Somers BOE President Still Supports "Regionalization" While All Surrounding Districts Have Opted Out

Recently, New York State Education Department ordered sweeping changes that challenge the rights of our local school boards. The potential changes were introduced by NYSED through emergency rule making and published in the New York State Registry on September 25, 2024. This so-called emergency rule making for the purpose of mandating the development and implementation of “Regionalization Plans” could have a very disturbing impact on local control in Westchester school districts.

As per information published in the Register, NYSED intended to – without any meaningful public comment period – immediately enact this broad and sweeping program which would fundamentally change resource allocation among our school districts. Essentially the $120,000,000 in tax dollars we spend for Somers Schools, could potentially go to students in other districts.

Long Island districts were the first to sound the alarm when NYSED's plan was initially force fed to our schools. Several districts served NYSED with lawsuits claiming that this sweeping initiative was an unlawful overreach.

“New York State really threw it at us,” Cheryl May, vice president of the Nassau County based Hewlett-Woodmere Board of Education said. The initiative was initially proposed as an emergency, May said, then she learned, in conversation with the schools attorneys, that it is an attempted measure to protect the general welfare of students. “So explain how that’s an emergency,” May said. “It’s really not.”

The Long Island lawsuits seemed to have had an impact, as State Ed Commisioner Betty A. Rosa scrambled to do damage control. Almost immediately, "Regionalization" became non-mandatory, giving districts an opportunity to opt out. She announced a series of local meetings to attempt to persuade districts, including one at WP Boces in Yorktown. The meetings were invite only, but our BOE President, Amanda Kandel, was in attendance at the Yorktown gathering.

Soon after this meeting, local districts like Yorktown, Mahopac, Carmel, Lakeland, and Chappaqua ALL announced that they would not be subjecting their districts to this mandate. ALL of these districts jumped at the opportunity and opted out of "Regionalization."

So, the question remains, why have Ms. Kandel and her neutered Board VP sidekick Chadwick Olsen refused to do the same for Somers Central District? As elected members, are they beholden to us as taxpayers, or are they beholden to New York State and administrators? Are they trying to send our tax dollars to other districts? It sure seems like it.

When May 20th rolls around this year, please make sure you put Somers first, and vote these radical liberal school board members out. Our budget is through the roof, and all of our standard test scores are down. On top of all that, Ms. Kandel and Mr. Olsen want to send our money to other districts, despite all of our neighbors opting out of this program.

It's time for a change. Vote no to NYS's wildly liberal agenda by voting no to Kandel and Olsen. See you at the polls!