East Ramapo board hears student complaints about conditions as auditors flag rising fund balance; board moving toward forensic audit

SPRING VALLEY, N.Y. — At a March 4 meeting of the East Ramapo Central School District Board of Education, students and residents pressed the board for improvements to school conditions and staffing while the district’s external auditor outlined why the district’s fund balance had grown in recent years. Board officials said they will solicit a forensic audit and continue budget hearings this month.

Public commenters, including multiple high‑school students, described classroom and building problems and asked the board to prioritize funding for teachers, English language supports and basic school supplies. “We are told to be patient about the process, but we have been patient enough,” one commenter told the board, describing cold classrooms, incomplete nurse’s offices and an estimated “over 80 vacant teaching positions” in the district.

The nut graf: The meeting combined the district’s academic presentation and a detailed fiscal review. Assistant superintendents presented student data and a $16.5 million instructional plan for next year aimed at literacy, multilingual supports and middle‑school and high‑school redesign. Separately, Thomas Smith, the district’s external auditor, and finance staff walked the board through how unfilled positions, one‑time federal COVID‑era funds and large increases in state aid affected the reported fund balance — prompting trustees to add a forensic audit to the agenda to get a deeper review.

The students’ case and the district response

Several students from Spring Valley High School and others urged the board to use the budget to fill vacancies, expand AP and honors offerings, improve athletic and custodial resources, and create local SAT/ACT test sites. Angel Eduardo Rojas, identified in public remarks as a ninth‑grader at Spring Valley High School,…