Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick Statement on Governor Cuomo Signing East Ramapo Monitor Bill

New City, NY - On Tuesday night, June 29, Governor Cuomo signed Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick’s bill S.6052B into law, which gives the state-appointed monitors in the East Ramapo Central School District true oversight authority over decisions of the board of education. Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick has released the following statement:

Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick, (D-Rockland/Westchester), said: “This is a milestone for the kids and families of East Ramapo, who have been deprived for too long of the high quality public education that they deserve. Going forward, the state-appointed monitors will have the power to overrule or veto decisions of the school board that violate state laws or regulations or fail to follow the district's fiscal and academic improvement plan.

Thank you to the countless community members who have been fighting for justice for East Ramapo for so many years, particularly the Spring Valley NAACP Branch, and thanks to Assemblyman Kenneth P. Zebrowski for advancing the bill in the Assembly and being a leader in this fight for years.

Many challenges in the district remain to be solved, including long term funding issues for East Ramapo, and I'm committed to working collaboratively with all groups in the district moving forward to create a fair and sustainable process for everyone. For now though, let's celebrate the years-long culmination of a successful battle for educational equity and justice!”