The Only Non-Orthodox East Ramapo School Board Members Resign Over Alleged Haredi-Orthodox Harassment And Intimidation

Stephen Price and Suzanne Young-Mercer abruptly resigned from the nine-member board Tuesday because they said it had become “exceedingly difficult” to serve on the board due to a lack of information from the superintendent and continuous intimidation from haredi and Orthodox board members.

East Ramapo school board president Daniel Schwartz

The Only Non-Orthodox East Ramapo School Board Members Resign Over Alleged Haredi-Orthodox Harassment And Intimidation
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com

And then there were none.

The last two non-Orthodox or non-Jewish members of the East Ramapo school board have resigned, the Journal News reports.

Stephen Price and Suzanne Young-Mercer abruptly resigned from the nine-member board Tuesday because they said it had become “exceedingly difficult” to serve on the board due to a lack of information from the superintendent and continuous intimidation from haredi and Orthodox board members.

“This has become an intolerable situation and one that I can no longer abide,” Young-Mercer, who was elected to her second three-year term in 2010, wrote in her letter of resignation.

Price’s letter cited a “continuing pattern of harassment and intimidation” that made it almost impossible for him to do his job, also noting that he was denied access to district information, was “wrongfully accused of religious discrimination,” and was threatened with legal action by the board’s majority.

Price also wrote that he made numerous requests to Superintendent Joel Klein for financial data and other budget information but his requests were “ignored and the scant information that I did receive was generally incomplete or inaccurate. Consequently, without any reliable information, I felt that I had to abstain from voting on many financial and budget decisions that came before the board. For the same reasons, I do not feel that I will be able to participate in upcoming 2013-2014 budget discussions in any meaningful way.”

Young-Mercer recently discovered that decisions were made by Klein without her knowledge. She was “floored” when she found out that the district owed the Board of Cooperative Educational Services $5 million.

“I feel that these decisions jeopardized the educational progression of East Ramapo students as well and the students of neighboring Rockland County school districts. Consequently, I have concern that there may be other important decisions that are being made without my knowledge or input,” she wrote.

Young-Mercer and Price were the only trustees of the nine-member board who are not Orthodox or haredi. The seven-member Orthodox-haredi majority send their children to private Jewish schools.

A class-action lawsuit was recently filed against the seven Orthodox board members and school administrators, claiming they have misused public money and illegally funneled it to yeshivas.

The remaining board members can authorize a special election to be held within 90 days to fill the two empty seats or it can appoint people to fill the seats until the next election.

But if the board does not fill those seats within the 90-days, the BOCES superintendent can step in to fill the vacancies.

[Hat Tip: Devorah.]

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Comments

[Yochanan Lavie]

The nameplate should read "Daniel Schvantz".

[nachos]

When they come to beat us and kill us, nobody should wonder why.

[Yochanan Lavie]

Nice to hear from you, nachos.

It's a delicious irony that the East Ramapo superintendent has the same name as the former NYC school chancellor.

[anon]

Mission accomplished.
'yetzt lomir zich nemen tzee de 'mizimin'.
Now lets go for the money pot.
Don't forget the Raboonim's commission.

[S M L]

Until such time as a special prosecutor is appointed to look into this mess the people in NY state should expect more of the same from these Haredim - and they will have nothing to complain about till that happens, having done little (and nothing effectively) to put a stop to it. This is like something from out of Utah except that I don't think the LDS people there are arrogant and that aside, they're in the majority which puts a different spin on things. This district and a handful of others are aberrations; a relatively small ethnic group (relative to the state's overall population) which is in the majority in a small community and which is abusing the rights of non-members of that group and which seemingly the State has no effective way of dealing with. This calls for Federal action.

[Garnel Ironheart]

It's not that they're arrogant bastards. It's that they think it's their religious duty to be arrogant bastards and that the level of arrogance correlated to how frum you really are.

[A Yid]

I don't understand why does this upset you more than the tyranny of the majority that has robbed our community of the opportunity to have universal Jewish education that is essential component of freedom of religion guaranteed in the first amendment.
Study in parochial schools is not like smoking it shouldn't be subject to what is essentially double taxation. This issue should be resolved in New York state like it has been resolved in a number of other states and cities that have created school vouchers and tax credits programs to provide equal treatment under the law for people of all cultures and religions.
Stop living in the 19th century.

[S M L]

"...they think it's their religious duty to be arrogant bastards and that the level of arrogance correlated to how frum you really are....Posted by: Garnel Ironheart | January 24, 2013 at 11:00 AM...."

That's about right. Well put.

[Eli, what me messiah?]

smart move. the direction this board is heading, I'd be concerned about personal civil and criminal liability for eventually catching up with board members. any sane person would be wise to publicly disassociate from them.

[PearlodWisdom]

So...if there are 2 lawyers present during the executive sessions and they either witnessed or participated in the intimidation and threats of legal actions against the minority members...is that a breach of their officer of the court status? Is there any action that can be taken against them? The resignations of these two school board trustees is a great loss to the students. Now, who will advocate for them? The majority of the board are despicable. Thug tactics! Yes, what great examples they are for our students. Perhaps the board should take a course in bullying...I mean anti-bullying. It appears they are already experts in bullying. Is that what the Torah teaches?

