Rockland County, NY – East Ramapo Superintendent Klein To Leave His Post At The End Of October

Rockland County, NY – After years of calls for his ouster, East Ramapo Superintendent Joel Klein announced his resignation to great applause on Wednesday night at a specially called Board of Education meeting. Klein’s resignation is effective October 31, Lohud.com reported (http://lohud.us/1G1527x).

His interim replacement, Dr. Deborah Wortham, also attended the meeting, and will serve in her new capacity until June 29 earning a pro-rated salary of about $260,000 a year, the same as Klein.  A former superintendent in the Roosevelt school district on Long Island, Wortham told the energized crowd, “I’m excited! All the way back in the room, are you excited? I’m excited by what we can do together.” In response to a shout-out from an audience member, Wortham asked the person if they would do a “happy dance” to express their enthusiasm.

Newly-appointed state monitor and former New York City Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott was also present at the meeting. He said Wortham was recommended by his three-person state monitoring team as one of the possible candidates to replace Klein.

Noting that Klein’s resignation was “not unexpected,” Board President Yehuda Weissmandl said the district had worked out a separation agreement with Klein, but failed to provide any details. “On behalf of the board and the entire staff of the district, I want to thank Dr. Klein for his dedicated service. He is truly an honorable man who did his best under difficult circumstances,” Weissmandl said.

He also indicated that there had already been marked changes in the district as of late, and promised more changes were in the offing. In recognizing Wortham, Weissmandl said she “specializes in complex educational challenges that we face in East Ramapo.”

“I am overjoyed Dr. Klein is gone,” said district parent Steve White. “He was incompetent. He was disrespectful. Our children deserve better. I’m very hopeful the new interim superintendent will be respectful of our various cultures and have a rapport with our community.”