[poweroften] Your Signature Needed: New Oversight Letter to NYSED

Power of Ten Update
In This Issue:
1. School Board Loses in Court Again!
2. Your Signature Needed: New Oversight Letter to NYSED
3. Ballots Are Arriving
4. Write-in Linda Valentine in Ward 4

1) School Board Loses in Court Again!

Once again, a court of law has found that the East Ramapo school board majority has acted in bad faith, enacting policies that favor the private-school community at the cost of harming the quality of education for public school students.

Read all about it in The Journal News: Appeals court back backs NAACP in East Ramapo voting rights challenge

2) Your Signature Needed: New Oversight Letter to NYSED

We first wrote to the State Education Department (NYSED) asking them to intervene in East Ramapo back in 2009. We cited "a pattern of racial segregation in school attendance and race-based neglect of educational opportunities" that "violates the democratic principle of governance with the consent of the governed."

Through all of the many dozens of findings by courts, monitors, state and federal agencies, the board has never wavered from its racially biased policies. Children who entered Kindergarten in the 2008-9 school year will have spent their entire educational experience under this system of 21st Century Jim Crow. Far too many exit with crushed hopes and no diploma. All this while, the State Education Department has stood by, writing reports and wringing their hands. We now have a new message for NYSED, and for our elected officials: We are sick and tired of being sick and tired. No more reports. No more "monitoring". It's time to act.

NAACP Spring Valley Chapter, in partnership with the NYCLU, has written a letter to the Commissioner of Education, asking for a meeting to discuss more direct involvement. Our elected representatives in Albany are copied.

They would like YOU to sign on to this letter!

Please act swiftly, sign, and share.

https://action.aclu.org/petition/sign-letter-east-ramapo-central-school-district

3) Ballots Are Arriving

Many voters have gotten their ballots already. It's very important that you follow the directions included with the ballot carefully.

If you are in Wards 1,2,3 or 9, you will see the name of one of our East Ramapo Together candidates.

Please visit https://eastramapotogether.wordpress.com/ for all the details.

4) Write-in Linda Valentine in Ward 4

Many readers have written in asking if there are not any other choices in their wards. Those in Ward 4 (Chestnut Ridge area) now have an alternative:

To my community of Chestnut Ridge and Ward 4. My name is Linda Valentine and I am a candidate for the East Ramapo Central School District Board.

I have been a resident of Chestnut Ridge for 25 years and I have taught in schools districts in New York City so I understand the value of public education for all student. My Master's Degree in Social Work provides me with the knowledge needed to apply compassion to the challenges students and family face particularly during this pandemic. I have worked in the court system and in law enforcement and have seen firsthand the tragic results of policies that inhabit learning and the results.

But most important, I am the mother of four children who grew up in Chestnut Ridge. My two youngest attended the East Ramapo school district and I am the proud grandmother with six grandchildren of which two attended Summit and Kakiat.

I am a 36 year member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority whose mission includes an educational focus and service to mankind. Also as a member of the Order of the Eastern Stars here in Rockland, I have a heart for community service. My church is St. Paul's AME Zion in Spring Valley.

My personal story, I was in a serious accident five years ago where I was paralyzed from the neck down. Doctors said I would never walk again however my faith in God, my husband Grant Valentine, my children and friends, I am walking again. So I understand the struggles students have who are underserved, denied resources and the feeling of neglect by institutions. I want the students to know there is a voice on the East Ramapo school board who will speak for them. For the parents in East Ramapo, know I will do whatever I can for our students and I am part of the community you can believe in.

It does not matter your race, religion or zip code every student has a right to achieve their potential with a solid public education.

There is no shortage of solutions just a shortage of courage and my plan is as follows:

1. 1. To ensure the East Ramapo students are prepared for the digital economy with the understanding of technology and the tool for success
   2. Increase academic growth for students who come from non-traditional families
   3. To Focus on restorative justice to reduce out of classroom time
   4. To track special education students into inclusion opportunities in all grades and

Continually assess equity gaps and goals.

