Education chief: E. Ramapo plan coming soon
ALBANY – The state will soon reveal some actions it plans to take for the troubled East Ramapo school district, according to New York's new education commissioner.
Commissioner MaryEllen Elia said Monday the state Education Department is looking at ways it can help the Rockland County district, which has been at the center of increasing tension between a school board controlled by Orthodox Jewish communities and a student body that is largely black and Latino.
But just how much the state can do isn't entirely clear, particularly after the state Legislature couldn't reach an agreement on a bill last month that would have allowed the Education Department to grant oversight of the district to an independent monitor.
"I have had the opportunity to speak to a couple of legislators specifically about this issue who believe that we in fact have more control and more ability to go in and intercede," Elia said at a Board of Regents committee meeting Monday. "I believe that we can do some things, but the actions that would probably be most successful are not under the purview of the commissioner or this board."
Elia said she anticipates the state will soon "establish some of the actions that we want to take for this year."
The school district's issues were the topic of discussion during a portion of the Regents' P-12 Education Committee meeting Monday, where the education policy board discussed what state law will and will not allow them to do. The district has about 9,000 public-school students, and about 24,000 private-school students.
Some leaders want the state to play a greater role in the district, but critics have warned that the state shouldn't usurp the powers of the elected school board.
Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch told reporters she was "gratified" to read the school board will look to replace Superintendent Joel Klein, who has led the beleaguered district since 2011. The Journal News reported Sunday the East Ramapo board will "soon remove (Klein) from his post."
"I'm gratified to read that the board is thinking of an opening gambit, which is to start to think about asking the superintendent to retire," Tisch said. "I mean no disrespect to the superintendent, but he was becoming a lightning rod for a lot of complicated issues there. So we'll see."
In a statement to The Journal News, East Ramapo schools spokesman Darren Dopp noted Klein, 72, is in the last year of his contract. "As a result, the school board will soon develop plans for succession," Dopp said.
At the committee meeting Monday, state education officials offered an update on their oversight of the district, including the implementation of six recommendations from fiscal monitor Hank Greenberg last year.
One of those was granting additional state aid, and state officials said the district this year is receiving a 9 percent increase, or $5.8 million more.
The district is getting $6.1 million from a $2 billion pot for technology upgrades, but failed to use $3.5 million in so-called "spin up" aid — a one-time infusion of cash.
"Department staff will continue to monitor the district's budget," wrote Charles Szuberla, the department's assistant commissioner.
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Albany Bureau Chief Joseph Spector contributed to this report.