Thursday, April 28, 2011

East Ramapo Power of Ten Update

Power of Ten Real Facts: 2 out of 3 Stakeholders Candidates won in 2010. The third lost by only 300 votes.  
Is this email not displaying correctly?
View it in your browser.

Last year only 20% of us voted, and yet we lost a seat by only 300 votes.

Let's not spend another year complaining about the results of our failure to vote.

What is at stake in this election is no less that the future of an entire generation of East Ramapo students.

A victory on May 17th requires that we all take responsibility for the campaign. Now or never, people!



To help get out the vote in your neighborhood call Micheal Miller at 845-598-5378
To make phone calls, 
volunteer your services, or get info including where to vote: log onto www.poweroften.us

In This Issue:

Voter Outreach Days

We will be knocking on doors to get out the word about the Election Day – May 17th. Wear comfortable shoes as we will be walking once we get to the neighborhoods.

Saturday, April 30 at 10:30 AM
We will meet in the parking lot at Lowe’s (100 Overlook Boulevard, Nanuet, across the street from COSTCO)

Sunday, May 1 at 2:00 PM
We will meet in the parking lot at the Kennedy Plaza (Rt 59 and Kennedy Dr, just west of Spring Valley High School, by the 7-11)

Monday, May 2 at 5:30 PM
We will meet in the parking lot at the Kennedy Plaza (Rt 59 and Kennedy Dr, just west of Spring Valley High School, by the 7-11)

Wednesday, May 4 at 5:30 PM
We will meet in the parking lot at the Kennedy Plaza (Rt 59 and Kennedy Dr, just west of Spring Valley High School, by the 7-11)

Meet and Greet Fundraiser

with our new ERCSD School Board Candidates

Friday, May 6th

from 7:00 – 9:00pm at the Home of Joanne Silas, 12 East Court, Pomona, NY 10970

Refreshments will be served. SUGGESTED CONTRIBUTION: $50
 

A Note on the importance of using our online phone bank

Dear Power of Ten Stakeholders,

I want to add an exclamation point to this plea for more volunteers for phone calling and door-to-door canvassing:

I pledged to myself to start making ten phone calls every night until the election. Ten phone calls went by in no time and I ended up making 20 calls in 45 minutes. All but two of the people I called knew a bit about the issues in East Ramapo but haven't voted in school elections in years. BUT THEY CARE!!!! They wanted to know who to vote for, where to vote, when to vote..... They absolutely want to get the majority back on the board and will go to vote on May 17. These were the easiest calls I have ever made!

We have thousands of calls to make and need hundreds of volunteers to make them. My reading is that is if we can contact all of our registered voters, we can easily win this election. PLEASE, let\'s do it!! It is SO IMPORTANT this year! This is the only year that we can regain our majority on the board. If we really care about the children in our community, now is the time to set aside some time for these calls. And we must get started NOW because there is no way that we can make all of these calls in the last week.

Thank you in advance,
Mimi Calhoun (former East Ramapo School Board Member)
 
School Board Scandals Attract Media Attention

An article in The Jewish Daily Forward reviews the latest developments

Federal Civil Rights Investigation Begins

The U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights has begun an investigation of allegations made by the Spring Valley NAACP of discriminatory practices within the East Ramapo Central School District.
On learning of the investigation, Willie Trotman, president of the Spring Valley NAACP said "In keeping with our mission the NAACP continues its struggle for the fair and equitable treatment and access to quality educational opportunities for
all children in the East Ramapo Central School District."
The mission of the NAACP is to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of rights of all persons and eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.


YOUR HELP IS NEEDED NOW:

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

REGISTER/LOGIN TO OUR SITE

SIGN UP FOR THE MAILING LIST

USE THE ONLINE PHONE BANK TO MAKE CALLS FROM HOME!

VOLUNTEER ON ELECTION DAY

MAKE A DONATION (Really needed right now!)



Copyright © 2011 East Ramapo Stakeholders, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you signed up for our mailing list at http://poweroften.us/
Our mailing address is:
East Ramapo Stakeholders
10 Garden Pl.
Spring Valley, New York 10977

Add us to your address book

Email Marketing Powered by MailChimp

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Power of Ten Update

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.

Latest news:

Stakeholders win one seat

Stakeholders candidate Jaonne Thompson was the only person to turn in petitions for her seat, and will remain on the board. She will continue to campaign hard with the team towards victory on May 17.

