Partisan sniping in Dist. 15 race

By Michael Orbach

Issue of May 8, 2009 / 14 Iyar 5769

As a rule of thumb, Lawrence school board elections are never pretty, at least not recently. They’re not even homely. And following the announcement that the Number Six school will close, the election scheduled for May 19 will be no different, if a meeting held last Tuesday in Inwood is any indicator.

The event dubbed a meet-the-candidate night was initially scheduled for the Five Towns Community Center, but the community center canceled the meeting when it was discovered that only two candidates, John Kinder and Barry Ringelheim, were invited.

“As a 501(c)(3) you can’t have partisan politics,” said Peter Visconti, Associate Director of the Five Towns Community Center. “What [the event] was supposed to be about, it wasn’t about.”

From now on the community center would only hold meetings that the center itself sponsors, he added. According to one of the rally organizers, the meeting was moved due to a “mix-up.”

Two seats will be up for grabs, with Barry Ringelheim of Atlantic Beach challenging incumbent Uri Kaufman. Ringelheim is best known as the author of incendiary comments at school board meetings. Abel

Feldhammer, an attorney in Cedarhurst, is officially running unopposed for the seat being vacated by board member Michael Hatten, but John Kinder, a resident of Inwood, is expected to run as a write-in candidate.

Expressing frustration as they walked to a nearby park, dozens of parents complained about the closure of the Number 6 school.

“It’s just unfortunate. Education shouldn’t be for the wealthy,” said Norma Gonzalez of Inwood. “If a child doesn’t grow up with a good education than they’re at a disadvantage. They’ll start doing drugs and robbing and that’ll affect everyone.”

“Where is the girl’s soccer team going to play?” asked a middle-aged woman who declined to be named. “Both my kids went to the after-school programs, where will that go?"

Responses ranged from valid concerns to blatant racism as one man said that there would be “blood on the streets” if the “Orthodox school board” remained in control and the Number Six school is sold.

“They're going to come after kids wearing yarmulkes,” he said.

The meeting was organized by Save Our Schools, a group that opposes the current school board and has been trying to drum up opposition to a plan to move the Bnot Shulamith school to Inwood. The school met with Hempstead zoning officials last week.

The decision to close the Number Six school was announced at a board meeting three weeks ago. The decision, according to school superintendent Dr. John T. Fitzsimons, was based on economic factors and a steadily decreasing enrollment in the district.

The decision has been criticized by parents since the Number Six school is the largest in the district, with the greatest number of amenities. The rationale for the closure was not discussed at the meeting which devolved into a shouting match with members of the audience directing anti-Semitic slurs at the board members.

Andrea Oberstein, whose children attend the Lawrence School district, expressed disgust about the meeting. School board members ignored the audience and text messaged during comments, she said, even when school children asked questions.

“It’s one thing to disregard adults,” Oberstein said. “It’s another to disregard a six-year old.”

As residents sat on the park benches and on the jungle gym, they discussed plans to gain votes — using Facebook, a voter registration drive in Inwood, even situating people next to voting booths.

Ringelheim refused to speak to The Jewish Star at the meeting since Jewish newspapers “don't print” his letters. During his speech he hinted at conspiracy theories as to why the board members chose the Number Six school, then added that he wanted to make “Lawrence a place where people want to move.”

Kinder said that he believes in openess between the board and the parents. “There should be a place where we, as parents, can voice our concerns.”

Kinder, who is African-American, stressed that race was not a factor and also publicly rebuked the audience that attended the last meeting.

“It got out of control,” he said.

Michael Hatten, the school board member who is not seeking reelection, was the only Orthodox Jewish person who participated in the session.

“I want a united community,” he explained. “The only thing I care about is getting a good educational experience for our students. I’d like to see us open a dialogue between the board and the community to try to work out the issues we face.”