[Luke]

What disingenuous, unethical and deceitful actions by the current Board. What an embarrassing representation to the greater community. May they fully get what they deserve. Sad. Luke.

[Scottie Boy]

Blah Blah Blah. While I don't doubt that the Orth school board members may be guilty of not playing nice in the sandbox, the reality is that the Gentiles brought this on themselves.

You read that right. With a minority population, they ran the school board for years as their own private fifedom, while forcing the Orth majority to pay ever increasing property taxes for a sub-par school system. Now the shoe is on the other foot. I guess they don't like the fit.

[Yochanan Lavie]

Apologies to: Ohio by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young:

Chorus:
Hassidim and henchmen coming,
We're finally on our own
The rabbis have done their dunning,
For shame in Ramapo.

Gotta get down to it
School board is dumbing us down
Should have been gone long ago.
What if you were a student
And found the schools are unsound
How can you learn what you don't know?

La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la.

Gotta get down to it
Frummies are selling us out
They want us gone long ago.
What if you ran schools
But couldn't make English sounds
How can you run what you don't know?

Repeat chorus.

For shame in Ramapo (2x)

[skepticfrum]

@ A Yid. Get a good constitutional law professor to explain you this. Nothing in the constitution prohibits religious education, but if you want one, the state is not allowed to subsidize it, YOU PAY FOR IT.

The funneling of public money to yeshivas is questionable and must be investigated, as well as all the apparent rampant corruption in this school board.

I am sure if the money would be going to private Arab schools you will be shouting out of your pants that it is illegal.

[Devorah]

"Good riddance!"

Posted by: Baruch

That's what Daniel Schwartz told all of us long-time residents of East Ramapo to do if we don't like the way he is running the board. Why should we be forced out of our beautiful homes with lovely properties because of his board's fraudulent devices?

[Luke]

Devorah:

I concur !

Luke.

[Rocky]

@Yid: The American system of separating church and state has been very good for the Jews, well most Jews anyway. Countries that have state religions have a history of mistreatment and discrimination when it comes to their Jews. In Ontario, Canada, the government funds Catholic schools through the end of high school but not Jewish or Muslim ones.

I think you would be very upset if you learned that public tax money in Dearborn, MI was going to buy Arab text books that were filled with anti-Jewish propaganda. Dearborn has a large Muslim population.

[99 percent]

The times are a changin and church state separation laws are falling all over the country. The majority of school age children in private schools deserve public money as much as their public school peers and this unique district is a good place to advocate for change. In the meantime, taxes in the lousy East Ramapo school district are too high and Schwartz position is not unlike that of Barack Obama, between a rock and a hard place trying to make the best out of a mess. Mercer Young is a loudmouth who had no problem supporting a lying, unqualified assistant superintendent because he wore his hair in dreadlocks. Believe me, there is no loss in her departure. East Ramapo parents have done nothing but whine and protest. There are no bake sales, no fund raising drives to support their pet projects. They have the option of trying to move to an area with better schools or moving their kids out. That is what I would do.

[Devorah]

"There are no bake sales, no fund raising drives to support their pet projects."

Pet projects like kindergarten, sports, music, art and security guards? You want the parents to bake cakes to provide resources that are stolen by the haredim? Should the cakes be parve?

[PearlodWisdom]

99...are you kidding? Suzanne was anything but a loudmouth. To the contrary, she was criticized for not speaking out. I have never heard her speak in much more than a whisper. I have never a assistant Superintendent with dreads...who was that? If you want to talk a out an u qualified person, you need look no further than Klein. He had never been a supt prior to ER. He had a few gigs as interim and not for long in any one pace. He was the only candidate that was considered.

75 percent of the current public school population are poor...do you really think that a bake sale is going to fix the 13 million dollar deficit that this board presided over?

[smile!]

The times are a changin and church state separation laws are falling all over the country.
99 percent - can you PLEASE give a few examples of what you are talking about? I certainly hope that is not true and you'd better too. Without church state separation, you might as well move to Europe. Jews have done really well there over the centuries. I know, it was great but your grandpaprents moved here for the better public school systems that didnt have compulsory Saturday education.

[Wigmore]

I don't understand why does this upset you more than the tyranny of the majority that has robbed our community of the opportunity to have universal Jewish education that is essential component of freedom of religion guaranteed in the first amendment.

Posted by: A Yid | January 24, 2013 at 11:11 AM

I guess this is the hasidic version of Constitutional Law. LOL.

[Rochel]

Is that all they know how to do - harass and intimidate people? And then cry religious discrimination or antisemitism? It really seems so. I guess these are the skills they are learning in those yeshivas that don't teach any secular subjects.

[Luke]

"Is that all they know how to do - harass and intimidate people? And then cry religious discrimination or antisemitism? It really seems so. I guess these are the skills they are learning in those yeshivas that don't teach any secular subjects.:

You nailed it Rochel ! Luke

[Pearl of Wisdom]

http://www.lohud.com/article/20130125/OPINION/301250023/Editorial-State-must-study-East-Ramapo-board-resignations

You know, they say that the Bullies are the ones who have an inferiority complex....could that be what is at work here? If so, I agree that the current Board of Bullies are inferior!

[david p.slater, esq.]

It truly is sad that the State of New York, permitted a religious group with a private self interest agenda to take over a public function in East Ramapo, Rockland County.

An obvious conflict of interest.

Watch out Clarkstown.