[poweroften] Call to Action

Power of Ten Update

In This Issue:

1. Call to Action
2. Board Meeting Tomorrow
3. Candidate's Forum Thursday

1) Call to Action from Strong East Ramapo

-- If you think it's a problem that East Ramapo plans to switch people's polling places eight weeks before a critical election
-- If you think it's a problem that East Ramapo's plan does not involve addressing why certain poll sites (like the Kurtz Center in congested, parking-unfriendly downtown Spring Valley) are underused by voters
-- If you think it's a problem that the basis of East Ramapo's plan to improve district voting is to make it more convenient for Monsey and Kaser voters to vote by opening up polls at Bais Shifra Miriam (229 Maple) and Elmwood Elementary, around the corner from each other
-- If you think it's a problem that President Yehuda Weissmandl is saying that Dennis Walcott told the district to address the supposed "overcrowded" polling sites in Monsey, when Walcott's report in fact asks the district to "review underused polling sites and identify new sites for the 2016 election to ensure greater accessibility to voting locations," ironically under the section titled "rebuilding community trust"
-- If you think it's a problem that President Weissmandl wrote the NAACP that the "district is not aware of any difficulties encountered by voters in getting to the current polls...this was not noted in the monitors' report" when accessibility issues of underused polling sites was the whole point of Walcott's statement
-- If you think it's a problem that Weissmandl is citing Walcott as the source of this plan, but the district has failed to take Walcott's larger recommendation of appointing an independent election monitor

If any of these things bother you, please call the District Clerk at 845-577-6015 today, and ask her to leave a message with the board: the polling plan is pre-mature and should not move forward. You can also complete our petition here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSecNx6LFAa2PYwfosbPQGBNmoroRywPqmzlBWbE7gVwGMIUBQ/viewform

2) Board Meeting Tomorrow (Tuesday Feb 14)

Many people will be celebrating Valentine's Day, but some of us will ask for an excuse from holiday obligations to attend this meeting. If you go, please arrive early and fill in the card for public speaking. The meeting is at 7:30 at 105 S. Madison Ave.

We believe that the proposed plan will create confusion and does not make polling places more accessible as recommended by the state monitor. Your presence and comments do make a difference! If you are unable to come this Tuesday, there will be another opportunity on February 28. Please mark your calendar.

3) Candidate's Forum Thursday

Power of Ten will be helping to introduce those interested in running for school board to the community at a forum This Thursday February 16 at 7:00 PM at the Martin Luther King Center, 110 Bethune Blvd in Spring Valley. The purpose of the forum is to discuss the issues concerning the quality education in our district, and to give those who would like to run for school board in 2016 an opportunity to present themselves to the community.

RSVP to the event on Facebook

There are certainly many people in East Ramapo who are qualified to serve on the board.

The Center for Public Education says an effective school board member should:

• inspire parents and other stakeholders to have confidence in the local public schools
• enhance the mix of skills and backgrounds on the board and help represent the diversity of the community
• have the commitment to do what is right for all children, even in the face of opposition

Does this sound like someone you know? Or maybe you might be interested yourself?

Those interested in being a candidate should fill in this google form.

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[poweroften] Betrayal of Trust

Power of Ten Update

In this Issue:

1. Issues and Candidates Forum
2. Betrayal of Trust
3. Scholarship Opportunity

1) Issues and Candidates Forum

This is your opportunity to hear from the people who are interested in running for school board, and to discuss the issues that will affect our children and our community.  

Thursday February 16 at 7:00 PM at the Martin Luther King Center, 110 Bethune Blvd in Spring Valley.

2) Betrayal of Trust

"Most disturbing, Board appears to favor the interests of private schools over public schools." These are the words of Hank Greenberg in his report titled "East Ramapo: A School District in Crisis".

His recommendation for a monitor with veto power was never implemented. Instead, the state appointed another monitor who made recommendations. One of these was to address the trust issue related to the voting process.

The record shows that inconvenient polling places are directly correlated to reduced turnout. Monitor Walcott said the district should add more polling sites to increase participation. One small catch: those areas that lack polling places are in neighborhoods that support public education.

