1-6-13

Power of Ten Update

In this Issue:

  1. Over 2,700 people have signed the petition!
  2. School Board meeting Tuesday
  3. Please support the class action civil rights lawsuit
  4. Stage set for State takeover
  5. Message from the editor

1) Petition for state oversight of East Ramapo now has over 2,700 signers:

There are now over 2,700 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

This petition is open to anyone who agrees with the message. You do not need to be a resident of East Ramapo to sign.

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) School Board Meeting TUESDAY NIGHT

Tuesday, January 8

7:00 PM? or 8:00 PM?

District Offices

105 S. Madison Ave, Spring Valley

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

The result was that no action was taken, and the kids were back in Kindergarten this week!

Please come to the next meeting this Tuesday.

As of this moment there has been no agenda posted; we don’t know what kind of action they plan to take.

Once again, the time for the meeting is not clearly set. They “plan” to go into a private session at 7:00 PM, and “expect” to open the public session at 8:00 PM.

Whether you arrive at 7:00, or 8:00, or somewhere in between, you will find other parents, students, and community members there ready to make good use of the time.

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

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) Stage will be set for State takeover of East Ramapo:

An article in the new Newsday Hudson Valley Edition (sorry it is only available to Newsday or Cablevision customers) is titled “East Ramapo Schools Edge Closer to State Takeover”.

Some choice excerpts from the Newsday article:

State education officials on Thursday sent a letter demanding action by the superintendent of the East Ramapo Central School District after the district blew a Jan. 2 deadline for a plan to address its budget deficit. The letter appeared to be an aggressive step toward a state takeover of the district.

“Failure to take the above actions on or before January 16 will result in a commissioner’s order to you and the board to comply,” State Education Department Deputy Commissioner Ken Slentz wrote. Such an order would set the stage for an immediate state takeover of the district if the order is not obeyed.

Adding to the district’s woes, King sent a letter Wednesday — a second letter — citing “concern” over the board’s conduct when it voted to sell Colton Elementary School.

Excerpts from The Journal News reporting on the sale of Colton:

Commissioner John King says Anderson didn’t “meet her burden of proof” in arguing that the Board of Education sold the building for less than it was worth.

“We have to consider (whether) we will or will not,” sell the school, (School District Attorney) D’Agostino said. “… A lot of issues are being addressed there now.”

Among the “issues,” which D’Agostino declined to discuss, is that Bais Malka has been in arrears on rent payments for months.

5) Message from the editor:

The Power of Ten is organized to advocate for the rights of the children who attend the public schools in East Ramapo. These rights include an educational experience that prepares them for college and for the job market; an experience that is rewarding and fulfilling, an experience where they are respected and where they are expected to excel. These rights include the right to live and learn in an environment free of racism, segregation or unequal treatment. The rights of the students are inseparable from the rights of the parents to be heard and listened to.

The goal of these messages is to inform and to inspire. Please do not just read and watch. Get involved. Get all your friends, relatives and co-workers to sign the petition, donate to the non-profit law firm, or come to a meeting. Be the person who is always telling others the truth about what is happening here and what we are doing about it. Justice is coming to East Ramapo … and WE can make it happen!!! – Steve White, editor

“Once social change begins, it cannot be reversed. You cannot un-educate the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the person who feels pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore. ― César Chávez

 

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/

 

12-20-2012

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

11-11-12

Power of Ten Update

In this Issue:

  1. Urgent: Your contribution is needed!
  2. Insurance coverage denied for board members and employees alleged “wrongful acts”
  3. Appeal filed to block use of school funds to pay for lawyers

1) Please support the class action lawsuit:

In 2009, East Ramapo parents first got together to chant “Save Our Schools”.

Over the years, we have worked hard to protect the students’ right to an education and the investment that taxpayers have made in their homes and in a first quality education system for our community. However, powerful interests which seem to be indifferent or even hostile to our students and our taxpayers investments have caused the quality of education to suffer and resulted in loss of value to our multimillion dollar school system and our home values as well.