I will need your help as a write-in candidate so please: LINDA VALENTINE

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[poweroften] New Era of Involvement

Power of Ten Update
In This Issue:
1. A New Era of Involvement
2. Message from Trustee Anderson
3. Board of Ed Meeting Tuesday

1) A New Era of Involvement

The historic victory of the NAACP and NYCLU in their landmark civil rights case against the East Ramapo school board has ended the school board's racist practice of voter dilution which was disenfranchising thousands of Black and Latinx voters. The student body of East Ramapo is now 95% Latino and Black, so this change will result in the parents of public school students finally having some power at the polls.

However, the decision to use a ward system to elect board members also means changes for voters who don't live in one of the three wards in which voters of color are a majority. Just like voters in wards 1-3, voters in wards 4-9 will now know who is their person on the board, and will be able to watch their performance at meetings, contact them with concerns, and hold them accountable with their votes. This may usher in a new era of community involvement in how our school system is run.

Just as in previous years, a group of candidates has come together based on a mission of improving the quality of education. You can learn about who they are and what they stand for on their website: https://eastramapotogether.wordpress.com/

If you are not in a ward where one of these candidates is running, it might be difficult to know what to do when your ballot arrives. Some of the candidates on those ballots are those who opposed the ward system, who approved millions of dollars in wasteful spending on frivolous lawsuits, who voted to sell district property at pennies on the dollar, who have never asked a question in a board meeting about graduation rates, class size, test scores, or any other educational issue. If you find yourself represented by someone like that, do not despair! You can still write about your concerns to the board member, and copy the superintendent, the state education dept., and your representatives in Albany. Even if the board member is unopposed, you can still use the option to write-in on the ballot. This is the only time all nine board members will be elected at once, starting with the next election in 2022 they will return to rotating three seats per year.

2) Message from Trustee Anderson

I want to thank you for so many things that I don't know where to start? For many of you I wish to thank you for reaching out to me to tell me how you appreciated me telling my story about my high school experience with geometry. The great thing about that is you saw the importance of supporting our public school children. I was lucky because I had my mom and grandmother to support me, but our kids are now having the benefit of an army to support them. According to YouTube, 233 persons tuned in to the last Board meeting and that was because of your pushing friends, family, and neighbors to tune in. Please keep up the good work because we can't let our children down. Please try to increase that number of 233. Only by our being informed by the actions of the Board will we be able to put pressure on them to make decisions that are beneficial to our Black and Brown children. Please keep in mind that our children need us!

There is a very important vote for ERCSD trustees on February 2nd. All nine seats are up. Thanks to the NAACP, NYCLU, and Latham and Watkins there will be a Ward vote. You will be able to choose the person you feel who best represents your Ward? This is an all mail vote. You should receive your ballot by the middle of the month. Please mark your ballot and mail it back immediately. If you live in these Wards please vote for these candidates:

• • Ward 1 Ashley Leveille
  • Ward 2 Sabrina Charles Pierre
  • Ward 3 Sherry McGill
  • Ward 9 Carole Anderson

Happy New Year!

Regards,

Carole

Silence is not an option.

Silence is complicity.

Change only comes when people stand up to demand it.

3) Board of Ed Meeting Tuesday

As Trustee Anderson has explained, it is important to attend the board meetings, currently being held virtually on YouTube due to the pandemic.

The next meeting is this Tuesday, January 5 at 7:30 PM.

Directions for YouTube:

Go to ERCSD Homepage.

Click on District Clerk.

Click on Announcements.

First line states: "Click here for YouTube."

 

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[poweroften] Important School Board Election Info

Power of Ten Update
In This Issue:
1. Important School Board Election Info
2. East Ramapo Author Publishes New Book
3. Message from School Board Member Carole Anderson

1) Important School Board Election Info

Our candidates have always worked together as a team, together with the community for the best interests of the students. This year, the rights of East Ramapo voters have been affirmed by the court's decision to enforce the Voting Rights Act. Our candidates will be elected by and responsible to the people who use the public schools!