Would the board take the monitor's advice to "address significant trust issues"? Or would they continue to "favor the interests of private schools"?

The school board has turned the monitor's recommendation on its head. Instead of opening polling places more accessible to the public education supporters, they have proposed opening more locations in areas dominated by private school supporters. 

There are two upcoming school board meetings where you can express your opinion on this subject. They are February 14 (yes Valentine's Day!) and February 28. Please come out to one (or both) and express your opinion on the proposed polling place changes. School board meetings are held at 105 S. Madison Ave in Spring Valley, they generally start at 7:30 PM. Its usually smart to check the district website for changes.

3) Scholarship Opportunity

Green Meadow Waldorf School is offering a limited number of scholarships to local students entering Grades 9-12 in the 2017-18 school year. This is a great opportunity for students who otherwise could not afford to attend this local independent school.

You can learn more about Green Meadow at www.gmws.org. There will be Introductory Sessions on February 17, March 10, and April 21.

Please contact Melissa McDonagh, Admissions Director for Grades 1-12, with any questions or to apply. She can be reached at 845.356.2514 x302 or mmcdonagh@gmws.org.

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[poweroften] Call for Candidates

Power of Ten Update

Special Edition: Call for Candidates

The school board and budget vote will take place on May 16. Strong East Ramapo will be working hard to get the vote out to pass the budget. Power of Ten will work to identify and assist candidates for the school board positions.

There are certainly many people in East Ramapo who are qualified to serve on the board.

The Center for Public Education says an effective school board member should:

• inspire parents and other stakeholders to have confidence in the local public schools
• enhance the mix of skills and backgrounds on the board and help represent the diversity of the community
• have the commitment to do what is right for all children, even in the face of opposition

Does this sound like someone you know? Or maybe you might be interested yourself?

Those interested in being a candidate should fill in this google form.

Two upcoming events:

1) Strong East Ramapo will hold a Volunteer Kickoff event this Thursday, February 2, at Finkelstein Library at 7 p.m. They need YOUR HELP to get out the vote for this year's CRITICAL school budget vote on May 16. Please let them know you are going by RSVPing here: www.strongeastramapo.org/action

2) Power of Ten will be helping to introduce those interested in running for school board to the community at a forum on Thursday February 16 at 7:00 PM at the Martin Luther King Center, 110 Bethune Blvd in Spring Valley. The purpose of the forum is to discuss the issues concerning the quality education in our district, and to give those who would like to run for school board in 2016 an opportunity to present themselves to the community.

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[poweroften] A New Beginning?

Power of Ten Update

In This Issue:

1. Strong East Ramapo Volunteer Kickoff
2. 2017 Candidates Forum
3. Monitors Report - A New Beginning

1) Strong East Ramapo Volunteer Kickoff

Strong East Ramapo will hold a Volunteer Kickoff event this Thursday, February 2, at Finkelstein Library at 7 p.m.

They need YOUR HELP to get out the vote for this year's CRITICAL school budget vote on May 16.

Please let them know you are going by RSVPing here: www.strongeastramapo.org/action

2) 2017 Candidates Forum

What kind of person makes a good school board member?

The Center for Public Education says the person should:

• inspire parents and other stakeholders to have confidence in the local public schools
• enhance the mix of skills and backgrounds on the board and help represent the diversity of the community
• have the commitment to do what is right for all children, even in the face of opposition

Does this sound like someone you know? Or maybe you might be interested yourself?

Power of Ten will be helping to introduce those interested in running for school board to the community.

Those interested in being a candidate should fill in this google form. 

What: 2017 School Board Candidates Forum
Where: Martin Luther King Multi-Purpose Center, 110 Bethune Blvd, Spring Valley, NY 10977
When: Thursday February 16 at 7:00 PM

The purpose of the forum is to discuss the issues concerning the quality education in our district, and to give those who would like to run for school board in 2016 an opportunity to present themselves to the community.

3) Monitor's Report

The Monitors appointed by NY State have issued a report, titled "A New Beginning" 

The report includes progress which has been made as a result of state intervention, as well as continuing problems and concerns. The monitors recommend continued oversight by NY State.

