Pearls of Wisdom

In November 2012, Fort Lee has an election for new Board of Education members that will impact this community for years to come. So let’s pay attention to what has happened in other communities and learn from their mistakes. 

Rockland County, New York sets a prime example for what all Boards of Education should not be! In a NY Times article on Saturday, July 28, it was reported that there was a petition filed with the State Education Department seeking the removal of five current Board members. Why? Because these BOE members have a vested interest “to NOT serve the best interests of the community.”

The East Ramapo Central School District has a specific ethnic mix: 85% black or Hispanic; 7% white; 8% other ethnic groups. Yet seven out of nine BOE members are Orthodox Jews. The petition claims that the five Orthodox Jewish Board members have improperly aided private schools, specifically Orthodox yeshivas. This district is one of only three in the State of New York with more students enrolled in private schools than public schools, with 8,000 in public schools and 19,000 in private schools! The Orthodox Jews have utilized this anomaly and the fact that they have great success in getting their voters to the polls to control the BOE elections. 

The Orthodox Jewish families use the argument that since they pay taxes and are affected by school policies, particularly special education, they have the right to influence BOE policies. The Board of Education President, Daniel Schwartz, in response to the petition, stated that the lawsuit was initiated by a few chronic complainers, whose criticism of the current BOE members was offensive and Anti-Semitic. He cited Auschwitz and Treblinka, two Nazi Concentration camps, to emphasize his point. 

It is impossible for an outsider, such as myself, to objectively comment on whether the Orthodox board members have made decisions in the best interests of the entire community or have usurped their authority to slant Board decisions to benefit the Orthodox community or to limit school district expenses in order to keep taxes down. But it is somewhat hard to swallow that the seven Orthodox BOE members are all totally altruistic in their decisions and that they truly have the best interests of the entire Caribbean and Latin American communities at heart. 

One quote from Dr. Schwartz seems to bolster my conclusions: “Get rid of graduations. It’s a superfluous expense.”

I wonder if he wants to eliminate the graduation ceremonies at all the yeshivas also. Perhaps someone should ask him.

What is even more disturbing is the speed in which Dr. Schwartz deflected the subject from BOE matters to Anti-Semitism. This is a wonderful debating tactic; when your argument is weak and difficult to believe, deflect the subject to something toxic and controversial for shock value, in this case the equivalent of “racism.”

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The nine-member Fort Lee BOE is in total disarray. The BOE President has just resigned for personal reasons. We have two lame duck Board members who are disheartened by the events of the past year and thus have chosen not to run for reelection. Some members lack a vested interest in making decisions in the best interests of Fort Lee children.  

We have two members, Helen Yoon and John Bang, whose attendance at meetings is so abysmal it may become necessary for them to wear ID badges so other Board members will recognize them. By my calculations, Helen Yoon has attended three out of the last eight meetings. And when you criticize Helen Yoon and/or John Bang, or their mentor, Andrew Kim, they retaliate with accusations of “racism.”  How convenient for them to try to escape their ineptitude and poor performance with deflections from the truth. 

In the November BOE elections in Fort Lee, it is important that we learn from Rockland County; let’s elect members of the BOE with our children’s best interests in their hearts. Let’s elect members with children in the system, with a vested interest in our schools. Let’s not make the same mistakes that we have made in the past. Please save the Fort Lee Schools with our votes. Our children deserve a quality education, ensuring a bright future. It is our responsibility to give it to them.