[poweroften] Final Edition: A Last Message and a New Beginning

Power of Ten Update
Final Edition: A Last Message and a New Beginning
1. The Last Message
2. How to Stay Involved
3. Important Event this Saturday

1) The Last Message

Thank you to all of the Power of Ten Readers. This will be the final edition of The Power of Ten Newsletter. The website  with a full archive of previous editions will still be available for a few weeks.

2) How to Stay Involved

The NYCLU has taken on the work of advocating for the children of East Ramapo in a BIG way. You can stay involved by going to: https://action.aclu.org/send-message/end-jim-crow-education-east-ramapo-schools to send a message to state decision makers and sign up to receive further messages from the NYCLU.

3) Important Event this Saturday

The NYCLU invites you a special event this Saturday, Feb 24:

We are coming together as a community to celebrate the children who attend the East Ramapo Public Schools AND to launch our 2024 strategy to IMPROVE the schools.

We will also welcome Chancellor Lester Young and Regent Fran Wills, who oversee all education policy in New York State. They want to hear directly from ERCSD parents about their children's experience.

WHEN: Saturday, February 24th
TIME: 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
WHERE: Salvation Army Community Center
179 North Main Street, Spring Valley, NY

Everyone is invited to share food, meet friends, make
new friends, help plan for better schools.

 

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[poweroften] Special Edition: Meet Regent Wills

Power of Ten Update
Special Edition: Meet Regent Wills

The NYCLU is hosting a public meeting with Dr. Frances Wills of the NYS Board of Regents.

The Board of Regents oversees all schools in the state. Dr. Wills represents the region that includes East Ramapo. 

She wants to hear from parents about the problems in East Ramapo and what the public school students need to succeed.

WHEN: Saturday, October 28th, 10:00 am – 11:30 am

WHERE: First Timothy Christian Church, 198 North Main Street, Spring Valley, New York

Interpretation will be available.

If you have a story to share about your child's experience in East Ramapo, please contact NYCLU at schools@nyclu.org in advance.

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[poweroften] Elections Tuesday; Upcoming Community Events; College Credit Opportunity

Power of Ten Update
In This Issue:
1. Primary Elections Tuesday June 27
2. Award Ceremony Honoring Doctors Susan and Edmund Gordon
3. College Credit Opportunity this Summer

1) Primary Elections Tuesday June 27

There are a number of primary elections in Rockland County this year. The full list is available from the the Rockland County BOE:

In Spring Valley, current school board member Sherry McGill is running for trustee. Ms. McGill has been representing public school parents on the school board capably since 2021.

In a story broken by the Jewish newspaper Shtetl, another local Jewish paper ran an ad claiming that Judge Chris Exias, a candidate for family court judge in Rockland County will assign custody of children in a divorce to the parent who is more observant of ultra-Orthodox practices. In recent years, the Rockland Family Court has become the de-facto enforcement arm of religious conformity. The freedom of conscience which many of us take for granted does not exist for those born into extremist sects where young mothers and fathers face a credible fear that their children will be taken away from them if they dissent from religious authority.

A representative of the Exias campaign categorically denies any connection to the ad, and informs Power of Ten that they were not aware of the ad, did not pay for the ad, and do not approve of the ad. They continue "On the Spring Valley bench, Chris has demonstrated that he is fair-minded, will treat each case with the necessary integrity and thoughtfulness it deserves and has an unwavering commitment to justice. Let there be no doubt- he WILL carry these characteristics with him to the Family Court bench!"

More info on Judge Exias can be found on his webpage: https://www.judgechrisexias.com/

2) Award Ceremony Honoring Doctors Susan and Edmund Gordon

Award Ceremony Honoring Doctors Susan and Edmund Gordon

Spring Valley, NY, - Finkelstein Memorial Library will recognize the remarkable contributions of Doctors Susan and Edmund Gordon at a special event hosted by the library and co-sponsored by The CEJJES Institute. 

The program will feature personal tributes, a video montage created by Equity by Design and dedicated by Dr. Gordon's mentees, a curated exhibit as well as musical performances. Awards and recognitions will be presented by community organizations including Finkelstein Memorial Library and Head Start of Rockland as well as the Rockland County Human Rights Commission, Rockland County Legislature and local elected officials.

DATE: Wednesday, June 28, 2023

TIME: 6:00 P.M.

LOCATION: Finkelstein Memorial Library Fielding Room (3rd Floor) 24 Chestnut Street, Spring Valley, NY 10977

3) College Credit Opportunity this Summer

Honoring African Cultural Continuity in Film is a free, 8-week course offered by Truth 2 Power and transcripted for credit by College Unbound. If a student completes the requirements of this course and receives a grade of C or better, the course can be transferred to Rockland Community College as a 3-credit, Cinema Film Studies (CFS) elective that can be used in most degrees. For more info or to register please contact Brooklyn.Demme@collegeunbound.edu

 

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[poweroften] You are invited to the Youth Led Community Forum on May 26

Power of Ten Update
In This Issue:
1. Youth Led Community Forum
2. Hiram Rivera for Library Board

1) May 26 Youth Led Community Forum

When: Friday, May 26, 2023 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM ET
Where: Louis Kurtz Civic Center, 9 N Main St, Spring Valley, NY 10977
AND on Zoom (link available when you register at: https://secure.everyaction.com/9jiB-7sCCEeOAiRRCRrszA2)

Spring Valley NAACP, Proyecto Faro, and the NYCLU invite all students, parents and supporters to join us in person or on Zoom for a youth-led community forum on Friday, May 26. This town hall will prioritize the voices and experiences of students in the East Ramapo Central School District and the impacts of systemic racism, educational inequity, and mismanagement. This is a hybrid event with options to join in-person or virtually on zoom, and there will be English/Spanish interpretation in person and on zoom. They will be providing pizza and refreshments.

