[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6085346,"mediaKeyId","2903847-8f20967f22737a5550434f5ee6720c8f","parentId",2903847,"title","Students and parents complain about school meals; district hires food consultant and plans cafeteria repurposing","audioSeconds",209,"startMs",1575000,"endMs",1784000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2903847-8f20967f22737a5550434f5ee6720c8f&start=1575&end=1784","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2903847-8f20967f22737a5550434f5ee6720c8f/thumbnail_1575000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6085346/New-York/Students-and-parents-complain-about-school-meals-district-hires-food-consultant-and-plans-cafeteria-repurposing","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6085346-59ef3a9bcbf68aec590fcccc4506cf47/orig.mp4?Expires=1771156505&Signature=keGjY36OdhpjnK~jNKzFfH9f3QbmStb-3cTJZSEmeDz6PlcmwMImQDaOcgXAlwc5XYoWXHK79wKZm0Wv~bbwtKaufX3o6qcjTJNRymPgLqo5bqrKtOF8VPlp6DyLhVk8mKz5mUkd8HvHMgWXBjHgC0daEM2EC2CrTUEEGPIz8DUhFct1stcjKSJw2ssRJlrb2haDajEoVgJz9Ej4~16BEm-FPGOEblreZprNbobCPHYMdaYRKKYSOfWiqgddhevxyDZHX0vQFewIKLKZZHTKr8VeO75zgkCpTRaozQ2AzhMVBIN3-v2WdSztHz8~ZTC1GPpm4GztDszFVu7gNq6DtQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-03-25T12:38:18Z","article","During public comment at the April 8 East Ramapo board meeting, several speakers complained about the quality and safety of school meals, with a 12-year-old student describing repeated experiences of being hungry or becoming ill after lunch.

The district's superintendent, DiCarlo, responded directly during the meeting: the administration said it will hire a food consultant who will work with Assistant Superintendent Stark and the student body to review menus and service. DiCarlo said he will ensure the consultant meets with students who raised concerns so they can give direct feedback on what to change.

DiCarlo also said the district plans to \"repurpose\" both high school cafeterias next school year to make the spaces more user-friendly, and that some operational changes are already planned. He asked that students who spoke meet with the consultant to provide specifics.

Speakers in the public comment period also raised other school-life issues including field trips and concerns about personnel investigations. The superintendent and board said specific procedural or personnel questions would be handled by appropriate offices; for food-related concerns the district committed to the consultant review and to share outcomes with the community.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","ERCSD - BOE Meeting 04-08-25","oneSentenceSummary","Multiple public commenters, including students, said cafeteria food is unpalatable and causes stomach problems. Superintendent DiCarlo said the district will hire a food consultant, involve student voices, and repurpose high school cafeterias for next year to improve meals and dining areas.","taxTitle","East Ramapo Central School District (Spring Valley), School Districts, New York","taxId",14412,"location","New York","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6085350,"Board clears consent and action items; approves project change orders and facilities purchases",253,3156000,3409000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2903847-8f20967f22737a5550434f5ee6720c8f&start=3156&end=3409","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2903847-8f20967f22737a5550434f5ee6720c8f/thumbnail_3156000.jpg","/articles/6085350/New-York/Board-clears-consent-and-action-items-approves-project-change-orders-and-facilities-purchases","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6085350-58f2970aab145605870ee99e2bb4b0aa/orig.mp4?Expires=1771156505&Signature=lo96nHWPP0Ys29-pv8EGUJxaOHDBeC6q~lX4XYFZs3ODGwHSFZtCteoGMSNck8urx0SMhpzZkg8CE1VXJ4gCtvLumbvBE5jXfuIXcJqHh0aeXjjfjqQIoG8S8NoQO7vIrYYr-Y9scvvIDVCCRgt4kJh8r0aJG-FObCJMPQsr1syzuIpV19dWuvo8ypS399NdSCwWpSiNEhXbi8xFs9sSYT-FfkQChzjLu3wJqKe4y~0h9i7XMxYb4dn613O4Lhn0zBbfV-pY0M8m2xBwFMfKGnJCOXxMSklTtfokb4LxB-6JyRfINtJ6VQbvNX7Aks29POMWVgDCvTHjVNs5pgMYvg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The East Ramapo Central School District Board approved routine consent agenda items 1–11 and action items 1–17 during its April 8 meeting, allowing the district to move forward with multiple facilities projects and purchases.

Board members approved consent agenda items as a package earlier in the meeting. During the action-items block trustees debated several facilities-related change orders and ARPA-funded purchases before voting to approve action items 1–17.

District staff said the change orders primarily complete previously authorized projects (for example, the installation of lead-free drinking fountains across buildings). Administration said all buildings now have newly installed, vandal-resistant stainless-steel drinking fountains (87 units) and that a small number of legacy coolers remain in non-public or staff areas. Purchase orders for a secondary cafeteria refresh will proceed once formal procurement documents are issued; the cafeteria work is primarily a cosmetic \"facelift\" of decals, paint and furniture rather than structural renovation.

