[poweroften] Vote Today!

Polls are open until 10 PM.

Find your polling place here: http://poweroften.us/poll-lookup/

Our candidates: Alexandra Manigo, Eric Goodwin, Chevon DosReis.

On proposition 1: NO

More information at http://poweroften.us/

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[poweroften] Party Monday, Vote Tuesday

Power of Ten Update

In This Issue:

1. Vote This Tuesday
2. ELECTION EVE BLOCK PARTY
3. Petition: No Confidence in Commissioner

1) Vote This Tuesday

• Who: Everyone who is eligible to vote.
• What: Vote for our team of public school parents - Alexandra Manigo, Eric Goodwin, and Chevon DosReis. Vote NO on proposition 1.
• Where: Find your polling place at: http://poweroften.us/poll-lookup/
• When: Tuesday, May 16 from 7 AM to 10 PM

2) ELECTION EVE BLOCK PARTY

Please share with your friends that Monday at 6:30 p.m. is our fun-filled event in Spring Valley's Memorial Park to build excitement and energy for Election Day. We will have an information booth to visit so that you can sign up to volunteer on Election Night (and get one of our T-shirts!), even if you missed today's meeting.

If you can't wait until Monday to feel passion about improving our schools, however, look no further than this two-minute video clip from George Farran, one of our outstanding volunteers who addressed the board POWERFULLY this past week, saying "it is an insult to the community to continue to misappropriate funds."

3) Petition: No Confidence in Commissioner

It is unacceptable and irresponsible to approve a budget based on quid-pro-quo deal and misrepresentations. Commissioner Elia should have known better. She must be held responsible.

Please sign this petition calling on the NY State Board of Regents to cast a vote of no-confidence in Commissioner Elia, and for her to step down as Commissioner of Education.

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[poweroften] Budget Blackmail and Betrayal

Power of Ten Update

In This Issue:

1. Budget Blackmail and Betrayal
2. NO Confidence
3. NO on the Budget
4. The Final Stretch

1) Budget Blackmail and Betrayal

There is no other way to say it. The superintendent, the monitors, and the commissioner were given an ultimatum: "Put $1.4 million into the budget for ultra-orthodox yeshivas, or we will vote the budget down."

It was a test, and they failed.

Elia fails East Ramapo: View

East Ramapo's tax-cap busting calculation: Editorial

The correct answer was given by Assembly member Ellen Jaffee, who said "While on the surface overriding the tax cap appears to be a long-term strategy, the board's proposal will reverse the positive direction the district has taken and undermine the trust that together we have worked so hard to establish."

We can longer have confidence that Commissioner Elia will act with integrity and sensitivity. We must hold her accountable for this betrayal of our trust.

 2) NO Confidence

It is unacceptable and irresponsible to approve a budget based on quid-pro-quo deal and misrepresentations. Commissioner Elia should have known better. She must be held responsible.

Please sign this petition calling on the NY State Board of Regents to cast a vote of no-confidence in Commissioner Elia, and for her to step down as Commissioner of Education.

3) NO on the budget

How can we adequately express our outrage over the deceptive and prejudicial budget deal? We are only given two choices: YES or NO. We were not included in the backroom deal-making. Even our one representative on the board was left out. One writer to The Power of Ten expressed sadness over the decision she felt forced to make:

I am an educator as well as a taxpayer in the East Ramapo Central School District. I am extremely displeased and frustrated in the way the school board has been disenfranchising the public school children in this district. Since the time in which my own children have attended the public schools in the district, I have been witnessing a steady decline in the services, materials, etc. to which these students should be entitled.

Please do NOT approve any budget for East Ramapo that includes funding for non-mandated busing for non-public schools. All public school programs should be fully restored and adequately funded before considering expanding non-mandated services for non-public schools.

For the first time in over the thirty years that my husband and I have lived in the East Ramapo Central School District, we will not vote in favor of such a budget!!

4) The Final Stretch

ONE WEEK LEFT -- We have just SEVEN DAYS before the Election! It's not too late to be part of the action:

• This Saturday -- Get Prepared (4:30, New Hillcrest Fire House, 374 N. Main
• Next Monday (5/15) -- Get Pumped (6:30, Spring Valley's Memorial Park)
• Next Tuesday (5/16) -- Get Political (7 a.m. to 10 p.m.) at the polls

Sign up for all these events at www.StrongEastRamapo.org

 

 

[poweroften] Tonight's Budget Hearing

The below message is from Andrew of Strong East Ramapo.

Please make every effort to be there tonight. 

You can also let us know if you are going by setting your status to "going"on FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/events/297671243977731/

Hi there,

Please make every effort to attend and raise your voice at the East Ramapo Budget Hearing tonight (Monday, May 8) at the district headquarters (105 S. Madison), where the board and superintendent NEED to hear your feelings about the proposed tax-cap override and 14 days of non-mandated non-public busing. Friends and supporters of district residents are encouraged to join as well!  Arrive at 7 p.m. so you can get yourself on the speakers' list.

While we know that everyone is entitled to make their own decision about the budget, our candidates will be voting NO for the following reasons:

-- This is NOT the time to prioritize non-public non-mandated transportation over the educational necessities of public school families. Our students lack MANY basics after years of dramatic cuts, and agreeing to pay for extra busing at a time like this shortchanges the children who have no other option but public school.

-- It is never appropriate to create a budget without the involvement of public school advocates. 

-- People who are scared to vote NO on the budget should know that the law allows the superintendent and the school board to create a second budget to put in front of voters in June. If the budget fails, the district needs to go back to the drawing board -- with public school advocates -- in order to restore critical educational services before focusing on non-mandated non-public wishes. 

-- This unreasonable budget is another reason why we MUST elect public school parents -- Allie, Chevon and Eric -- to the board. 

Thanks, everyone,

Andrew