[poweroften] Religious Communities Block School Monitors

Power of Ten Update
In This Issue:
1. Religious Communities Block School Monitors
2. Help Our Teachers
3. Anti-Semites and Bloc-Puppets

1) Religious Communities Block School Monitors

It's Deja-vu all over again!

As reported by Alan Singer of DailyKos: Religious Communities with Ties to Andrew Cuomo Block School Monitors

As it turns out, at the same time that we were fighting for a Monitor with Veto Power for East Ramapo, the NYC school chancellor was asked to monitor education in NYC yeshivas.

Readers of Power of Ten will not be surprised to learn that the same anti-education extremists who advocated against the monitor for the school board for East Ramapo are the same ones who are fighting against a monitor for yeshivas in NYC.

What may surprise some is that our elected officials, as reported by Mr. Singer, have been colluding with these anti-education extremists!

#Yeshivagate is generating a lot of of coverage including the New York Times.

With the September 13 elections around the corner, incumbents who have colluded with anti-education extremists should be worried!

2) Help Our Teachers

The East Ramapo Community Fund for Public Education generates community support to fund teacher initiated enrichment programs and expanded learning opportunities for the public school students of East Ramapo.

Power of ten is asking readers to support The East Ramapo Community Fund for Public Education as this school year begins.

3) Anti-Semites and Bloc-Puppets

Being upset about attacks on education by ultra-orthodox Jews does not mean you are an anti-Semite. False accusations of anti-Semitism are disrespectful to those harmed by attacks on education, and they are disrespectful to all Jewish people.

Being upset about attacks on education by ultra-orthodox Jews is not an excuse for saying things which make Jewish people, including ultra-orthodox Jewish people, feel uncomfortable. Jewish people have a valid reason to fear anti-Semitism, and everyone has a responsibility to guard against it.

Talking about these issues is hard. Sometimes you feel like you own what you say, and sometimes you feel like what you've said owns you. That shouldn't be an excuse for silence, but rather a reason to give the other person the benefit of the doubt, because it's as hard for him or her as it is for you.

The crisis in East Ramapo has become a hot topic in political debates and election strategies. Accusations of "anti-Semite" or "bloc-puppet" have become part of the political dialogue. Well-meaning voters may find these simplifications to be an easy shortcut. Malicious political operators may find them to be an easy tool of misdirection.

Education helps people to find better ways to express themselves. Education helps people to understand the dangers of racism. Education helps people to make hard political decisions and not depend on using shortcuts.

Power of Ten supports Education for ALL people.

This is an issue that unites people across the political spectrum. Opponents of Education can only win by using a divide and conquer strategy. They lose when we reach out to each other across political divides. This week, find someone who you disagree with about almost everything else, and have a conversation about why quality education for all children is important to both of you.

 

 

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[poweroften] Unequal is Unconstitutional

Power of Ten Update
In This Issue:
1. Unequal is Unconstitutional
2. Understanding Our Hasidic Neighbors
3. Depriving Orthodox Children Of Education Hurts Our Communities

1) Unequal is Unconstitutional

Young Advocates for Fair Education has filed a lawsuit to declare as unconstitutional a new law which sets a lower educational standard for Hasidic children.

Until April 2018, New York State required that every child receive an equivalent education.

Without debate, and under threat of stalling the budget and closing state government, Senator Felder inserted this new law as an amendment to the budget.

Governor Cuomo allowed this to happen and continues to insist that the amendment will "balance the unique needs of yeshivas with the high educational standards we require for every New York student".

Of the thousands of students attending Jewish religious schools in East Ramapo, the large majority attend ultra-Orthodox and Hasidic schools with barely any secular education. The majority of students in 12th grade are not in degree-granting programs. When state tests are administered, the results are abysmal.

Rights which are guaranteed by the Constitution protect the people from opportunistic politicians. The right of a child to an education is a long-settled fact which is enshrined in the New York State constitution. It cannot and should not be undone at the 11^th hour in a smoke-filled back room by Senator Felder or even Governor Cuomo.

However, it is the nature of civil rights that they must constantly be fought for. YAFFED has stepped up and filed a lawsuit. The lawyers are working pro bono, but there are costs that must be paid.

You can help to defend the rights of all children to equivalent education by donating to YAFFED today.

