The controversy surrounding a decision by the East Ramapo School Board to hire a lawyer from Long Island at a considerably higher fee, especially after videos from the meeting surfaced on YouTube has many readers say it is an example of how the board and the community have become polarized between those who support public education and those who support private religious education. The discussion is also attracting the attention and comments of readers beyond the district.
Here are a few of the sentiments being express:
With all of the attorneys in North New Jersey and Rockland/Orange/Westchester counties, there wasn’t one firm that could offer comparable services? That the board remains largely composed of those who have no children or relatives of children in the actual public schools, begs the question of how this is not a conflict of interest.
It’s quite unfortunate that East Ramapo Central School District has come to this. … Narrowmindedness … has become the dictators of Rockland and in particular the ERCSD. … People are frustrated and disgusted not by belief but by behavior of the ultra-religious community that has begun to hold the district hostage.
What funding for the kids will be cut to pay for the legal services provided for four times the previous price?
Shame on these five board members, seems transparency has done you in. I hope the state comes in and investigates.
More than two centuries ago our founding fathers risked it all and some died for the right to vote. Today, the voters of East Ramapo are too lazy to get themselves to a polling place to vote. The voters deserve worse than what they are getting from those elected by the majority.
I’m at the point of not feeling sorry for people in Ramapo that aren’t part of the ‘bloc’ vote. They have an overwhelming majority, but don’t vote. It’s their own fault.
The maker of the video could not possibly edit in the non answers that were given. … Maybe people will wake up to what is going on in their own back yard.
Just viewed the YouTube video. It’s amazing that this type of taxpayer robbery is allowed to continue.
Going to this meeting is a waste of time. Voting is a waste of time since nobody in this town (other than ultra-orthodox) vote anyway. Your voices fall on deaf ears. Nobody cares. … It’s best to think positively, move on, and forget about it.
As long as we are still here, we had better fight. The fight is not always about your own kids, it is also about the kids who have no choice. … If our children are not worth fighting for, I don’t know what is worth fighting for.
How sad that you would rather give up than fight for your kids education and future.
There is no reason a county this small needs eight school districts. It’s that breakdown alone that made Rockland so vulnerable to being taken over by a bloc vote in the first place.
The time to send your message to the board was when the general elections came around.
2 Comments
To blame the people of East Ramapo for not voting is ridiculous. The schools here are over 60% black, and a lot of the parents are immigrants who primarily don’t speak or read English, and work all day and/or night to support their families. The voters aren’t lazy, some of them truly just don’t know what’s going on. I am African-American, I graduated from Ramapo High School in 2007, and I was one of about 10 African-Americans in my class with parents from this country. My father cares, he still cares even though all his children have graduated. There are plenty of us who care, but our voices are not heard and the Hasidic Jewish community is overwhelmingly large compared to us. They don’t care about us or the children at all. We must fight.
JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF OUT OF CONTROL SCHOOL BOARDS THEY BOW AT THE ALTAR OF THE SUPERINTENDENT, AND THE TAXPAYERS BE DAMMED. ALL IN THE NAME OF “THE CHILDREN” TRUTH BE TOLD, IT IS MORE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE TEACHERS UNION. TOP OF THE LIST OF THINGS THAT NEED TO BE CHANGED.