Power of Ten Update
In This Issue:
1. Tonight!
2. Budget Meeting Schedule
3. MLK Center Honors Coach Delva
4. #4Women4All
5. Who is Failing Who?
1) Tonight! Legislature meets to reiterate support for monitor with veto power
Last year, the Rockland County Legislature passed a resolution supporting the recommendation of Fiscal Monitor Greenberg for a monitor with veto power. Today, they will consider a similar bill supporting the same recommendation by the monitoring team of Walcott, George-Field, and Sipple. You are encouraged to attend!
March 15 at 7:00P.M.
11 New Hempstead Rd
New City, NY
2) Budget Meeting Schedule
The Superintendent will be holding a series of public forums on the 2016-17 budget. The schedule of the forums is available here.
There are also requirements by law that a budget must be finalized by April 26 – May 3, and a public hearing must occur between May 3 and May 10.
3) MLK Center Honors Coach Delva
Coach Delva is “The Coach Who Sets No Ceilings“. The Martin Luther King Multipurpose Center will honor him at their Annual Dinner Dance on April 3rd.
For full details, visit: http://mlkmpc.org/events/2014-annual-awards-benefit-dinner-dance/
4) #4Women4ALL
How many school districts in New York have zero women members? How many have only one out of nine? If you believe that women should play an important role in public policy decision making, you can express that feeling at the polls on May 17!
#4Women4ALL!
https://eastramapotogether.wordpress.com/
5) Who is Failing Who?
All Rockland school districts were found to be in overall good standing except East Ramapo, which was given a focus designation for the second consecutive year.
The Journal News: State Ed: More East Ramapo schools are troubled
What makes East Ramapo unique is the many residents that don’t use public schools and don’t support public education.
In 2011, at one polling place (Freshman Center) only 4% of voters voted in favor of the budget. Most of the voters there send their children to private school. Because the private school users outnumber those who use public schools, the budgets fail and programs are cut.
At another polling place, in the same year, 84% of the voters voted yes for the budget. Most of those voters were from areas where parents use public schools. These voters, mostly people of color, are a minority. Their commitment to education is high, but because state laws give local control to a local majority, their civil right to an education is ignored.
It is not reasonable to expect that this problem of a Not So Simple Majority is going to resolve itself. Two separate investigations by independent experts concluded that NY State laws must be changed. Their recommendations have the support of the Rockland County Legislature, The Rockland County School Boards Association, various religious and civil liberties groups, the State Education Department, and more. The bill has passed the Assembly but has yet to pass the Senate.
NY State is giving East Ramapo a failing grade. East Ramapo parents are looking the state right in the eye. They are asking “Who is Failing Who?”