Board President Resigns

The president of the East Ramapo School Board has resigned from the board. He is being charged by the federal government with abuse of authority in his position with the Monsey Fire Dept.

Vice-president not seeking re-election?

The vice-president did not hand in petitions for re-election to the board. This would seem to indicate that he is not running for the seat again.  However, another candidate mysteriously handed in petitions and withdrew them the next day, thus openeing up an arcane loophole in the law which may allow late petitions to be handed in. This has disrupted the ballot printing process and may disenfranchise some voters who need absentee ballots early.  What possible motive could there be? These kind of manipulations have no place in a school board, It is embarrassing to think that any candidate who would resort to these kinds of manipulations could get any votes at all.

Voter Outreach Days:

We will be knocking on doors to get out the word about our candidates. Wear comfortable shoes as we will be walking once we get to the neighborhoods.

Saturday, April 23 at 10:30 AM
We will meet in the parking lot at Lowe’s (100 Overlook Boulevard, Nanuet, across the street from COSTCO)

Monday, April 25 at 5:30 PM
We will meet in the parking lot at the Kennedy Plaza (Rt 59 and Kennedy Dr, just west of Spring Valley High School, by the 7-11)

Wednesday, April 27 at 5:30 PM
We will meet in the parking lot at the Kennedy Plaza (Rt 59 and Kennedy Dr, just west of Spring Valley High School, by the 7-11)
VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED NOW!!!

THE TURNOUT AT THE LAST COUPLE OF VOTER OUTREACH EVENTS WAS DISAPPOINTING!  WE CANNOT WIN THIS ELECTION UNLESS MORE PEOPLE START MAKING CALLS AND GOING DOOR TO DOOR. 

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

USE THE ONLINE PHONE BANK TO MAKE CALLS RIGHT FROM HOME!
Please try to call each day between 5:30 and 8:30.  Just 30 minutes a day will make a big difference in our campaign!

VOLUNTEER ON ELECTION DAY

MAKE A DONATION
You are receiving this email because you signed up for our mailing list at http://poweroften.us/

Unsubscribe steve10977.ynot@blogger.com from this list.

Our mailing address is:
East Ramapo Stakeholders
10 Garden Pl.
Spring Valley, New York 10977

Add us to your address book

Copyright (C) 2011 East Ramapo Stakeholders All rights reserved.

Forward this email to a friend
Update your profile
Email Marketing Powered by MailChimp

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Power of Ten Update

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.
If not now, when?

The East Ramapo Stakeholders have been fighting to protect and improve public education for a long time.  They said we didn't have the voters, but we proved that the voters are there. They said we can't stop the cheating, but we went to court, trained poll watchers, and stopped most of it.  They said we could not unite, but we have united the community by relying on democratic and inclusive principles.  This year the school board election falls on a very auspicious day: May 17, 2011 is Thurgood Marshall Day.  One of the most important figures in Civil Rights History made a start right here in Rockland County.  We have a more civilized nation because Justice Marshall stood up for every child's right to an education, and every person's right to vote.

You are part of that history! 

Today's issues in our schools are just as important as those faced by previous generations.  We are responsible for safeguarding the youth as they become the new leaders of our nation and our society.  The obstacles of today's struggle are not police dogs and fire hoses, but complacency and indifference.  We fight them the same way, by grabbing on to our neighbor and walking together to the ballot box. May 17 is our moment to unite for education.  

VOTER OUTREACH AGAIN THIS WEEKEND:

Saturday, April 16 at 10:30 AM

We will meet in the parking lot at Lowe’s (100 Overlook Boulevard, Nanuet, across the street from COSTCO)
(May be cancelled in case of rain)

Sunday, April 17 at 2:00 PM

We will meet in the parking lot at the Kennedy Plaza (Rt 59 just west of Spring Valley High School, by the 7-11)

Visit www.poweroften.us to find out more!
You are receiving this email because you signed up for our mailing list at http://poweroften.us/

Unsubscribe steve10977.ynot@blogger.com from this list.

Our mailing address is:
East Ramapo Stakeholders
10 Garden Pl.
Spring Valley, New York 10977

Add us to your address book

Copyright (C) 2011 East Ramapo Stakeholders All rights reserved.

