Rockland County, NY – The always contentious school board election in Rockland County’s East Ramapo School District grows even more tumultuous as current Vice President Aron Wieder has announced that he will not seek re-election in this year’s school board race. Wieder has served on the board for three years and despite his many accomplishments has faced tremendous opposition from parents who feel that he is catering to the needs of private school children within the district.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
Serving a clientele that by and large sends their children to yeshivos, the East Ramapo school district faces unique challenges, with over 18,000 children enrolled in private school and only 8,000 students attending the county’s public schools.
Despite the board’s successes in more than tripling non mandated full day kindergarten, raising graduation rates within the district while keeping tax increases at record lows and making major strides benefitting special education for both public and private school students, segments of the public school community have targeted Wieder, complaining about public schools closures within East Ramapo and other decisions that they feel unfairly benefitted the private school community.
Wieder defended his record of advocating for all children within the district no matter what school they attend, citing not only pastors and numerous parents of public school children who have asked him to advocate for their children during his tenure on the board but also public school parents who were disappointed to hear that he would be stepping down.
“This election is not about me,” said Wieder in an interview with VIN News. “It is about the taxpayers and the special education parents and children in East Ramapo. There are those who have tried to make me the focus of this upcoming election but they are losing sight of the fact that, as always, the main focus of East Ramapo is about living together in harmony, wanting the best for each and every child, no matter what school they go to. If I have to step down in order for that to happen then so be it.”
New Hempstead lawyer Daniel Schwartz and Brenda Carole Anderson are running for Wieder’s soon to be vacated school board seat.
Mr. Wieder please don’t leave… Keep strong!
Vote for Schwartz. He is a Mentsch.
Aron did a great job! I am very disheartened to read that he is leaving his position. I am wondering what the true reason for his resignation is – since he announced it on Chol Hamoed. If there is anything that we – the community can do to get him back – we should. A small consolation for me is that the JournalN will have to get the story from VIN.
the public school crowd would never be satisfied with any accomplishments made by frum board members. when the non-frum were in charge, taxes went up and up and up every year choking homeowners. Of course, to pay for salaries, benefits, pensions and all the goodies the teachers get, but most of us don’t. If you are against the tax increases they say you are against education. That is just a cover because under the present system, E. Ramapo is one of the worst public school systems in the country and getting worse all the time though they always need to raise taxes, Of course, they have to pay for their exorbitant pensions and benefits and salalries.
A great advocate for our community
Had he actively LISTENED and thought for DAAS TORAH, this would not happen. This is a result of a young mind who thinks he knows better.
My friends VIN readers,
I’ll use this as a platform to vent my frustration.
I’m a 30 year old chasidish man married with 5 children. I’m a asken in monsey and heavily involved with Tsoirchai Tsiber from tsedukes to askunes.
At one point in the last few years I was approached by the Monsey rabunim to run to become a school board member. I’m B”H a very wealthy individual although running a low profile life so there is really nothing I wanted out of it. But if I can help, why not. So I thought…
While still considering to run or not I kept on being approached by our gedoilay yisroel for support on all their corruption projects which I will not specify but we all know them. I made my research and decided not to run. Because in our holy rockland county you can not be a Asken btsoirchai tsibur “beamuna” unless you are corrupted thru and thru.
This my friends was Mr. Weiders mistake he thought he can be a asken while being a straight forward honest person. Well, guess what! When he realized he has to give up one, he chose to keep his dignity and through the rebonim the seat in their faces.
Ben Tzion, you are a great man! We all know what you went thru. And we fully understand and support every move of yours.
Asken.
There are very few Monsey Jewish politicians that did not turn out with a corruption scandal. Think of all that crashed and burned with scandals. Karben, Gribtz, Adler, and now Rothschold crashed and burned on scandals. Only two did not. And they got out of politics. I wonder why???????
Now what do we do? Aron Is the ONLY one with guts to spend ALL our tax money wisely
This is so sad. We all know how corrupt ER school district is, and they have the full backing of a certain writer in the JN who loves to ‘expose’ frum yidden and cry poverty for the public schools. I am so sorry that we are losing yet another of the few advocates for our children. If the tables were turned and the public schools were the majority (as it was many years ago) you can BET the yeshiva kids would get absolutely zero. Here we bend over backwards to help the PS, give them much more than they woud ever do for us, and what do we get? Criticism! Would they help our kids, I wonder, if the reverse were true??No way!