taxpayers.

Advocates for Justice is not charging us a fee for this action, but they are in need funds to continue this fight. They are asking us to contribute what we can. Monthly amounts are especially helpful (and easier on tight family budgets!)
Be part of the solution, contribute online, or mail a check to:
Advocates for Justice
225 Broadway, Suite 1902
New York, NY 10007

3) A very eventful year:

A lot has happened this year in the struggle for public education in East Ramapo. There have been a lot of hard knocks for the staff who lost their jobs, the parents who are worried about their kids education and who feel disrespected by the school board, and especially for students who have to deal with the loss of many programs, overcrowding, lack of materials, dirty classrooms, aging school buses, and even smaller meals (yes, they even cut portions in the cafeterias). Many staff members have gone above and beyond to try to keep up services, including spending money out of their own pockets. The district suffered a terrible blow to morale when they laid off Michael Smith, who had led the marching band to so many joyful awards and celebrations. This year Mr. Smith took the Nyack marching band to their first state competition, and they won first place. Videos of the East Ramapo Marching Band can be seen here: http://poweroften.us/video-gallery/marching-band/

However, there have also been several hopeful developments which lead me to believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

  • Advocates for Justice, a non-profit public interest law firm, has committed to seek relief for us in court. The class action civil rights lawsuit they have filed on behalf of 845 students, parents and taxpayers from our community is a direct confrontation of the cause of our problems: a school board which has diverted funds to promote their own religion and private religious schools; discriminated against and segregated students on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, and religion; gutted the funding of the public schools; and damaged the quality of education of our children.
  • The State Education Department has become increasingly critical of the governance of the district. They have been particularly concerned with the illegal diversion of public funds to private religious schools and the illegal deficit which has started to affect Rockland BOCES and thereby all districts in Rockland County.
  • Increasing community involvement, including over 500 parents and students who came to the last school board meeting and over 2000 who have signed the online petition so far.

You can read more about the events of 2012 in the Power of Ten archives at http://poweroften.us/updates/

 

12-27-12

Power of Ten Update

In this Issue:

  1. Petition almost at 1500 signers
  2. Please support the class action civil rights lawsuit

1) Petition for state oversight of East Ramapo is on Fire

There are now almost 1500 signers to the petition at www.poweroften.us/petition which was created only 7 days ago. Please share the petition with all your email contacts and friends on Facebook.

There is a Facebook event page at: http://www.facebook.com/events/342604792513847/ Clicking “Going” to the event is a great way to show your support and also an easy way to spread the word.

Expect to get a confirmation email for your petition signature. Please add steve@poweroften.us to your “safe sender” list, (aka contact list, friend list or address book) to ensure that the confirmation goes to your inbox.

2) Please support the class action lawsuit:

Advocates for Justice, a New York based, non-profit, public interest law firm, has filed a class action, civil rights lawsuit on behalf of East Ramapo School District parents, students, and taxpayers.

Advocates for Justice is not charging us a fee for this action, but they are in need funds to continue this fight. They are asking us to contribute what we can. Monthly amounts are especially helpful (and easier on tight family budgets!)
Be part of the solution, contribute online, or mail a check to:
Advocates for Justice
225 Broadway, Suite 1902
New York, NY 10007

 

12-23-12

Power of Ten Update

In this Issue:

  1. Petition for state oversight of East Ramapo is on Fire
  2. Community View: Gov. Cuomo fails to help East Ramapo
  3. State to East Ramapo: Special-ed violations continue
  4. Law stymies savings if district cuts kindergarten
  5. Please support the class action civil rights lawsuit

1) Petition for state oversight of East Ramapo is on Fire

There are now 500 signers to the petition at www.poweroften.us/petition which was created only 3 days ago. Please share the petition with all your email contacts and friends on Facebook.

There is a Facebook event page at: http://www.facebook.com/events/342604792513847/ Clicking “Going” to the event is a great way to show your support and also an easy way to spread the word.

Expect to get a confirmation email for your petition signature. Please add steve@poweroften.us to your “safe sender” list, (aka contact list, friend list or address book) to ensure that the confirmation goes to your inbox.

2) Community View: Gov. Cuomo fails to help East Ramapo

Activist Carole Anderson has been sending articles about East Ramapo to Governor Cuomo. She says it seems like East Ramapo is being allowed to go down the tubes.