Our candidates are:

Ward 1 - Ashley Leveille

Ward 2 - Sabrina Charles-Pierre

Ward 3 - Sherry McGill

Ward 9 - Carole Anderson

For more information on Our candidates, Our Issues, and Voting Info, visit the campaign webpage at: https://eastramapotogether.wordpress.com/

Like every other campaign, school board campaigns have expenses. There will also be volunteer opportunities. Please visit the campaign webpage for more info: https://eastramapotogether.wordpress.com/

2) East Ramapo Author Publishes New Book

Michael's Legacy - Transcending Life and Death is a new book written by Mark Judelson, an author and playwright whose previous work include "East Ramapo", a play. His new book is about how one family's tragedy became a life-changing story as Michael Bovill's life went on in the five people who received his organs in life-saving transplant operations.

To recognize and support the essential work of the NAACP in general and the Spring Valley Branch in particular, Mark will donate $1.00 of his royalties for each book sold to the Branch by buyers who identify the Branch as their chosen recipient. Visit www.michaels-legacy.com for details.

3) Message from School Board Member Carole Anderson

Recently, I viewed a webinar offered by the New York State School Board Association entitled "Institutional Racism: Raising awareness and meeting the needs of all students" which greatly reminded me of what happened to me when I was in high school. I was failing geometry and my mother went to see the teacher to find out what needed to be done so I could pass. The teacher told my mother that I didn't have the mental ability to be able to comprehend "geometry". My mother told the teacher she would get me a tutor. The teacher told her that she would be wasting her money. Upon hearing what the teacher said I was devastated, but my mother and grandmother wouldn't allow me to dwell in self-pity. They got me a tutor and I received an 80% on the final which forced the teacher to give me 65% as a final grade. The teacher had the nerve to call me in her office to ask me if I had cheated on the final!

How often do our Black and Brown children have to endure similar humiliation? If I didn't have the support of my mother and grandmother I wouldn't be where I am today. They pushed me into going to college where I received a BA in Elementary Education and I went on to get two MAs in Education. They instilled in me that quitting when there is adversity is not an option! We have to give that kind of support to our children in this community. They need to know that we have their backs. Your attendance at meetings informs you of what is going on and what is needed to improve the education for the children of ERCSD.

We not only have to support our children but we have to support our interim Superintendent Dr. Giamartino who is doing an outstanding job. Believe me when I say he has a handle on the situation and can bring about changes if given the chance. The schools in ER didn't get to where they are now overnight; thus, change isn't going to happen overnight. We, as a community, need to be on top of things. Please encourage your friends and neighbors to listen in to school board meetings on YouTube. Information on when meetings happen is available on the district website, https://www.ercsd.org/

 

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[poweroften] 2020-21 School Board Election Update

Power of Ten Update
In This Issue:
1. 2020-21 School Board Election Update
2. Remote Learning Continues?
3. Yaffed Gala

1) 2020-21 School Board Election Update

Due to the historic victory in the NAACP court action, voters in East Ramapo will use a ward system to elect school board members. This system provides that at least some of the school board members will be accountable to the communities of color whose children make up 95% of the students attending the public schools.

Each of nine ward areas will have their own representative on the board. Each voter will vote to select just the one board member who will represent the ward where they live.

Both the May 2020 and May 2021 school board elections are cancelled. The new plan is for an election for all nine board seats in February 2021, and then gradually revert back to a system where three seats are chosen each year, starting in May 2022. There will still be a budget vote each year in May.

The new date for the school board election is Feb 2, 2021. All voting will be by mail-in ballot only. All voters will receive a ballot by mail sometime in January. Watch your mailboxes!

Board members will be required to live in the ward they represent. Some of the candidates who were running in 2020 lived in the same ward as each other, or in a ward where the current board member has had the support of the voters of color in the past. These board members and candidates talked it over, and unified around a common group of candidates who will work together for this election, and will continue to work with the community to maintain the unified voice in support of quality education.

The candidates who were part of the 2020 campaign but who have graciously steeped back for the sake of unity in our community are Kerry Victor and Ana Maeda Gonzalez. They really worked hard and demonstrated the true meaning of teamwork. Our heartfelt thanks go to both for their selfless devotion to the children.

The candidates this for the 2020-21 election have their own webpage: https://eastramapotogether.wordpress.com/. Please visit that page for all the campaign information and updates.

2) Remote Learning Continues?

