Letter to NY State Senators Urging Their Support for State Action in East Ramapo Central School District

The Commissioner of Education, the Board of Regents, public school parents and leading civil liberties and civic organizations, including the NYCLU, support the introduction and passage of a bill to provide the necessary oversight and local revenue needed to sustain equitable public education in the East Ramapo Central School District. A version of this bill was introduced in 2024 as A.10407-A. This year’s bill, with minor modifications, is expected to be introduced soon in both houses. We urge members to sign on as co-sponsors and for both houses to enact the bill this session.

In recent years, increased oversight by the State Education Department has resulted in important strides for the district. It is essential that this oversight be protected and expanded. This legislation extends Commissioner Betty Rosa’s authority to select a superintendent if the board’s selection is unqualified or unfit, while also establishing firm good government measures to protect state expenditures, raise local revenue, and deliver a sound basic education to East Ramapo’s students. It does this by: (1) creating a fiscal control board, as has been implemented alongside multiple local governments around the state (New York City, Buffalo, Nassau County, Erie County and others), (2) providing a multi-year means to raise local revenues and issue the bonds necessary to repair and improve all school buildings, and (3) requiring measurable educational improvements.