Read the whole essay at: http://www.lohud.com/article/20121222/OPINION/312220066/1019

3) Newsday: State gives East Ramapo a third notice of Special-ed violations

State officials have sent the East Ramapo school district a third formal notice stating that the district’s programs for special-education students violate state and federal laws. The state appears poised to move toward taking over the district, if officials continue to flout education law. Read the full article here: http://newyork.newsday.com/rockland/state-to-east-ramapo-special-ed-violations-continue-1.4364167

4) Journal News: Law stymies savings if district cuts kindergarten

A state law entitles 5-year-olds to a public education regardless of whether a school district has a kindergarten program.

Read the full article here: http://www.lohud.com/article/20121222/NEWS03/312220067/East-Ramapo-Law-stymies-savings-district-cuts-kindergarten

5) Please support the class action lawsuit:

Advocates for Justice, a New York based, non-profit, public interest law firm, has filed a class action, civil rights lawsuit on behalf of East Ramapo School District parents, students, and taxpayers.
Advocates for Justice is not charging us a fee for this action, but they are in need funds to continue this fight. They are asking us to contribute what we can. Monthly amounts are especially helpful (and easier on tight family budgets!)
Be part of the solution, contribute online, or mail a check to:
Advocates for Justice
225 Broadway, Suite 1902
New York, NY 10007

 

12-20-2012

Power of Ten Update

In this Issue:

  1. Community Rally preserves Kindergarten, Arts programs (for now)
  2. Your Help Needed: Petition Drive to appoint an oversight monitor
  3. Please support the class action civil rights lawsuit
  4. Media Coverage

1) Community Rally preserves Kindergarten, Arts programs (for now)

Over 400 Community members, mostly parents, rallied at the school board meeting Tuesday night to demand that essential programs including Kindergarten, Music and Art be preserved.

These programs had been proposed to be cut in the middle of the school year due to errors in budget planning by the districts administrators.

The Commissioner of Education has put East Ramapo Superintendent Klein and the school board on notice that they must put their fiscal house in order. He is requiring a full financial accounting and a plan by January 2nd.

The board not only failed to take any action, not even to adjourn the meeting. Several board members simply walked out!

The result is that Kindergarten and Art programs were not cut on Tuesday!

2) Petition Drive to Appoint an Oversight Monitor for East Ramapo

The school children of East Ramapo need the State to protect their basic rights to an education.

Problems in the governance of East Ramapo are a substantial factor in the district’s chronic under-performance and current fiscal crisis.

We are asking Governor Cuomo and Commissioner King to appoint a State Oversight monitor to take charge of the financial and educational administration of the East Ramapo Central School District.

Please sign the petition TODAY, and share it with all your email and social media contacts.

The petition is online at: http://poweroften.us/petition/

3) Please support the class action lawsuit:

Advocates for Justice, a New York based, non-profit, public interest law firm, has filed a class action, civil rights lawsuit on behalf of East Ramapo School District parents, students, and taxpayers.

Advocates for Justice is not charging us a fee for this action, but they are in need funds to continue this fight. They are asking us to contribute what we can. Monthly amounts are especially helpful (and easier on tight family budgets!)

Be part of the solution, contribute online, or mail a check to:

Advocates for Justice

225 Broadway, Suite 1902

New York, NY 10007

4) Media Coverage

Highlights from the meeting are available at http://www.youtube.com/luckylouproduction

Newsday Westchester/Rockland Edition: http://newyork.newsday.com/rockland/east-ramapo-again-delays-vote-on-cuts-1.4350750

The Journal News: http://www.lohud.com/article/20121219/NEWS03/312190062/East-Ramapo-cuts-put-off-again

 

12-15-12

Power of Ten Update

In this Issue:

  1. Another Board Meeting Change
  2. Newsday reports on letter from NYSED to East Ramapo
  3. Please support the class action civil rights lawsuit
  4. Are Art and Music required?
  5. Message from the editor

1) Latest changes: Board meeting at RAMAPO HIGH SCHOOL TUESDAY NIGHT at 7:00 PM

The next board meeting is advertised at 7:00 PM, but the web page says they “anticipate” and “intend” to start the public session at 7:45.

We are fighting to save public education, will you join us? We will NOT BE SILENT!!!

Please make every effort to be at the board meeting on Tuesday!!!

2) Newsday: State demands answers in East Ramapo Budget Crisis

According to the new Westchester/Rockland Edition of Newsday, the State Education Department has sent a letter to East Ramapo officials.