East Ramapo was among the first districts in the nation to experience school closures due to the pandemic. The impact has been most damaging to those who were most vulnerable. Many students have not been getting remote education due to lack of devices to access the internet and to language and literacy barriers. The numbers are shocking. According to The Journal News, as of October 22, nearly 47% of students were considered chronically absent.

The new superintendent, Dr. Giamartino, has begun distributing thousands of Chromebooks and has also made arrangements for thousands of free Wifi hotspots. Hopefully the next report of attendance will be substantially better!

3) Yaffed Gala

The public school children are not the only victims of the misconduct of the East Ramapo school board. There are also many children in East Ramapo's yeshiva system of religious schools who have not been getting the education which is their civil right under the NY State Constitution. Just as the public school children will not get the education that they deserve until NY State finally intervenes, many in the yeshiva system will not get adequate secular education until NY State addresses it. Thanks to the education advocacy organization Yaffed (Young Advocates for Fair Education), the state is currently in the process of implementing new guidelines to replace those that have been ignored by the school board.

You can support the work of Yaffed by attending their virtual gala.

 

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[poweroften] Special Edition: Election Day is Here

Power of Ten Update
Special Edition: Election Day is Here

Many people have already cast their ballot by mail or voted early. If you have not yet voted, the last chance will be Tuesday, Nov 3, at your regular polling location.

Elections can have an impact on the quality of education in our schools. Please be aware of the records of these candidates as you cast your ballot:

Ellen Jaffee has done more for oversight of the East Ramapo public schools than any other elected official. With your help, she will continue to take our fight to Albany.

Elijah Reichlin-Melnick stood up for more oversight of the East Ramapo school board, and publicly opposed the political machine that asked him to pledge to vote against oversight. He will be our next State Senator with your help.

Mondaire Jones graduated from East Ramapo went on to to Stanford University and Harvard Law School. He will bring our fight to Washington!

 

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[poweroften] Early Voting Starts Saturday Oct 24

Power of Ten Update
In This Issue:
1. Early Voting Starts Saturday Oct 24
2. Portraits of the Healers

1) Early Voting Starts Saturday Oct 24

Elections can have an impact on the quality of education in our schools.

Mondaire Jones graduated from East Ramapo went on to to Stanford University and Harvard Law School. He will be our next Congressman with your help.

Elijah Reichlin-Melnick stood up for more oversight of the East Ramapo school board, and publicly opposed the political machine that asked him to pledge to vote against oversight. He will be our next State Senator with your help.

Ellen Jaffee has done more for oversight of the East Ramapo public schools than any other elected official. With your help, she will continue to take our fight to Albany.

This year, people have many options to cast their vote. They can vote in person on election day. They can vote early at a voting center. They can vote by mail.

All information on how to vote is available on the board of elections webpage: https://rocklandgov.com/departments/board-of-elections/

2) Portraits of the Healers

Every once in a while, a news report, a podcast, some kind of media information outlet will make you stop in your tracks. Make you sit down and think. Make you pull your car off to the side of the road and cry.

Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt has released a powerful collection of stories from Orthodox doctors and nurses, telling us in their own words how they "struggle to balance emotion and expertise" in their life and death battle with the COVID virus, and their frustration when facing misinformation, mistrust and skepticism when they return home to Orthodox communities.

Portraits of the healers: Orthodox doctors and nurses in their own words

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[poweroften] Orthodox Non-compliance Leads to Public School Closures

Power of Ten Update
In This Issue:
1. Orthodox Non-compliance Leads to Public School Closures
2. MLK Center Gala
3. One Community

1) Orthodox Non-compliance Leads to Public School Closures

East Ramapo schools have been closed for at least an additional two weeks due to the new COVID clusters in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community.

According to Governor Cuomo, other "schools are closed because they happen to be in that cluster, but the issue is with that ultra-orthodox community,"

The Governor also said "They have never been following the regulations with any rigor... now you see the result."

This comes as no surprise to East Ramapo residents, who have been seeing school buses non-stop since the pandemic began. Documents obtained by FOIL reveal that yeshivas evaded fines for illegal operation by relabeling themselves as "childcare centers".