Forward this email to a friend
Update your profile
Email Marketing Powered by MailChimp

Friday, April 8, 2011

Voter Outreach both Saturday and Sunday this weekend

"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men." -Frederick Douglass  
Is this email not displaying correctly?
View it in your browser.
www.poweroften.us

www.poweroften.us quick update:


We have added another day to our voter outreach (door to door) effort this weekend.  We will be now be knocking on doors both Saturday at 10:30 AM and Sunday at 2:00 PM.  Don't forget: Wear comfortable shoes and dress for the weather (about 50 to 60 degrees).
 
The details:
 
Saturday, April 9 at 10:30 AM
We will meet in the parking lot at Lowe’s (100 Overlook Boulevard, Nanuet, across the street from COSTCO)
 
Sunday, April 10 at 2:00 PM
We will meet in the parking lot at the Kennedy Plaza (by the 7-11, Corner of Kennedy Dr. and Rt 59, near Spring Valley High School)
 
Please make every effort to come to one of our voter outreach events!!!
 
Also, you can call voters using our online phone bank.  All the information you need is right on our website: www.poweroften.us
Copyright © 2011 East Ramapo Stakeholders, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you signed up for our mailing list at http://poweroften.us/
Our mailing address is:
East Ramapo Stakeholders
10 Garden Pl.
Spring Valley, New York 10977

Add us to your address book

Email Marketing Powered by MailChimp

Monday, April 4, 2011

East Ramapo Power of Ten Update

Power of Ten Real Facts: 2 out of 3 Stakeholders Candidates won in 2010. The third lost by only 300 votes.  
Is this email not displaying correctly?
View it in your browser.

In This Issue:

What Happened?


The events of the past week have left us all wondering "What Happened?" Here is a rundown:

  • The East Ramapo School Board threw out what little preparation and plans they had (publicly) made for the budget.
  • They changed the agenda for meetings several times on the day of the meeting, and adopted a budget a week before it was scheduled to be publicly discussed.
  • Voters will now be asked to approve a budget which was designed with virtually no input from the staff who have to implement it or the parents whose children’s lives will be affected.
  • The board switched the Superintendent out, as if he were a light bulb.
  • Staff will find themselves under new management in the middle of the school year.
  • Taxpayers are now paying TWO Superintendent salaties, at close to a quarter of a million dollars EACH!!!
  • All of the arrogance and the insensitivity of the board must certainly be reverberating in the children’s ears and minds.
  • How will all this affect the divisiveness that already is too great in our district?
  • All of this is documented on YouTube

Call for "A Day of Outrage"

Many people are expressing shock at the unprofessional and clumsy actions of the board. One district parent and activist, Cassandra Edwards, has proposed that we express our alarm and distress by gathering for a rally before the next board meeting. The headline for this rally will be “A Day of Outrage”. Yes, we are outraged by the cavalier attitude and the hasty, haphazard proceedings that have endangered our children. It is time to come together and express our feelings, peacefully, in the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
  • Time- 6:00 - 7:30 PM on April 6th (Board meeting is scheduled to start at 7:30)
  • Place- In front of 105 S. Madison Ave in Spring Valley

Noche Latina

Latino parents and students of Ramapo High School are Inviting everyone to come and enjoy an evening of cultural presentations including food, dance, music and comedy. This event is especially important because the growing Latino population in the schools are sometimes isolated by language barriers, but they are trying hard to integrate with all the other cultures in our wonderful diverse district.
  • Time- April 7 at 7:00 PM
  • Place- Ramapo High School, 400 Viola Rd. Spring Valley
Voter Outreach Day

SATURDAY, April 9 at 10:30 AM We will be knocking on doors again. We will meet in the parking lot at Lowe’s (100 Overlook Boulevard, Nanuet, across the street from COSTCO). Wear comfortable shoes as we will be walking once we get to the neighborhoods.

YOUR HELP IS NEEDED NOW:

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

REGISTER/LOGIN TO OUR SITE

SIGN UP FOR THE MAILING LIST

USE THE ONLINE PHONE BANK TO MAKE CALLS FROM HOME!

VOLUNTEER ON ELECTION DAY

MAKE A DONATION (Really needed right now!)



Copyright © 2011 East Ramapo Stakeholders, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you signed up for our mailing list at http://poweroften.us/
Our mailing address is:
East Ramapo Stakeholders
10 Garden Pl.
Spring Valley, New York 10977

Add us to your address book

Email Marketing Powered by MailChimp