I would like to thank every reader of Power of Ten for your continuing activism. It is only because YOU wrote a letter, or made a call, or got on that bus with Strong East Ramapo, or attended a school board meeting or community forum, that we have now turned a corner. There is still a lot of work to be done, but there are many hands and voices ready for action.

The work which is before us at this present time:

• Hold the superintendent accountable to present a budget that fully funds the educational needs of the students. According to the Monitor's Report "The district must increase local revenues faster than the tax cap allows if the district is going to restore programs that were cut over the last nine years." 
• Get out the vote to pass that budget
• Elect school board members who are committed to restoring East Ramapo as the best school district in Rockland County.

I know I can count on every one of you to get involved this year. I am looking forward to seeing you at the upcoming events.

Steven White, Editor of The Power of Ten

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[poweroften] Support Advocates For Justice

Power of Ten

Special Edition: Support Advocates For Justice

Advocates for Justice has acted for East Ramapo parents and taxpayers since 2012 in a constitutional claim against the school board.  The lawsuit challenged the board's use of public funds for private religious schools to the detriment of public school children. The case has involved many depositions, motions and appeals, and discovery of over 200,000 documents.  A4J won most key motions for the plaintiffs, 3 of which were appealed to the Federal Court of Appeals. The plaintiffs lost the last appeal in a split 2-1 decision by the court.  The majority ruled that the student plaintiffs did not have standing to bring the lawsuit against the school board because they did not suffer "direct injury" from the board's actions.  There was a strong dissent by the third judge on the panel. Constitutional scholars advised us not seek appeal to the US Supreme Court, because considering the current make-up of the Court, it might issue a decision creating a bad precedent.

The taxpayers still have standing to continue suing the school board, but  the decision has been made to resolve the lawsuit.  The litigation was intended as one piece, along with political advocacy, in an overall effort to achieve positive change in the district. There is still more to do, but much has been achieved:  removal of the superintendent, ending illegal payments to private religious schools, appointment of a monitor to oversee actions of the school board, securing office of civil rights resolution agreements, and ensuring district compliance with the federal and state education laws.

A4J is a non-profit, which represents working people pro bono, advocating for equal rights and social justice.  They rely on foundation grants and individual donations.  Although A4J has not charged legal fees, they have incurred significant expenses related to the East Ramapo lawsuit.  A4J needs donor support to help cover these costs. 

If you would like to make a contribution to A4J, you may give online at:
http://www.advocatesforjustice.net/east-ramapo.html

or by check to:

Advocates for Justice
225 Broadway, Ste. 1902
New York NY 10007
Attn:  Liz Turner

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[poweroften] Bond Vote: YES

Power of Ten Update

Special Edition: Bond Vote December 6

There will be a vote on December 6 to approve spending $60 million for renovations to school buildings and grounds. A YES Vote will benefit the children.

The NY State Education Department has responded to the NAACP request that they oversee the process. They say it is their "intent to provide the oversight and technical assistance to ensure the project is a success."

While it is reassuring to hear that NYSED intends to do its job, the NAACP letter also expressed concerns about a repeat of past abuses by the school board. 

What Abuses?

In recent years the school board has closed and sold two public schools (Hillcrest and Colton). They did this despite increasing enrollment and over the protests of educators and parents. At the time, one school board member said "buildings do not educate children." The buildings that they deemed excess and converted to yeshivas were the only two that were not on the state list of buildings in need of repair. 

Pressure to convert public schools to yeshivas has not abated.

There is massive pressure from developers to create segregated neighborhoods that require infrastructure including non-public schools. According to the lawyer for one yeshiva, there is competition with residential builders for land, and "the pressure is intensified" when the East Ramapo school district hasn't "sold any of its sites as surplus." 

Why vote YES?

The children need well functioning buildings. Passing these resolutions will result in better school environments for our children.

Yes, the school board could turn around and try close a newly renovated building, and sell it to their friends for pennies on the dollar, but we cannot allow ourselves to descend into hopelessness and despair.