State Education Commissioner John King Jr. told Newsday “I’m very concerned about the decisions the district is making around its finances, including the failure to pay for the BOCES services,”and “We are committed to exercising whatever authority we have to assure that students are well served.”

The state is also offering to help the district out of the mess it has created with inappropriate special education placements to non-public schools.

Read the whole article online. It is quite an eye-opener!

3) Please support the class action lawsuit:

In 2009, East Ramapo parents first got together to chant “Save Our Schools”. Since then, there have been hundreds of layoffs and program cuts, and multiple citations from the state for failing to educate and failing to protect the taxpayers’ investments. Today, we are fighting back with a class action civil rights lawsuit!

Advocates for Justice, a New York based, non-profit, public interest law firm, has filed this lawsuit on behalf of East Ramapo School District parents, students, and taxpayers.

Advocates for Justice is not charging us a fee for this action, but they are in need funds to continue this fight. They are asking us to contribute what we can. Monthly amounts are especially helpful (and easier on tight family budgets!)

Be part of the solution, contribute online, or mail a check to:

Advocates for Justice

225 Broadway, Suite 1902

New York, NY 10007

4) Are Music and Art required at the Elementary level?

From the NY State Education Dept. Regulations of the Commissioner:

”all students (in grade 1-6) shall receive instruction that is designed to facilitate their attainment of the State … learning standards in … the arts, including visual arts, music, dance and theatre”

“The (grade 1-6) music requirement means all students are to receive instruction in classroom general music … students must receive classroom general music instruction.”

5) Message from the editor:

The East Ramapo School Board meetings sometimes seem like chapters from “Alice in Wonderland”, with money appearing and disappearing, insane rants from the board president, and board members darting out the back door in the middle of meetings. Now they are becoming like the Cheshire Cat, very hard to say just where or when they can be found. How is a reasonable person supposed to attend such a meeting?

The school board has proposed that they will make extensive mid-year cuts which could include cutting ALL kindergarten classes!!! They are considering eliminating ALL Elementary Art and Music teachers!!! THIS is the meeting they choose to play musical chairs with the place and the time for the public to attend??? – Steven White, editor “The Power of Ten”

“Human rights violations are not accidents; they are not random in distribution or effect. Rights violations are, rather, symptoms of deeper pathologies of power and are linked intimately to the social conditions that so often determine who will suffer abuse and who will be shielded from harm.” – Dr. Paul Farmer

 

12-13-12

Power of Ten Update

In this Issue:

  1. Urgent: Kindergarten on Chopping Block
  2. Call in Radio Show Friday AM
  3. Please support the class action civil rights lawsuit

 

1) Urgent: Kindergarten may be cut; please come to RAMAPO HIGH SCHOOL TUESDAY NIGHT

The school board has proposed that they will make extensive mid-year cuts which could include cutting ALL kindergarten classes!!!

Please note they have changed the location to Ramapo HS. Please watch for the next update in case they change it again.

School Board Meeting:

Tuesday, Dec 18, 7:30 PM

Ramapo High School

400 Viola Rd, Spring Valley

We are fighting to save public education, will you join us? We will NOT BE SILENT!!!

2) Message from East Ramapo Underground Radio:

The next East Ramapo Underground Radio Show on WRCR-1300AM is tomorrow Friday, December 14th right after the 10 o’clock news.

The call in number is 845-362-0013; call in with your comments, don’t be shy!

Listen in to find out this and who the Heros & Zeros are for the Month.

We will discuss recent Newsday & Journal News articles.

The next school board meeting is Tuesday, December 18, 2012, Ramapo High School at 7:30 p.m. What cuts will the Board do?

Thanks

Antonio Luciano & Peggy Hatton

3) Please support the class action lawsuit:

In 2009, East Ramapo parents first got together to chant “Save Our Schools”. Since then, there have been hundreds of layoffs and program cuts, and multiple citations from the state for failing to educate and failing to protect the taxpayers’ investments. Today, we are fighting back with a class action civil rights lawsuit!

Advocates for Justice, a New York based, non-profit, public interest law firm, has filed this lawsuit on behalf of East Ramapo School District parents, students, and taxpayers.

Advocates for Justice is not charging us a fee for this action, but they are in need funds to continue this fight. They are asking us to contribute what we can. Monthly amounts are especially helpful (and easier on tight family budgets!)