2) Understanding Our Hasidic Neighbors

It is important, when discussing your neighbors, and especially when there are legal and social issues, to take the time to learn something about them. It's important to remember that our Hasidic neighbors love their children, and have as much right as anyone else to want their children to follow in the traditions of their families.

Shulem Deen, renowned author of "All Who Go Do Not Return", has written a review of a new scholarly book about the Hasidic religious movement for the Forward. This is an excellent resource for those wishing to have a better understanding of our Hasidic neighbors.

It's important to understand that every family and every ethnicity in East Ramapo has its own American story, and that is why everyone of us has just as much responsibility to the education of the children as any other one, and why every child has just as much right to education as any other one. In the not so distant past, civil rights were only a dream. Today, we must renew our commitment to the next generation.

3) Depriving Orthodox Children Of Education Hurts Our Communities

The Spring Valley NAACP has been in the forefront of the fight for improved education in East Ramapo public schools. Now, in a letter published in The Forward, Spring Valley NAACP president Willie Trotman and Education Committee Director Dr. Oscar Cohen illustrate the interdependence of all subgroups within our East Ramapo community.

As Martin Luther King Jr. stated, "We may have all come on different ships, but we are in the same boat now."

 

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[poweroften] This Sunday: Summer Party Benefit for MLK Center Programs

Power of Ten 

Special Edition: SUMMER SAND AND SOUL 2018

SUNDAY, JULY 29TH FROM 1:00 - 5:00 P.M.

100% of ticket sales go directly to support The MLK Center's Children's Programs.

The weather is looking great.  The atmosphere never disappoints.  Pier 701 has donated a complimentary Rum Punch with every ticket and now, THERE'S A TACO BAR on the menu!  It's going to be a great day!

Summer Sand & Soul is two parties in one! 

Outside, is a relaxed summer vibe on deck of Pier 701 – featuring the largest waterfront deck in the region – with its own private beach.

Inside features classic soul, blues and R&B by Sam Waymon and the Magic Band, along with DJ's Tee Groove and Easy Mike spinning your favorite hits.

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS

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[poweroften] Remembering Our Champions

Power of Ten Update

Special Edition: Remembering Our Champions

In this special edition, Power of Ten honors two Champions of Public Education - David Lipman and Pedro Santana

David Lipman

Power of Ten marks the one year anniversary of the passing of David Lipman, an East Ramapo alumnus and parent who served his country with honor and distinction in World War II.

On July 12, 2017 he passed from this world, but his words and deeds live on within our entire East Ramapo community.

Read his amazing story here: http://poweroften.us/in-memoriam/

 

Pedro Santana

Pedro Santana came into our district for only a brief time, and yet his influence is still felt today in the hearts and minds of the many people who knew and loved him, more than four years after his death .

Like David, Pedro was on a mission to make the world a better place. David noted that our school board has "poured bitter herbs on the books of these children" instead of honey, and Pedro worked to heal the children of bitterness with the honey of his unforgettable charismatic personality and his prodigious intellect.

Pedro's story has been immortalized in " My Name is Pedro ", a documentary that explores what public education meant to him - a 'special ed' child from the Bronx - and what he, in turn, meant to public education.

Watch the Trailer

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[poweroften] They said NO – You can still say YES!

Power of Ten Update

In This Issue:
1. You can say Yes!
2. We cannot afford to turn away
3. Yeshiva Fever!

1) You can say Yes!

The budget vote is over. The "NO' vote was greater. But you can still say YES to enhancing our students education at the Martin Luther King Center's Summer Program. The MLK Center has an accredited program that prevents an academic "summer slide" while providing fun and enriching activities and a lifetime of memories for our youth.

You can be part of this positive action for our students by joining us for "Summer, Sand & Soul 2018: A Party with a Purpose!"

Sunday, July 29th, 2018 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at 701 Piermont Ave, Piermont, NY.

The Kurz Family Foundation has provided a matching challenge grant! By purchasing tickets early you can help ensure that 100% of ticket sales go directly to help the Center.

2) We cannot afford to turn away

East Ramapo's Education crisis is caused by a social crisis. It is the same crisis which has plagued humanity for thousands of years. Fear of "The Other". Loathing of "The Other". Indifference to "The Other". In the last issue, I tried to outline how these factors affect our community.

I tried, but Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt, the life editor at the Forward, has done a much better job!