Today, we have formed the Save Our Schools Coalition, and 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

 2) Insurance coverage denied for board members and employees alleged “wrongful acts”:

The New York Schools Insurance Reciprocal (“NYSIR”), has declined coverage to the school board members and employees named as defendants in our class action civil rights lawsuit : “For all the reasons detailed herein, we write … to inform you that NYSIR hereby denies coverage to … ERCSD Board members … (and employees) … with respect to all of the claims asserted in the (class action lawsuit).” “the NYSIR policy precludes coverage to the insureds above regarding the “fraudulent, dishonest, malicious, criminal or intentional wrongful act(s) or omission(s)” alleged by the (class action lawsuit), NYSIR hereby disclaims coverage …” “In addition, the (class action lawsuit) alleges that ERCSD Board members … (and employees) … have violated and/or have failed to comply with state and federal special education laws. The NYSIR policy excludes coverage for any claims arising out of the failure to provide “an appropriate individualized education program or related facilities or services”, including but not limited to any cause of action under relevant state or federal statutes or other laws, administrative rules or regulations. Therefore, NYSIR hereby disclaims coverage.”

3) Appeal filed to block use of school funds to pay for lawyers:

School officials and employees may be represented at district expense when lawsuits arise from acting in their official capacity. However, the law does not allow the district to pay for counsel to officers or employees acting outside the scope of their public employment or duties. The actions of the board members and employees named in the class action lawsuit have been intentional, reckless, and borderline criminal. They have already been cited by NYSED, the New York State Comptroller and the Commissioner of Education as in violation of law. They have also used district funds to sue the NY State Attorney General, who is investigating their real estate dealings. As NYSIR noted, EACH and EVERY action is alleged to be “fraudulent, dishonest, malicious, criminal or intentional wrongful act(s) or omission(s)”. These are actions already found to be violation by the NY Education Department itself or by the NY State Comptroller. Nowhere does the law provide for the board members to approve expenses proactively suing the NY State Attorney General on their behalf. For the same reasons that hey have been denied insurance coverage, and more, the defendants should be denied the use of district funds. NY State courts have stated that coverage under public officers law is analogous to an insurance company’s contract. We have requested an Emergency Stay from the Commissioner to stop the board from further abusing public funds.

Tell your friends: “Justice is coming to East Ramapo!” … and WE can make it happen!

 

– Steve White, editor

 

10-29-12

Power of Ten Update

In this Issue:

  1. Advocates for Justice says school board members should not use district funds for their own legal defense!
  2. Federal Judge allows ‘discovery’ in class action lawsuit!
  3. Urgent: Your contribution is needed!
  4. Message from the editor

1) Advocates for Justice says school board members should not use district funds for their own legal defense:

Supporters of a class-action lawsuit against the East Ramapo school district want to block the Board of Education from using public money to defend school officials in several ongoing legal actions. Betty Carmand and Steven White, through their lawyers at Advocates for Justice, say that NY law does NOT allow for paying legal expenses when employees are acting outside the “scope of their public employment or duties,” and when they have NOT “appeared to have acted in good faith with respect to the exercise of his powers or the performance of his duties.” The actions of the school board members have been intentional, reckless, and borderline criminal; they have been cited by NYSED, the New York State Comptroller and the Commissioner of Education as in violation of law.

Why are we asking for the commissioner to act? Exorbitant legal fees are being incurred — at the expense of children’s public school education — to defend board members and employees for their wrongful acts. We are asking the Commissioner to stop the the board from gorging at what they have come to regard as their own personal “piggy bank.” The board shows no temperance or remorse in wielding a butcher knife to the ERCSD’s budget and carving out its purported entitlement to legal fees first, failing to consider let alone leave sufficient funds for that which its children desperately need most: educators and books. The wholly self-centered and conflicted board believes that legal coverage is automatic, and that they need do nothing more than vote to give it to themselves. Serious misconduct is at issue and is being investigated by no less than three separate state and federal agencies. Its president for nine of the last ten years is in State prison. The district is operating at a six million dollar deficit, and now has authorized the expenditure of millions of dollars in legal fees to defend what will undoubtedly be established as improper conduct on the part of its individual members. Were it simply a matter of money, one might not take such offense; however, the East Ramapo Central School District is comprised of thousands of children, most of them poor, who depend on East Ramapo for their education. They have suffered and will continue to suffer irreparable harm unless NY State intervenes.

