<$BlogRSDURL$>

Saturday, April 02, 2016

East Ramapo: Proposal fails to get into state budget 

Rockland lawmakers pushing for a bill to get revenue and oversight for the troubled East Ramapo school district said Friday that the measure failed to get into the state budget.

"You live to fight another day," said Assemblyman Ken Zebrowiski, D-New City, who was advocating for the measure along with Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee, D-Suffern, and state Sen. David Carlucci, D-New City.

Zebrowski said the lawmakers will try to get a standalone measure approved that would bring both money and oversight to East Ramapo.

"We are certainly disappointed," he said. "But we are hopeful that post-budget there is still an opportunity."

A compromise proposal would have provided the additional aid to the district, but would have given the state Education Department oversight on how $5 million is spent each year — as well as power over the district's overall budget, in conjunction with a state panel now working with the district on its management.

Zebrowski said lawmakers tried to get the proposal through but ran out of time.

The East Ramapo Board of Education was in favor of the compromise.

"We're thrilled that everyone was working together on a plan to help the district," the school board said in a statement. "It wasn't included in the final state budget, but we're hopeful that something can be worked out before the end of the legislative session. We're very appreciative of the efforts of the local delegation."

The fact that the public school advocates as well as the board, which is dominated by men who send their children to private yeshivas, came to an understanding is significant, said Oscar Cohen, who has long supported public school children.

“There was no friction so we see that as a step forward,” he said.

A joint statement from Zebrowski, Jaffee and Carlucci indicated that the lawmakers will keep working toward a legislative solution to the district's problems, which two reports have said stemmed from mismanagement and a lack of funding for students in public and private schools.

"We are as committed today as we ever been to solving the issues facing East Ramapo and look forward to working with everyone to accomplish that before session is over in June," they said. "We have worked hard to bring all parties together and we are closer to an agreement on a long-term plan for oversight and additional funding for the district then we have ever been."

Advocates for children attending public school in East Ramapo said they were disappointed but still hope some type of a solution can be achieved during the legislative session.

"It's not unexpected," said resident Antonio Luciano, a longtime critic of the school board. "We knew it was a hard push to get it into the budget either way."

Two reports by experts appointed by the state have recommended a monitor with the power to veto decisions made by the school board.

The Board of Education is dominated by Hasidic and Orthodox men who send their children to private schools. The reports confirmed the claims by public school advocates that the board has favored the needs of private school students over public school students.

The board has in the past been against a monitor, maintaining that members were elected by the voters of the district to represent them.

http://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/2016/04/01/east-ramapo-proposal-fails/82524024/

Comments: Post a Comment

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?

Google
Chaptzem! Blog

-