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Fact or Fiction:
The Truth behind the East Ramapo School District Lawyer Saga
If you are reading this article, you are probably a parent, employee, taxpayer or a concerned resident of the East Ramapo School District. If you are reading this article, you are probably surprised, mad, upset or simply curious about the heading of this article.
Know the facts. Do not rely on heresy or rumors that have run rampant in the area. YES, the East Ramapo School District has hired a new law firm, and NO, this is not a disaster. The facts below will clear any misconception you might have after reading many misleading articles or overhearing derogatory statements by people who claim to have your best interest in mind, but clearly have a different agenda. It is important to separate fact from fiction. It is important for you to understand this change in the district and to appreciate the benefits it might have for every resident. After you read the information provided, please join the school board meeting on December 2nd to verify the truth. You will not be disappointed.
Fact: East Ramapo School District has hired Minerva & D’Agostino, P.C. as the firm to represent them. This law firm comes with years of experience, representing various school districts in New York State.
Fiction: Minerva & D’Agostino only serves districts that have a predominant Orthodox Jewish community and private Jewish schools.
Fact: Minerva & D’Agostino has been representing the district of North Merric, a district that boasts a strong public school majority. At the present time North Merric does not have a single Orthodox Jew on its school board, and represents no yeshiva students at all. This same firm does represent the Lawrence school district, consisting of many Orthodox private schools. The East Ramapo School District has seen these diversified districts as a bonus for its needs. We are a diversified district, and only a law firm with experience of representing all types of districts will be an asset to East Ramapo. Legal costs will remain low because limited research will be necessary for Minerva & D”Agostino to represent the district here since they have the experience warrented.
Fiction: The new law firm is embroiled in a personal controversy with the New York comptroller over more than a half-million dollars in state pension payments.
Fact: The New York comptroller has a case against many attorneys representing various municipalities in the state. This is not a specific case against Minerva & D’Agostino, and thus far all court rulings have been in favor of the attorneys involved in the case. Despite these ongoing allegations, all Minerva & D’Agosino clients have retained and rehired the firm to represent them.
Fiction: Hiring the new firm was done behind closed doors, without the consent of all school board members, with a deliberate attempt to hide the agenda from the public.
Fact: The issue of changing the legal representation for the East Ramapo School District has been discussed for the last two years. At the most recent reorganization meeting in July 2009, the previous attorneys were rehired on a temporary basis. It was clear at the time that the school board was inquiring and researching about hiring a new firm to represent them. Legal representation for a school district is under the jurisdiction of the Board of Education. As such, it was up to the board members to make this decision. Some members devoted their time to this topic, while others chose to remain unaffiliated with the research. Minerva & D’Agostino, a reputable firm, was interviewed by the entire Board of Education, with the exception of Mr. Steve Price. Mr. Price was notified about the meeting but was absent from the initial interview. He was offered the opportunity to conduct a personal interview but refused that offer. All nine elected school board members were aware of all the goings-on in the procedure, with eight having personally attended the interview. No other candidates were suggested by any board members and no objections were raised about the interviewee. All board members received a hard copy of Minerva & D’Agosino’s proposal in advance of any decision. The proposal was finally put on the agenda at the school board meeting. At no time were any of the above proceedings withheld from any board member or the public.
Fiction: The agenda of hiring this new law firm was done late at night as to make it inconvenient for the public to attend.
Fact: Many school children wishing to speak to the school board were present at the board meeting. The school superintendent did not want those children waiting around while this issue was debated by the board, thus he requested that it wait till the end of the meeting. Everyone present was welcome to stay, but most parents left, indicating that hiring a law firm for the district is not something that requires their input. In addition, those that attend school board meetings regularly and are familiar with the procedures, know that these meeting can last long and many people remain despite late hours if the issues being discussed are relevant to them. It was obvious that the general public did not feel it was necessary to get involved in this decision.
Fiction: Hiring a new attorney is the newest development in the undercurrent tension between the public and private religious school communities in East Ramapo. Mr. Steven Fromson has been the school district attorney for 33 years and no change is necessary at this time.
Fact: This is not a personal vendetta against Mr. Fromson. He has been employed by the district for 33 years and has served them well. Nevertheless, changes have been necessary in areas of test scores, graduation rates, general education and special education, the time has come to move on. An attorney who has been on the board for thirty three years has developed strong relationships with many employees, making it very difficult and uncomfortable for changes to be made. A new attorney, who comes with no strings attached, can make unbiased decisions and can offer clear legal advise without the interference of personal feelings. Hiring a new lawyer is a common practice in all government fields. After elections for town supervisors, village mayors, and governors, a new administration, including a new attorney, is often hired. Thus, this procedure is common practice, without any hidden or biased agenda. In addition, after researching all districts in the state, including this county, it will probably be hard to find a single district that has held on to its attorney for so long; most districts have hired new firms to represent them numerous times over such a period of time. A school district must have a breath of fresh air. New representation means better representation. It means holding teachers and principals accountable for the education of our children; it means providing legal guidance for improving the education in our schools. Only those that oppose these improvements are fighting against this move. We need improvements in our educational system and only a change can accomplish this now.
Fiction: Hiring D’Agostino will cost the district $600,000 to $1.3 million over the school year, a far cry from the $350,000 that the previous attorney charged. This is an extra expense that the district cannot afford. D’Agostino will charge $250 an hour, a rate about twice that of former lawyer Fromson.
Fact: It is true that there is a possibility that this change might cost the district an additional $75,000 this year. But at the same time, there is an equal possibility that the district will actually save money with the newly hired firm. Until now, the district has been relying on two separate firms to represent them for all legal work. One was the general counsel and one was a counsel specifically designated for special education issues. The new firm will cover all legal issue that the district faces. The special counsel for special education has charged the district $200 an hour plus an additional $125 an hour for traveling fees. Mr. Fromson charged the district $120 an hour for his services. Yes, the new firm will charge for travel fees but the distance of travel will be a lot shorter than that of the previous special education counsel. D’Agostino will be charging for services strictly related to legal counsel. Mr. Fromson has been charging the district for the many hours that he sat at meetings that were probably unrelated to legal issues, thus charging for an astronomical amount of hours. Mr. Fromson has billed in the past school year an average of approx 7 hours a day – and is not counting any hours we paid for our special education counsel. And for the final separation between fact and fiction, while some would like to show you a youtube clip to create an image that this was the entire debate surrounding the hiring of the new attorney, the fact is that this was only a small part of an effort to filibuster this effort and the FACTS ultimately speak for themselves. This was a well debated issue that was ultimately passed by a majority of the board and it’s a shame that those who did not succeed in derailing this are continuing to hide behind fiction and lies. The entire propaganda against the hiring of Minerva & D’Agostino, a reputable law firm, is biased and unwarranted. The East Ramapo District board has a responsibility towards its constituency. They are required to make changes that will improve the education of the district they serve. This is a crucial change. This is a better change. This is a change that will save taxpayers money, without compromising any educational values. It is a change that is better for every parent, student and resident in its jurisdiction.
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