2) Federal Judge allows ‘discovery’ in class action lawsuit:

On October 16th, Advocates for Justice appeared in Federal Court in White Plains in the first court date of the class action lawsuit. The lawyers for the school board argued to immediately dismiss the case, but were rebuffed by the judge. The next step in the case is called “discovery,” in which we will attempt to gather and organize all the facts and data. People with information that is pertinent to the case are encouraged to contact Advocates for Justice lawyer Laura Barbieri at (914) 819-3387 or lbarbieri@advocatesny.com

3) Your contribution is needed!

Advocates for Justice, a New York based non-profit public interest law firm, has filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of East Ramapo School District parents and students seeking monetary damages from some school board members, district officials, and contractors. The damage is clear. We have lost full day kindergarten, guidance counselors, social workers, our award winning band director, and hundreds of teachers. Our classrooms are overcrowded and our children are suffering!

This legal case is getting national media attention. All of America is watching what we do here in Rockland County to get justice. This is our opportunity to take a stand and send a strong message.

YOUR CONTRIBUTION is essential to the success of this action! Funds are needed NOW to continue the extensive preparation we need toward finally getting our day in court and securing JUSTICE for the children of East Ramapo!!!

The other side has for-profit law firms and they may be paid hundreds of thousands of dollars defending actions that hurt our children. We don’t need hundreds of thousands to win, but we need more money than our non-profit organization has now.

Please go to https://secure.qgiv.com/for/jk40ipsos/ to make your donation today. No contribution is too small.

If you can, automatically donate $10 per month or more. You can do it at the same web page: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/jk40ipsos/

4) Message from the editor:

The movement for justice in East Ramapo is gaining momentum and moving forward. The school board has been chastised by the NY State Comptroller; it has been rebuked by the Commissioner of Education; it has been found in multiple, repeated violation by NYSED. The NY State Attorney General is looking at their real estate transactions and the US Dept. of Education Civil Rights division is looking at their actions toward minorities, at the request of the NAACP.

Now hundreds of parents, alumni, and taxpayers have come together in an unprecedented class action lawsuit that will hold accountable those who have violated the public trust. Our case is being heard by the NY State Education Commissioner and by the Federal District Court. The whole community worked hard to build up a great school district, and we will not let it be destroyed by a few greedy men.

Tell your friends: “Justice is coming to East Ramapo!” And we have to go out and get it!

– Steve White, editor

 

8-17-12

Power of Ten Update

Special Edition:

The New York-based public interest law firm Advocates for Justice, on behalf of 167 East Ramapo parents and community members, has filed a class action lawsuitseeking monetary damages from school board members and some district officials and contractors, and is calling for the removal of five school board members and the appointment of a NY State overseer to remedy rampant abuses of office, including:

  • A pattern of fraud in the sale of school property
  • Willful noncompliance with special education rules
  • Unlawfully using state money to purchase religious textbooks
  • Dangerously compromising the security of students
  • Failure to provide oversight and guidelines for purchases
  • Deliberate school segregation
  • Unconstitutional gifts of public funds to private schools

These abuses have deprived children of their right to sound basic education in violation of the New York State Constitution. They have denied federally guaranteed equal protection to all students. They have breached their fiduciary duty causing a loss of funds, leading to the loss of programs vital to educational success and damaging the quality of education of the children in the district.

“Advocates for Justice” needs YOU:

If your child currently attends school in East Ramapo or you are a recent graduate within the last 5 years, YOU can join in this action and be a part of the solution!

Call 212-285-1400 or send an email to storre@advocatesny.com today!

Say “I want to join the East Ramapo Class Action Suit”!

In the News:

Reported in Newsday: Lawyer seeks worshipers’ help in East Ramapo schools case

Reported on Lohud: Parents to sue East Ramapo school board over public funds

Reported in Bloomberg Businessweek: East Ramapo School Board Sued for Money Given Yeshivas

Reported in the Rockland County Times: East Ramapo Parents Sue School District