Be part of the solution, contribute online, or mail a check to:

Advocates for Justice

225 Broadway, Suite 1902

New York, NY 10007

12-9-12

Power of Ten Update

  1. Video of Feb 4 Board Meeting
  2. Advocates for Justice Fall Awards Ceremony

1) Video of Feb 4 Board meeting

East Ramapo students talk to the board about the effect mid-year cuts would have on education: http://youtu.be/fvZO0eJRzSc

East Ramapo Board member Steven Price talks about the real reasons for the deficit: http://youtu.be/U_sDbtfFJ5U

Superintendent Klein once again presents the board with a Treasurer’s Report that he knows is wrong! Will this report be approved this month? http://youtu.be/waYlryhzyco
Moses Friedman suddenly walks out of the meeting, shutting down the board due to the lack of a quorum: http://youtu.be/nrTZ3XRZiu4

2) Advocates for Justice Fall Awards Ceremony Features East Ramapo Alumni, Honors Alumni Activist Group:

Monday, December 10, 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm

Symphony Space, 95th Street & Broadway, New York, NY (only 30 – 40 minutes from Rockland)

Parent Discount Tickets are still available!!! (only $25)

SPECIAL PERFORMANCES:

Actor Geoffrey Owens (“Elvin,” The Cosby Show) performing “Shakespeare on Justice”

The Herve Alexandre Jazz Quartet (Ramapo HS Alumnus)

HONOREES:

A Lifetime of Leadership

Hon. Nydia Velazquez, Member, U.S. House of Representatives

Jon Kest, Executive Director, NY Communities for Change

Mike Kenny, 9/11 First Responder

Extraordinary Advocates for Our Children

Mona Davids, Founder/President, NYC Parents Union

Leonie Haimson, Founder/Executive Director, Class Size Matters

The PTO of Peninsula Preparatory Academy (Far Rockaway, Queens)

Save Our Schools – East Ramapo (Rockland County)

Southside Community Schools Coalition (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)

 

12-2-2012

Power of Ten Urgent Notice: Please Come to Board Meeting Tuesday

In this Issue:

  1. Urgent: Kindergarten on Chopping Block
  2. Advocates for Justice Fall Awards Ceremony
  3. Journal News Editorial Emphasizes Consequences of Failure to Educate

1) Urgent: Kindergarten may be cut; please come TUESDAY

The school board has proposed that they will make extensive mid-year cuts which could include cutting ALL kindergarten classes!!!

Where will you be on Tuesday evening?

School Board Meeting:

Tuesday, Dec 4, 7:30 PM

105 S. Madison Ave, Spring Valley

We are fighting to save public education, will you join us? We will NOT BE SILENT!!!

2) Advocates for Justice Fall Awards Ceremony Features East Ramapo Alumni, Honors Alumni Activist Group:

Monday, December 10, 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm

Symphony Space, 95th Street & Broadway, New York, NY

Parent Discount Tickets are available!!!

Advocates for Justice Board members Arthur Z. Schwartz (President), Hon. Major R. Owens, John Samuelsen, Mark Rosenthal, Hon. Peggy Shepard, Bertha Lewis, Matthew Chachere, Marvin Wasserman, Mike Kenny, Suzanne Mattei, Tom Shanahan and Cate Edwards invite you to a very special evening celebrating courageous community leaders and saluting public education.

SPECIAL PERFORMANCES:

Actor Geoffrey Owens (“Elvin,” The Cosby Show) performing “Shakespeare on Justice”

The Herve Alexandre Jazz Quartet (Ramapo HS Alumnus)

HONOREES:

A Lifetime of Leadership

Hon. Nydia Velazquez, Member, U.S. House of Representatives

Jon Kest, Executive Director, NY Communities for Change

Mike Kenny, 9/11 First Responder

Extraordinary Advocates for Our Children

Mona Davids, Founder/President, NYC Parents Union

Leonie Haimson, Founder/Executive Director, Class Size Matters

The PTO of Peninsula Preparatory Academy (Far Rockaway, Queens)

Save Our Schools – East Ramapo (Rockland County)

Southside Community Schools Coalition (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)

 

3) Journal News Editorial: http://www.lohud.com/article/20121202/OPINION/312020021

 

Highlights from this excellent opinion piece:

Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee: “The state cannot turn its back on these children, who will not have the opportunity (for) education that the state has promised.”

The Journal News: Neither can the taxpayers, who will pay for quality education, or the lack thereof, one way or another.