Leaders urge lawmakers to approve school monitor bill
As the East Ramapo school monitor bill makes its way through the state Legislature, religious and community leaders gathered outside the West Side Jewish Center in Manhattan to urge state lawmakers to
News 12 Staff
•
Jun 5, 2015, 1:40 AM
•
Updated 3,248 days ago
Share:
As the East Ramapo school monitor bill makes its way through the state Legislature, religious and community leaders gathered outside the West Side Jewish Center in Manhattan to urge state lawmakers to approve the bill.
The plan would bring in a state-appointed monitor with veto power over the East Ramapo School Board.
Central to the debate is charges of anti-Semitism. The East Ramapo School Board is controlled by members of the Orthodox Jewish community, and some residents have complained of mismanagement and favoritism of Orthodox religious schools.
Supporters see a monitor as a way to protect the children's educational interests.
The monitor proposal has won support of several top state officials. Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch co-authored an op-ed piece in the New York Times, calling for passage and denouncing claims the proposal is anti-Semitic.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he will also sign it.
School district officials declined News 12's request for an interview, but they have been lobbying in Albany to kill the bill.
The current legislative session ends June 17.