2) Hiram Rivera for Library Board

The Finklestein Library is a major resource for our East Ramapo community. There will be an election for the library board of trustees on June 6, at the library. Everyone who is eligible to vote in East Ramapo is also eligible to vote in library elections.

Hiram Rivera is currently a trustee of the library. He has a long history of serving our community, as a past president of the "Padres Unidos" parent group and a member of the Concerned Citizens of East Ramapo team. He has a Master's degree in the Science of Administration from Audrey Cohen College. He is employed with the NYSDOH specializing in contracts, budgets and working with community based organizations.

Please make sure to vote for Hiram Rivera on Tuesday June 6, at the Finklestein Library.

All info is available at the library website: https://finkelsteinlibrary.org/

 

 

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[poweroften] 627 out of 635

Power of Ten Update
In This Issue:
1. 627 out of 635
2. NYCLU Community Organizing Town Hall

1) 627 out of 635

If the only source of information you had about East Ramapo was the district itself or its cheerleaders (sometimes called 'monitors') you might be pleased with all the wonderful progress being made. The truth is there are many exceptionally talented children in our schools, and all our families have hopes and dreams for a bright future for their children. We should celebrate the hard work of the children and the staff. We must also take a hard look at how successful the district is in achieving its main function which is that children should become proficient in the core subjects.

The NY State Education Department has released Regents results for the 21-22 school year, and the results for East Ramapo are shocking, if not unexpected. Of 635 districts, East Ramapo came in at 627. Only 55% of the students were rated as proficient. In contrast, no other Rockland district had less than 90% proficient.

2) Community Organizing Town Hall

Join us in person or on Zoom for a community teach-in event to discuss the crisis in the district and what we can do to push state leaders to save our schools. Hosted by the Spring Valley NAACP, Power of Ten, and the NYCLU.

Date: Thursday March 16th, 7-8:30pm

Location: Louis Kurtz Civic Center, 9 N Main St, Spring Valley and remotely on ZOOM. 

Please register below to attend the event. Please register to get the Zoom link to attend remotely.

Registration Link: https://secure.everyaction.com/rUmAOclzTkyfqyU-CwOsuA2

 

 

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[poweroften] Events This Week

Power of Ten Update
Events This Week:
1. Community Teach-In
2. Human Rights Breakfast

1) Community Teach-In

Hosted by the Spring Valley NAACP, Power of Ten, and the NYCLU

When: Friday, December 9,  6:30 - 8:00 PM.
Where: Martin Luther King Multi-Purpose Center, 110 Bethune Blvd, Spring Valley
RSVP: nyclu.org/EastRamapoTeachIn
Also available via ZOOM, please RSVP for the link

2) Human Rights Breakfast

Hosted by the Rockland County Commission on Human Rights

When: Friday, December 9, 2022, 9:30 AM - 12 Noon
Where: Rockland County Fire Training Center, 35 Firemen's Memorial Drive, Pomona, NY
Reservations are required by Tuesday Dec 6

 

 

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[poweroften] Special Edition: Yes, It's Corruption!

Power of Ten Update
Special Edition: Yes, It's Corruption!

Last Month, The NY Times published a bombshell investigative report on NY State's failure to protect every child's right to a quality education:

In Hasidic Enclaves, Failing Private Schools Flush With Public Money

As you can see from the title, the report detailed not only the failure of NY State to guarantee children's rights, but the success of religious corporations at gaining access to public money that was supposed to support education, without actually providing the education.

One reader of the NY Times article responded with his own personal testimony in an article for "Religious Dispatch" magazine: He writes: "...this story is really about corruption; it's about the city and state political figures and yeshiva deans who have duplicitously taken money from state coffers without abiding by state regulations, and the politicians who've looked the other way to insure a haredi voting bloc. As much as a Hasidic story, this is also a New York story of political malfeasance"

Then, it was revealed in another NY Times article that the U.S. attorney's office for the Eastern District of New York has uncovered massive fraud at a major NY yeshiva, resulting in an $8 million dollar settlement.

Now, The NY State Education Department has finalized its regulations regarding education in private schools, and has rebuffed NY City's attempt to turn a blind eye.

The process of trading away children's education and billions of taxpayer dollars behind closed doors, in the dark appears to be waning. What has changed? It is because once enough light was shed on what was happening, once enough people were aware, informed, and involved, the deals started to go sour. The hero in this story is YOU. All of the work done by activists and organizations has no force unless someone is listening! 

But recently, some politicians are openly endorsing turning a blind eye to educational neglect. Lee Zeldin, running for Governor, tweeted that he "strongly" opposes substantial equivalency for yeshivas. Mike Lawler, running for Congress and Bill Weber, for State Senate have also made statements opposing the NYSED regulations. Why are politicians now openly promoting what was once kept in the smoke filled back rooms? It is exactly because efforts to shed light on the covert deals are having an effect!

You can continue to be a part of this positive change by rebuffing the politicians who oppose education on Election Day. You can continue to be a hero for education by telling everyone you know that our society depends on every child receiving the quality education that is their civil and human right. Almost everyone agrees with these principles, and they are included in the NY State Constitution, and yet many children still suffer from educational neglect. Why? Yes, it is Corruption! 

 

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