Wednesday, December 02, 2009
E. Ramapo board meets to hire interim firm
The East Ramapo school district met Tuesday night to vote on hiring Kuntz, Spagnuolo and Murphy, a law firm based in Bedford Village, to counsel the district in the aftermath of the hiring of a controversial attorney.
All school board members but Mimi Calhoun voted to hire the law firm as advisers at a rate of $175 an hour at least through Wednesday night's meeting.
”We want to make a factual, law decision,“ board President Nathan Rothschild said.
”I feel like having the firm represent us through the process will keep this about the law,“ he said. ”There will be no gray area.“
The eight-minute meeting came after a nearly hourlong executive session that was closed to the roughly 350 people who showed up. The public will be able to address the board Wednesday night.
During its regularly scheduled meeting Nov. 18, the school board voted 5-3 to hire Albert D'Agostino, a lawyer embroiled in a controversy over more than a half-million dollars in state pension payments.
Although Rothschild asked for the meeting to be rescheduled because he couldn't be there, his request was denied, and Trustee Aron Wieder led the voting process.
Excerpts of the debate over D'Agostino's hiring were uploaded to YouTube after the meeting.
On Monday, Steven White of Spring Valley filed a petition to the state commissioner of education requesting the reversal of the decision to hire D'Agostino.
The tension on the school board is rooted in the varied cultural and religious communities that make up East Ramapo.
The five-member bloc that voted in favor of the hiring represent the Orthodox and Hasidic Jewish communities, most of whom send their children to yeshivas, or private religious schools.
”I think the five board members are trying to fend us off for another day,“ said Mariel Pina, who graduated from Ramapo High School in 2003. ”We are all outraged, but hopefully they will make a change.“
http://www.lohud.com/article/2009912020366
All school board members but Mimi Calhoun voted to hire the law firm as advisers at a rate of $175 an hour at least through Wednesday night's meeting.
”We want to make a factual, law decision,“ board President Nathan Rothschild said.
”I feel like having the firm represent us through the process will keep this about the law,“ he said. ”There will be no gray area.“
The eight-minute meeting came after a nearly hourlong executive session that was closed to the roughly 350 people who showed up. The public will be able to address the board Wednesday night.
During its regularly scheduled meeting Nov. 18, the school board voted 5-3 to hire Albert D'Agostino, a lawyer embroiled in a controversy over more than a half-million dollars in state pension payments.
Although Rothschild asked for the meeting to be rescheduled because he couldn't be there, his request was denied, and Trustee Aron Wieder led the voting process.
Excerpts of the debate over D'Agostino's hiring were uploaded to YouTube after the meeting.
On Monday, Steven White of Spring Valley filed a petition to the state commissioner of education requesting the reversal of the decision to hire D'Agostino.
The tension on the school board is rooted in the varied cultural and religious communities that make up East Ramapo.
The five-member bloc that voted in favor of the hiring represent the Orthodox and Hasidic Jewish communities, most of whom send their children to yeshivas, or private religious schools.
”I think the five board members are trying to fend us off for another day,“ said Mariel Pina, who graduated from Ramapo High School in 2003. ”We are all outraged, but hopefully they will make a change.“
http://www.lohud.com/article/2009912020366
Comments:
Post a Comment
