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At A Local Level, Finger Pointing, Politics, and Concern For The Will Of Voters Trumps The Needs Of Minority Students In East Ramapo Central School District
According to the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), last year, the East Ramapo Central School District (ERCSD) added more than 1,000 students, nearly all of whom recently immigrated to the United States, to its public school rolls. The ERCSD has the highest proportion of both English Language Learners and homeless students of any district in the state. The district is the largest in Rockland County, serving more than 10,000 students. 96 percent of students attending public schools in the district are Black, Hispanic, or Asian and over 80 percent come from economically disadvantaged households. Estimates are that another 30,000 school-age children live in the district, but attend private schools, mostly yeshivas.
The ERCSD has been in an academic and fiscal crisis, underfunding its programs and deferring essential maintenance at school facilities for many years. Minority students have endured severely underfunded school programs, a lack of clean drinking water, very low graduation rates, and high drop-out rates. This summer, East Ramapo canceled all summer school programs to remediate hazardous asbestos uncovered in the buildings.
The NYCLU says the school board majority has largely represented the interests of white voters who send their children to private religious schools and who have refused to invest in public education or pay the taxes necessary to remediate the problems in the district.
In May, a proposed budget increase of nearly 2% was rejected by 56% of the less than 3,500 voters. In response and despite the severe educational and fiscal crises, the school board put forth a 1% tax increase on the second round, an amount that would not enable the district to complete vital building repairs or fund adequate bilingual education. That 1% increase passed with 53% of the 2,332 votes.
The NYCLU petitioned the State Education Commissioner for relief demanding the state use its authority to levy a new tax that would adequately address the needs of East Ramapo students. Commissioner Betty Rosa used her authority under state law to override the voters and imposed an additional 4.38% increase on the tax levy (on top of the 1% approved by voters) with the funds dedicated solely for use in the District’s public schools.
In the background of this fiscal fight, this November incumbent State Senator Bill Weber will face off against former State Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick for the State Senate seat in District 38 which includes the ERCSD and its voters.
Senator Bill Weber said Rosa’s decision goes completely against the will of the voters who approved a 1% tax increase. Weber characterized Rosa’s order as “vetoing the will of the voters, canceling their vote, and putting in her own tax levy.” He blames Democrats, calling them the “arsonists that started the fire.” Weber also sponsored a bill that would inject $20 million of state funding into the district to help it meet its payroll obligations.
Reichlin-Melnick expressed outrage over an unelected state official overruling voters and described Commissioner Rosa’s actions as an attack on democracy and a betrayal of fundamental democratic principles. He says the vital needs of the students “cannot be an excuse to subvert the democratic process and trample on the rights of taxpayers.”
According to Assemblyman Karl Brabenec, “Albany’s unilateral tax levy hike on East Ramapo residents is a blatant overreach that undermines local control. This unacceptable action will not be tolerated.”
How Does ERCSD Compare To Other Rockland School Districts
The Empire Center derived data from the New York State Education Department, and found the East Ramapo Central School District spent $30,730 per pupil, less than all of the other school districts in Rockland County.
And, according to data compiled through See-Through NY, the East Ramapo Central School District also had the lowest median teacher salary of all Rockland school districts. At the low end of teacher pay (bottom 5%), East Ramapo paid the least, but on the top (95th percentile) the pay was more or less on par with other Rockland School Districts.
Whether the additional levy imposed by Rosa sticks will likely be up to the courts, but for now, the NYCLU’s victory is being celebrated by East Ramapo parents and student advocates.
“This historic decision will transform the lives of East Ramapo public school students, who have been denied a sound, basic education for decades,” said Stefanie Coyle, Deputy Director of the Education Policy Center at the New York Civil Liberties Union. “By exercising her power to protect public school students, Commissioner Rosa is heeding the call of parents and advocates across the district: It’s time to put an end to 21st century Jim Crow education in Rockland County.”
To see how the ERCSD spent some of its ARPA money to make improvements with heating, filtered water, ventilation, access, building repairs, watch the short video below:
