E. Ramapo chief Joel Klein resigns, effective Oct. 31

SPRING VALLEY East Ramapo School Superintendent Joel Klein has resigned.

The announcement drew strong applause and cheers Wednesday night from several dozen people attending a special Board of Education meeting.

East Ramapo:Parents react to superintendent change

Audience members had waited 70 minutes for board members to leave a closed-door session before board President Yehuda Weissmandl delivered the news that Klein's resignation would take effect on Halloween.

Moments later, Klein's successor, Deborah Wortham, made an energetic first appearance in the gymnasium of district headquarters on South Madison Avenue.

Wortham served most recently as superintendent in the Roosevelt school district on Long Island — a district that was under state control for a dozen years

Her interim appointment lasts until June 29.

When introduced by the school board, Wortham, who is African-American, grabbed the microphone and pumped up the cheering members of the audience, many of whom have been at odds with the school board and Klein for years.

"I'm excited!" Wortham shouted. "All the way back in the room, are you excited?"

She added to one person who gave her a shout out from the audience, "Can you do a happy dance?" she asked a person who gave her a shout-out from the audience.

"I'm excited by what we can do together," she added.

Wortham said she knows about the controversies and divisions within the financially troubled school district, where the school board is controlled by Orthodox Jews who send their children to private schools. There have been hundreds of layoffs of teachers, deans, support personnel and program cuts in the district. The population of about 8,000 students who attend public schools is predominantly non-white, and the district has a private school population topping 20,000.

Klein has survived countless political and legal storms since the school board hired him in 2011. He'd previously put together Clarkstown schools' special-education programs as an assistant superintendent there. One of East Ramapo's major programs is special education, especially within the religious private school community.

Klein antagonized parents with derogatory comments about Hispanics, waiting weeks to apologize. He had been the target of protests at each board meeting, as well as at his home.

Most recently, the district has been under the spotlight of former New York City Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott, who is part of a three-person state monitoring team sent to scrutinize East Ramapo's operations. A push to install a state watchdog who could veto board decisions was rejected by the state Legislature.

Walcott, who was at Wednesday's meeting, said Wortham was one of the candidates recommended by his team to replace Klein.

"We had a dialogue with the board and we had a very long, detailed discussion and we suggested her," he said.

Weissmandl said the district reached a separation agreement with Klein, approved unanimously by eight trustees, but did not give any details.

The board president issued a statement that said, in part, that there have been significant changes in the district in recent months, with more to come. He said Klein's departure was "not unexpected," noting his contract expired in 2016 and the board had recently begun searching for his replacement.

He said Wortham "specializes in complex educational challenges that we face in East Ramapo."

The board finalized an agreement with her Tuesday; she starts work Nov. 2. No details of that contract were released, other than a pro-rated salary of approximately $260,000 a year, the same salary as Klein.

"On behalf of the board and the entire staff of the district," Weissmandl said, "I want to thank Dr. Klein for this dedicated service. He is a truly honorable man who did his best under difficult circumstances."

Wortham worked as superintendent of the York city schools in Pennslyvania from to 2011 into 2013 before resigning with two board members. The school system faced a financial recovery plan.

She then went to the Roosevelt school district on Long Island, where she became the first locally-hired superintendent in 11 years. New York state had taken over the district in 2002 due to a high dropout rate, fiscal mismanagement, high teacher turnover and a failure to meet performance standards.

Schools Trustee Bernard Charles said Wortham's hiring "is a great day for East Ramapo."

District critic Steve White and other parents said they were thrilled by Klein's departure and hoping for a change at the hands of Wortham.

"I am overjoyed Dr. Klein is gone," he said. "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," White added.

Klein declined the option to seek another year in his contract, which was set to expire at the end of the school year. It included a $250,000 base annual salary and $35,000 in annuities. Klein also receives $85,000 in annual pension payments after retiring from Clarkstown.

Anthony Luciano, a district critic who videotapes and posts East Ramapo board meetings, said he hoped for better days for the children of the district. He took a pessimistic view that Wortham came from Roosevelt, however, which he said "was not a success in the state's eyes."

But, "Anyone is better than Klein," he said.

Martha Robles, who heads Catholic Charities in Rockland, told Wortham that she looked forward to discussing district issues. Robles' organization works with poor families.

"This is a move in the right direction," Robles said. "I am happy about this."

Twitter: @lohudlegal