The Ramapo Central School District has a long, proud educational history that has provided a recognizably high quality education to students throughout the western communities of the Town of Ramapo. The 2013 school budget process brought together many voices, both for and against busting the state property cap to fund the district’s expansive personnel and programs. 

In the end, district residents voted 1,602-528 for the $128 million dollar budget, which had a tax levy of 1.99%. The budget included a number of program and staff cuts and the vote implied that district residents were in agreement with the Board of Education to hold the line on taxes while the district streamlined the system to meet budget demands. 

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in his recent 2014 State of the State address stressed that local municipality consolidation, including school districts, was a state priority. Gov. Cuomo said:

“Because while we are reducing taxes my friends we also have to tackle a major structural problem which is the proliferation and expense of local governments. The main tax burden in New York State is not the income tax, it is the property tax.” 

Dr. Douglas Adams, Superintendent of the Ramapo Central School District, has said that the district can no longer sustain the cost of operations as it currently stands — and that the current financial course of the district will lead to further staff reductions.

Many district residents had a loud response to NY Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s Ramapo Central audit report on said the district left $16 million on the table in excess funds in the district’s fund balance.

The last Board of Education meeting in 2013 was scheduled for the evening of December 17 at Suffern Middle School. But inclement weather created dangerous conditions on local roadways, preventing many residents from attending the meeting, which was set to address budget issues — as well as community concerns related to the district’s future.

Sloatsburg resident Phil Tisi, a former Ramapo Central staff member for 38 years, was one of those residents unable to attend the meeting and address the Board of Education. Tisi has served in a variety of capacities: teacher, Administrative Assistant to the Supervisor, summer school Principal, History Department chair. Following are the prepared remarks that Tisi planned to share with the board and the community at large.

Hold the State Accountable – Don’t Attack Each Other

Commentary by Phil Tisi — During my tenure in Ramapo Central, I was actively involved in State Aid Funding issues. In 1993, I was Coordinator of the Rockland County Save Our Schools Coalition, which successfully fought against then Governor Mario Cuomo’s proposed draconian School Aid Cuts…  I was the first teacher to ever be awarded the Rockland County School Board’s Association “Eddy Award” for my endeavors. I mention this to underscore the fact that our Coalition encompassed all Rockland school districts, all stakeholder groups, who spoke with one voice. In 1993, I made the following observation after a meeting with Governor Mario Cuomo: “Concerned taxpayer groups should be outraged about the State’s Unfair Shifting of the Tax Burden to the local level – Rockland County is a cash cow that State Politicians are milking dry. The Governor has not used the aid taken away from the so-called ‘rich districts’ like Ramapo Central to aid the so-called poor districts, he has used the extra revenue to reduce the enormous debt that our State is drowning in and avoid tax increases he will be blamed for.

Ladies and gentlemen, fifteen years later Governor David Paterson continued the practice of Burden Shifting through the passage of the Gap Elimination Adjustment Law in 2010. I commented as follows about the Gap Elimination Adjustment Law in a June 6, 2013 Community View in The Journal News, after a protest by an East Ramapo student:

“The Gap Elimination Adjustment Law has in effect shifted the responsibility of paying down the State debt from politicians to students.”

No End In Sight

Throughout Rockland County, local school boards have been tapping into their district fund balances and reserve funds, eliminating staff; reducing academic programs and extracurricular activities; reducing all non-mandated curricula; foregoing school repairs; etc. With no end in sight for the Gap Elimination Adjustment Law, schools will continue to pay the State’s ongoing deficit, until districts become insolvent.

Deliberately shifting the burden and acrimony of taxation from the state to the local level is a political strategy that is self-serving, unethical and immoral. While taxpayers at the local level battle each other over fiscal woes, the real culprits of the fiscal mess watch from the sidelines in Albany.

I sent copies of my Community View to all Rockland School Boards and Superintendents throughout the County for their reaction. I received only one response:

June 12, 2013

“We estimate that in East Ramapo we have lost $41,000,000. The total combined loss for this year and next will be about $19,000,000. I would support any measure to amend the law. Unfortunately, with the amount of funds involved, I do not believe it would be changed significantly.”