I highly recommend reading The Jews Who Ignore Immigrants While Employing Them

The Forward is my favorite media outlet. It offers a variety of news and opinion that is not seen anywhere else. I may be biased, because it was my grandfather's favorite paper too (he read it in the original Yiddish).

Ms. Goldschmidt ends her essay with "We cannot afford to turn away". Truer words have never been spoken!

3) Yeshiva Fever!

I call it Poetic Injustice. Indifference to the quality of education by one group to another's children leads to indifference to the conditions for their own children. It's a kind of passive version of "an eye for an eye", but the result is the same - the whole world goes blind.

Writing for "The Progressive" magazine, Jake Jacobs illustrates the connection between those who oppose education in both private and public settings. Not surprisingly, the connection is power and money.

Yeshiva Fever: Religious Schools May Portend What DeVos Wants for the Nation

 

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[poweroften] Budget Re-vote Fails

Power of Ten Update

In This Issue:
1. Budget Re-vote Fails
2. Socioeconomic analysis

1) Budget Re-vote Fails

East Ramapo public school students will once again be facing an austerity budget as a result of racially polarized voting. Up to 93% of voters in segregated neighborhoods in Monsey, Kaser and New Square rejected the education spending measure. Polling sites that serve integrated areas voted up to 91% in favor of the budget.

 

So, once again, despite delivering more YES votes than any other school district in Rockland, East Ramapo's budget did not pass, and there will be significant cuts to programs for children.

2) Socioeconomic analysis

The majority of families that use East Ramapo public schools are people of color; the largest groups being Latino, African American, and Haitian.  Many of the parents of our public school students work in the service economy in nearby areas that are nearly 100% white. These white neighborhoods are mainly ultra-Orthodox Jewish, and send their children to private religious schools. The public school parents clean the bathrooms, iron white shirts, do the laundry, bag the groceries, mop the floors, mow the lawns, build the houses, serve meals in the schools, etc. The wages are low and the hours are long. When they pay their rent at the end of the month, it's most often to a white landlord. These are the stark racial and social and economic lines for a large part of our community.

At this point it's important to note that ALL members of the above racial, social and economic groups are members of the SAME community. However, there are large differences in power between different groups. Economic power, political power, social power are concentrated in the white part of the community.

When the white community votes down the budget for the schools that the people of color use, they are not just indifferent to some foreign group. They are cutting programs for the children of the woman who does their laundry. They are laying off teachers of the children of the man who swings the hammer that puts a roof over their head.

These kinds of racial and economic differences are not unique in history, or even in today's America. But they are stark, insidious and alarming in East Ramapo. People can live with limited opportunity for themselves, but when it appears that opportunities are being denied to their children, they can lose hope. And hopeless people are dangerous.

It has been clear for some time now that the voters in Monsey and Kaser and New Square are not going to wake up tomorrow and decide that the cleaning lady deserves a living wage, or that they might have some shared social responsibility to children with a different complexion or ethnic background. Unless some intervention comes from outside of the district, relations will continue to deteriorate. 

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[poweroften] Vote Tuesday

Power of Ten Update
Special Edition: Vote Tuesday

Tuesday, June 19 is the budget re-vote.

East Ramapo has seen more budgets voted down than any other district in NY State.

The result is higher class sizes, fewer options, and lower outcomes.

This is unacceptable.

There is also a continuing crisis of trust in East Ramapo.

People do not feel sure that all of their tax dollars are really going towards education.

This is because the school board has been found to be favoring the interests of private religious schools (yeshivas) which are infamous for taking public education dollars but not providing an education to the students.

However, our district also has many hard working staff who love the students and are doing their best under very difficult circumstances.

We cannot afford to let these good people down.

We cannot afford to let the children down.

Even though it can feel like paying a ransom, we have to keep things in perspective.

First, be aware that your school tax is not your whole property tax bill. The proposed increase only applies to the school tax portion. For each $1000 of school tax a homeowner now pays, there will be only $28.90 additional per year. That's about $2.41 per month.

Second, even though there is still a lot of mistrust, one thing we do know for sure is that a failed budget will cause suffering for the children next year.

So, we are asking you to take a few minutes on Tuesday, and vote YES for the budget.

You know we will continue to push hard for more accountability, and eventually for some long term solution to our crisis, so aptly called "A Not So Simple Majority" by This American Life.

Tuesday is a different job, but just as important. Please Vote YES for the budget.

-Steven White

 

 

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