Amazingly, while East Ramapo public schools are now closed, yeshivas continue to be open, whether as "childcare" or otherwise.

The response to Governor Cuomo's new restrictions has been fierce. In NYC, angry mobs attacked a Jewish reporter, calling him a "moser" (yiddish for snitch). Some are trying to manipulate the tests results to make the positive rate appear lower than it actually is. According to reports in The Forward: In Orthodox WhatsApp groups, a message is being shared: "DO NOT test your child for covid … The city has released new guidelines that mandate CLOSURE of an ENTIRE SCHOOL if there are two positive tests in the school." In Rockland County, one yeshiva sent out a letter to parents warning them that if a child is tested and receives a positive result, "potentially many other kids will be prevented from attending Yeshiva."

The animosity of many in the ultra-Orthodox community to basic science and health principles is a result of lack of basic science and health education in their yeshiva system. As revealed in a previous edition of Power of Ten, the CEO of the Yeshiva Association said they are "not focused now on historyscience … We are focusing mostly on English … So when superintendent comes to visit she will be able to communicate with the students". Just as with the response to COVID, the CEO (along with the East Ramapo school board president!) are more interested in gaming the system than in the education, safety and health of the children.

2) MLK Center Gala

On Sunday, October 18 at 7 pm, the Martin Luther King Multipurpose Center (the Center) will host a virtual party to celebrate its students and to raise needed funds. The evening will feature streamed performances on Facebook; hosts will update viewers about the Center's progress including a land acquisition for an outdoor space where Center children can safely play.
Gala performers include jazz vocalist Shirley Crabbe; R&B band Cee Songbird and the Sound Travelers; saxophonist and performer Herve Alexandre; award-winning urban folk singer-writer KJ Denhert; the Eddie Vazquez Band and more. The Center children will present a selection from The Lion King, choreographed by TaShawn Pettiford.

Though the pandemic didn't interrupt the Center's 56 year record of serving the community, it did force the cancellation of its two annual fund-raising events. As a result, the Center urgently needs money to cover the shortfall in order to continue offering essential services such as:
• A food pantry that feeds hundreds of families a month. As Rockland's County's third largest food bank, the Center is on track to distribute 400,000 pounds of food;
• Health services such as last spring's COVID testing site, on-going Red Cross blood drives and a range of free medical services for the community;
• Modified summer and after school academic and cultural programs for children.

The Martin Luther King Multi-Purpose Center serves families in the heart of Rockland's most diverse and culturally vibrant community, where the pandemic struck hardest. The community experienced the highest rates of illness, death, food insecurity and academic slide due to school closures. As students all over Rockland remain isolated in homes with the latest technology, too many of the Center's children lack access to laptops, tablets and adequate internet service.

The Center gratefully acknowledges its sponsors Devon and Jason McCourty, Rockland's own Boston Patriot football heroes, and the M&T Bank Foundation.

Eventbrite link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/entertain-empower-educate-a-virtual-benefit-event-tickets-124196351631
Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/mlkmpc

3) One Community

In East Ramapo, we are often told that we are "One Community". The global pandemic has brought this point home with ferocity. The virus does not discriminate. However, it does illuminate the discrimination that already exists in our society. Here in East Ramapo, the racial divide is a chasm. The district is diverse, but there are all-white neighborhoods. The majority of students in the district are white and attend private school. 62% of the public school students are Latino, but there is not a single Latino on the school board. Many of the public school mothers work in the homes of the white students, doing their laundry, washing their dishes, scrubbing their floors etc. Most or all of the housing in the white-only areas is built by the public school fathers, but owned by the white people who live there or by other white people. Much of the housing in the poorest sections where people of color are the majority is owned by white landlords who maximize their profits by illegally overcrowding and neglecting maintenance. Public school students lack the basics to participate in remote learning because of the economic violence perpetrated on them by the white bosses and owners. Before COVID, this deprivation was measured in the graduation rate and test scores. Now the only meaningful measure we have is access to remote learning devices. Every other district in Rockland reports 100% of students have a Chromebook or equivalent. In East Ramapo, it's only 41%. One community, breathing the same air, and while economic and political power concentrates to some, the COVID virus flows freely to all.

 

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