Boro Park Assemblyman Dov Hikind, today, expressed his deep disappointment in his colleagues on the Assembly’s Education Committee for approving a proposed bill that will see the state put a controversial monitor over the East Ramapo School District.
While East Ramapo is in Upstate Rockland County, the issue around the school district is contentious in Brooklyn, and in particular between parts of the borough’s Ultra-Orthodox Jewish community and parts of the boroughs black community as reported previously on this website.
Assemblyman Walter Mosley was the only Brooklyn assemblyman on the Education Committee and he voted against the measure. He had previously co-sponsored the bill, but took his name off it because of what he called, “anti-Semitic overtones.”
“I’ve been involved with this issue and will continue to be involved. There’s too much of a one-sided story being told, including an Op Ed in today’s New York Times that ignores certain facts. Key among those facts is that every school board has a limited amount of money and non-mandated services, such as a music program, can’t take priority over necessities,” said Hikind.
“The East Ramapo Monitor Bill establishes a very dangerous precedent. A monitor who has the ability to overturn decisions made by a duly elected board is clearly unfair. If an appointed monitor can make decisions for the East Ramapo school district, then other appointed monitors can do the same in other districts. Where does it end? There will be no point in even electing a school board anymore—those elected members will become a board of advisors as the appointed monitor becomes the czar. We eliminate the democratic process,” he added.
The bill now moves to the Assembly’s Way and Means Committee. The Brooklyn lawmakers on that committee that are expected to weigh in on the issue are Bill Colton, Joseph Lentol, Nicole Malliotakis, Félix Ortiz, N. Nick Perry, and Helene Weinstein.
Should the Ways and Means Committee approve the measure it will go before the full assembly for a vote. It must then also pass the senate.
Gov. Cuomo reportedly backs the bill.