Public school advocates now include: Strong East Ramapo, Padres Unidos of East Ramapo, Rockland Clergy for Social Justice, We The People, The NAACP, Advocates for Justice, East Ramapo Underground, and more. Elected officials at the local, state and national level have become involved. The school board has earned national and even international notoriety for their callous treatment of children.

In short, now is not the time to give up hope!

ONE MORE THING:

Each year, when the school budget comes up, voters where the majority of students go to yeshivas vote NO for the public school budget. Will they vote YES for the renovations? Are they hoping these buildings will one day be converted to yeshivas, like Hillcrest and Colton? How can they vote down money for teachers, and allow it for buildings, while at the same time we are told "buildings do not educate children"?

Despite this apparent hypocrisy, we must offer ALL the voters a chance to support BOTH sound schools buildings AND the educational programming they need to complete their education and be college ready.

The next vote will be in May. Superintendent Wortham must offer a budget that is based on the students needs. Just as ALL the voters are expected to support building renovations, ALL the voters should be expected to support quality programming. That includes small class sizes, collaborative classes for special needs, business classes, vocational classes, advanced placement, as well as support staff such as social workers, guidance counselors, etc.

These are needed for our children. There is no such thing as someone else's children. They are all ours. They are our future. They are your legacy and mine, together. If there are some who don't see it, we still can't walk away from it. Thanks to all of the Power of Ten readers, I know there are many public education advocates working for justice in East Ramapo.

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[poweroften] Teachers ask for State Protection

Power of Ten Update

In This Issue:

1. Teachers ask for State Protection
2. Action Opportunity: Stop Town Tax Ripoff
3. NAACP: Conditional Support for School Bond

1) Teachers ask for State Protection

In a Community View in the Journal News, the president of the Rockland County Teachers Association calls on the state to change rules for funding private-school programs: State must prevent the 'next' East Ramapo

This is one of the the most important letters ever published on the subject. It is worth a subscription to the Journal News just to read this one letter!

The letter is on behalf of the Rockland BOCES Staff Association, the Clarkstown Teachers Association, the Nanuet Teachers Association, the Nyack Teachers Association, the North Rockland Teachers Association, the Education Association of South Orangetown, the Pearl River Teachers Association and the Ramapo Teachers Association.

2) Action Opportunity: Stop Town Tax Ripoff

In the last edition of The Power of Ten, I reported that the Town of Ramapo is charging East Ramapo an estimated $1.2 million per year for collecting taxes, a service that other towns provide for free.

The superintendent of Ramapo's other school district, Ramapo Central, has written a Community View in The Journal News asking readers to tell Cuomo to sign a bill that empowers school districts to collect their own property taxes. This bill has already been passed and is waiting for the governor's signature.

Action Opportunity: Please go to the following link: www.ramapocentral.net/district/advocacy which has been set up to assist the community in reaching out to the governor.

3) NAACP: Conditional Support for School Bond

Willie Trotman, the president of the Spring Valley NAACP, has written a letter to the Journal News giving conditional support for the upcoming bond vote. His support is conditional because the school board just sold two schools which had been renovated as public schools, and then opposed legislation which would prevent them from doing it again.

No one knows better than Mr. Trotman the terrible impact that dilapidated schools are having on our youth. He is asking the state in this letter to guarantee that they will prevent our public education system from again being the victim of real estate speculators.

The East Ramapo school board is a pariah, a rogue board which has abandoned its mission. They cannot complete the function of "trustees" if they cannot be "trusted". They haven't admitted wrongdoing and they haven't changed their ways. They will have to be watched every second until an alternative governance system is implemented.

The school board could have guaranteed a pass for the bond vote, and extra state aid just by allowing more state oversight. The state could have passed the oversight over the objections of the board.

So the first two "NO" votes for the bond are really coming from the school board and NY State.

The NAACP deserves credit for putting the kids first. They are saying "YES" even if it is conditional. Right now they are down 2-1, but the state could still step up and provide the oversight Mr. Trotman is asking for. That second "YES" from NY could be the deciding factor.

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