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East Ramapo Superintendent suggests firing teachers to pay $9 million legal bill

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Deborah Wortham and Yehuda Weissmandl Photo: Carucha L. Meuse/The Journal News

East Ramapo might have to fire dozens of teachers if the school district can’t find $9 million to pay the legal fees of NAACP attorneys for winning a voting rights challenge of the district in May, Superintendent Deborah Wortham said.

Wortham said “political, financial and practical” hurdles would need to be cleared to fund an award district attorneys say would be the largest ever in a voting rights case.

And if the money can’t be secured, Wortham said the district would be forced to consider cutting kindergarten, English, math and social studies teachers. [Read more…]

Nyack College property sold to Yeshiva of Viznitz for religious school

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“The Nyack College property will be bought by Yeshiva Viznitz for a religious school as the village awaits a summary of the Hasidic Jewish congregation’s plans for the property, Mayor Bonnie Christian said.

Christian confirmed the buyer’s identify during a Board of Trustees meeting Tuesday night. She said she had few details other than the buyer’s lawyer informed the village earlier this month. The closing is scheduled for early August. [Read more…]

State review of private school instruction to keep going

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“It looks like the state Education Department’s long-delayed review of academic requirements for private schools will extend into next year.

The state Board of Regents put proposed regulations on the back burner in February so that the Education Department could continue discussions with the private-school community on what became one of the most volatile education issues in New York.

On Monday, the Regents, having largely dropped the matter because of the coronavirus crisis, said it will revive its review by holding six regional meetings across the state. The department will engage leaders of religious and other private schools, as well as public school district leaders who would be required to enforce the regulations that are still under consideration. [Read more…]

East Ramapo superintendent hired by Long Island school district; budget revote up in air

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“East Ramapo schools Superintendent Deborah Wortham has announced that she will be leaving the district after being named superintendent of Roosevelt Union Free School District.

Wortham, who first became East Ramapo’s interim superintendent in 2015, had previously served as superintendent in the Long Island district from 2013 to 2015.

Her appointment was announced Tuesday night by Roosevelt. Around the same time, East Ramapo school district was holding its board meeting.

Wortham sent a letter of resignation to East Ramapo school board President Harry Grossman on Wednesday afternoon. [Read more…]

In the race to succeed Rep. Nita Lowey, Schleifer scores Hasidic bloc vote in Carlucci’s district

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Posted by Jacob Korbluh in the Jewish Insider June 22, 2020

“Former prosecutor Adam Schleifer, one of seven candidates vying to succeed Rep. Nita Lowey in New York’s 17th congressional district, nabbed the endorsement of a key voting bloc in Rockland County days before voters head to the polls in Tuesday’s Democratic primary.

Last week, Schleifer was endorsed by leaders of Kaser and New Square, two Hasidic enclaves in Rockland County, Jewish Insider has learned.

A campaign mailer obtained by JI touts Schleifer as the preferred candidate who is “endorsed by the rabbonim and community leaders.” [Read more…]

2020 Primary Election Endorsements

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Democratic and Republican Primaries–Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by Tuesday June 23. Polls will be open Tuesday June 23, 6am to 9pm.

There are some important races on the ballot for the June 23rd primary that we would like to call your attention to. Many of you may have absentee ballots sitting on the kitchen counter that have not been completed. Perhaps this will prompt to you fill them out and get them postmarked by the Tuesday June 23rd deadline.
New York State Senate 38th District
There are primaries for the 38th District of the NY State Senate on both the Democrat and Republican lines. The choices are straight forward in both contests.
Republican
For the Republican line Bill Weber’s extensive life experience, professional acumen, and community involvement makes him a far better candidate than his lone opponent. Vote for
Weber in box 3B on the ballot.
Democrat
There are three candidates vying for state senate for the Democratic nod.  It’s apparent to us that Justin Sweet has the support of the Bloc and will get their vote on Tuesday. The two remaining candidates are Elijah Reichlin-Melnick and Eudson Francios. Of those two we believe Melnick is the smart move because he has the best chance of winning without the Bloc vote and has shown a willingness to stand up to the Bloc when it comes to issues regarding the public schools. Vote for Elijah in box 10A on the ballot.”

17th Congressional District
There are primaries on both sides of the aisle as well for the 17th Congressional District which encompasses all of Rockland County and a large portion of Westchester.

Republican
On the Republican side Maureen McArdle-Schulman is the clear choice. Her opponent lacks the requisite work and life experience that Maureen holds in abundance. Vote for her in box 1B on the ballot.

Democrat
The Democratic side of the Congressional contest is a bit more complicated. There are 8 candidates on the primary ballot, but it seems that the race has come down to only 4. David Carlucci and Adam Schleifer are deep in throes of an existential political struggle to get the Bloc vote and seem willing to move heaven and earth to get it. Neither can win without it. Scratch them both off your list.
That leaves two others.
Evelyn Farkas from Westchester earns an honorable mention as she is ethical, tough, and well qualified. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have the mojo she needs to win this primary out right.
Mondaire Jones appears to be the strongest horse in the Democratic field. A product of the East Ramapo school system, it is hard to believe that Hassidic leaders would trust him to do their bidding in Congress. Unlike Farkas, however, Jones has a real shot of winning this one without the Bloc. Vote for Mondaire in box 2A on the ballot.

Absentee ballots must be postmarked by Tuesday June 23rd to be counted as valid.

Polls are open for in person voting on June 23rd from 6 am to 9 pm. However, be sure to check your polling location because many have been changed due to the pandemic. For a complete listing of polling locations follow this link: or go directly to the Board of Elections website here.

Thank you
Robert Rhodes
Chairman
Preserve Ramapo

East Ramapo votes no on school budget, the lone rejection in Lower Hudson Valley

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“East Ramapo voters rejected a $247 million school budget plan by a nearly 2-to-1 ratio, the school board announced late Thursday, the latest setback in a struggling district riven by race and the competing interests of public and private school parents.

The 6,917-to-3,850 vote represented the only budget rejection among 53 school districts in the Lower Hudson Valley counties of Rockland, Westchester and Putnam, and was one of 10 budget defeats among 658 school districts statewide.

The district will decide in the coming days whether to hold another budget vote or adopt a contingency budget, which would require freezing the district’s tax levy and cutting spending. [Read more…]

No school board election Tuesday for East Ramapo as appeals court rejects district bid–Mail in votes on Budget will count

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Though no school board election will take place, mail-in ballots on the budget will be counted

A federal appeals court has turned back East Ramapo’s attempt to hold school board elections on Tuesday under an at-large voting system, which a lower court said is unfair to black and Latino voters.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on Thursday rejected East Ramapo’s request to stay U.S. District Court Judge Cathy Seibel’s ruling in a voting rights case. The case was filed by the Spring Valley chapter of the NAACP.

The panel set Aug. 17 as the earliest date for when it could hear arguments in the district’s appeal of Seibel’s May 26 ruling. That means a special election to fill four open seats on the nine-member board would likely not happen until September at the earliest. [Read more…]

Judge rejects East Ramapo’s request to hold school board elections June 9

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Statue of blind justice“A federal judge on Monday rejected East Ramapo’s attempt to hold school board elections as planned June 9, saying the district’s time would be better spent creating a system that’s fair to black and Latino voters.

U.S. District Court Judge Cathy Seibel turned back East Ramapo’s effort to stay her ruling from May 25, which gave the district 30 days to create a ward or neighborhood-based voting system with four districts in which minorities make up the majority of registered voters. [Read more…]