Best regards,

Joel Klein

Sadly, the Political Infighting in East Ramapo has clouded the Real Issue – the loss of 61 million dollars in promised School Aid in less than 5 years. But Civil War at the local level is exactly what State Lawmakers want to cloak their own expedient machinations… In politics, blaming the “other guy for raising taxes” has become standard operating procedure. The response to the plight of the East Ramapo students was predictable – let’s think about splitting the School District in half or giving them some Lottery monies – giving them the crumbs, or a State takeover; the State has already taken over the District.

On September 5, 2013 I wrote a Letter to the Editor in response Rockland Legislator now County Executive-Elect Ed Day’s Call For State Takeover of East Ramapo School District – “local officials continue to ignore that the State has in effect taken over all of the School Districts in Rockland County through the passage of the Gap Elimination Adjustment Law”.

How Ramapo Central reacts to this ongoing political manipulation is paramount in my mind.

Ramapo Central School District has always weathered difficult times with great success – we have enjoyed public support for almost ¾ of a century in good times and bad by all of our Stakeholder Groups, students, parents, employees, administration and Board Members being willing to communicate, collaborate and problem solve – with a backdrop of mutual respect and sacrifice. This has been the blueprint we have always followed.

• Letters such as the one sent by the Superintendent to Mr. Canty, speaking for the School Board, dated November 21, 2013 leads me to believe that the aforementioned elements no longer exist in Ramapo – in particular between labor and management.

I look forward to hearing from you soon – offering this belief – if the Superintendent and Mr. Canty were communicating on an ongoing basis, the letter never would have been written.

• To send a letter based on “unknown variables and sets of assumptions” is both reactionary and politically naïve – reflecting a serious breakdown in communication – between the School Board and its Employees.

• For those of us like myself who are attempting to get the G.E.A. Law rescinded, this type of public document sent by the School Board – which incites hostilities locally, threatens jobs and is calling for a “New Business Model” – plays right into the hands of the State leaders.  Ladies and gentlemen, if your “New Business Model” is based on reducing staff on an accelerated basis while maintaining large surpluses – this is certainly not a new approach – companies like Walmart has been doing this for years.  State Lawmakers welcome you by blaming public employees for all local problems, while they shove ongoing unfunded mandates, 2% tax caps and Gap Elimination Adjustment Laws down your throats.

In time of crisis throughout history, the difference between survival and extinction has always been “Leadership”.

1)  Threatening employees with accelerated job losses is not leadership. Mr. Long, as your former teacher you know how proud I am of your civic accomplishments – the Suffern Library is a masterpiece. Speaking frankly, if the Mayor of your Village wrote a letter to the P.B.A. demanding immediate contract negotiations and threatened accelerated job losses if this didn’t occur, you know what the response from your bargaining unit would be.

2)  Sending out missives based on “unknown variables and sets of assumptions” is not leadership.

3)  Escalating labor/management hostilities is not leadership.

4)  Immersing the School District in debates with the N.Y.S. Comptroller over fund balances is not leadership.

5)  Not communicating on an ongoing basis with the heads of major employee bargaining units is not leadership.

The Districts which expend time and energy fighting against political expedient State policies, collaborating on how best to deliver services, maintain programs, will safeguard my property values and survive this storm.

While School Boards who allow their districts to be engulfed in internal bickering, knee-jerk reactions to problems and finger-pointing will become mediocre overnight.  S.O.S. in Ramapo Central should not stand for “Save Our Selves” – from each other > as it has in some neighboring Districts.

Some Suggestions

• Form a Political Action Committee to hold State Lawmakers’ feet to the fire – RE:  Revoking Gap Elimination Adjustment Law
• Select a Community Member to replace Mr. Osborn who has formal financial expertise
• If a rift exists between labor and management leaders – intervene. School Boards have a tendency to “rubber stamp” policies of Superintendents they hire – can’t afford to do this NOW!  Superintendents Come and Go!!  The future of the School District is at stake…  You have a legal and moral responsibility to Lead and Maintain Unity in our School District; to do otherwise will result in our educational program being decimated and our property values.

PLEASE LEAD us down the path of unity and not disaster!

The next Ramapo Central School Board meeting will be held Tuesday, January 14, at Sloatsburg Elementary School, 11 Second Street, Sloatsburg, NY, at 7:30 p.m. For more information, contact Angela Corbo, 845-357-7783- (x. 11224).