Other action items included approvals needed to close out construction projects where final billing required board sign-off; staff explained that final change-order billing follows review by construction managers and architects and is part of closeout retainage and final pay applications.

Board members asked whether these change orders and ARPA-funded items are tied to the ESSER late-liquidation reimbursements; administration clarified the change orders voted on were separate from the late-liquidation ESSER reimbursement issue and are part of original project scopes with final bills being issued now.

Votes on these consent and action items were taken by roll call and passed prior to the board's later vote on the district budget.","At the April 8 meeting the East Ramapo board approved consent agenda items 1–11 and action items 1–17, including construction change orders, drinking-fountain installations and secondary cafeteria upgrades funded partly by ARPA and capital allocations.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6085354,"East Ramapo board adopts $348 million budget after weeks of dispute over prior year's levy",8033,2202000,10235000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2903847-8f20967f22737a5550434f5ee6720c8f&start=2202&end=10235","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2903847-8f20967f22737a5550434f5ee6720c8f/thumbnail_2202000.jpg","/articles/6085354/New-York/East-Ramapo-board-adopts-348-million-budget-after-weeks-of-dispute-over-prior-years-levy","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6085354-8b1104220db05a1ea8aea87f87c74f95/orig.mp4?Expires=1771142735&Signature=Zw4pYso~Hk-FPDZE4w18ygCNHaPpa-0kjN8-OT-ku4aryA8WeY1ileN8H4ncTAMzrraHlKdYE51ZrCTSfDVf5okAjVA-CkSZOnLx3fSIxyJnJQz9haZ5hfOETqrrJdOTwaHuaRyd8VcYJUhUzWeVsI-38oF2r1EmHqVLRjlTGa03rrSCjLql85sS1vMrAZfzUMnIpmhyGe7BL7AgDaslMTMrrLYp2ezwDtfdKYYvjx4R6MP-xb0f2ANxGdnRmgNzHAGYD105mN4nPW12pmws-ByJflEZnlkRfon2Qw62WsqOdAV3Mm~RQMj39s4iTNL70V19Yy5l7ZzujtO5Ybc7Mw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The East Ramapo Central School District Board of Education voted to adopt a $348 million spending plan for the 2025–26 school year on April 8, approving a proposed tax levy of roughly $162 million after extended public and board debate over a commissioner-added increase from last year.

Superintendent DiCarlo told the board the budget represents a “responsible budget,” prepared on a zero-based approach that reasks departments for needs rather than rolling prior allocations forward. He and Assistant Superintendent Stark said the draft uses about $11.8 million of fund balance, includes roughly $5.5 million for capital work such as parking-lot repairs, and relies on an increase of about $16 million in state aid to avoid raising the levy.

The vote followed more than two hours of discussion in which several trustees, community members and the district’s fiscal monitor expressed competing concerns. Trustee Gruber and others said the public never approved an additional 4.38 percentage points that was added to the levy last year and urged lowering the levy now and using reserves instead. The district’s fiscal monitor, Manuel Farr, and another monitor argued a lower levy funded by increased use of reserves would raise long-term fiscal risk because federal and state aid levels are uncertain.

Board members repeatedly discussed legal and practical limits. Monitors referenced ongoing uncertainty over recent federal guidance affecting ESSER/late-liquidation reimbursements — the district reported roughly $23 million of completed ESSER-funded work for which about $9.6 million had been applied for reimbursement but is now exposed to federal change. Monitors said possible federal reductions mean reserves may be needed to weather funding changes.

Several trustees emphasized political and community anger over last year’s levy increase, which many residents said was imposed without voter approval. Some board members said they supported the programmatic investments in the superintendent’s budget yet wanted the levy returned to the level voters approved in the prior year. The board ultimately approved the budget as presented; the motion to adopt the budget passed on the roll call vote.

Fiscal monitors told the board they would forward their analysis and recommendation to the commissioner, as required under the monitor legislation. Board members were told the commissioner may respond before the district’s next meeting; the board also discussed a final opportunity to adjust the budget at the April 22 meeting if needed to meet legal advertising and ballot deadlines for the May 20 vote.

Board President Rose and Superintendent DiCarlo encouraged the community to review the district’s budget materials online, including detailed code-level documentation that the administration said will be published after board adoption. The district also noted the state comptroller conducted a non-audit review of the current-year budget process and issued findings about recordkeeping and documentation that the administration said it is addressing to improve transparency.

The budget adoption does not resolve the related legal and political questions about last year’s commissioner action; the board noted an appeal to the commissioner remained pending and that the district had not yet received a final decision.

The board set April 22 as the next regular meeting and April 23 as a special meeting; election and budget vote materials will be prepared for the public information packets ahead of the May 20 budget vote.","After hours of debate and legal uncertainty over an added levy approved administratively last year, the East Ramapo Central School District Board of Education voted to adopt a $348 million budget for 2025–26 with a $162 million tax levy; trustees and monitors warned about long-term reliance on reserves and federal funding uncertainties.","actionData","errors"]

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Students and parents complain about school meals; district hires food consultant and plans cafeteria repurposing

Board clears consent and action items; approves project change orders and facilities purchases

East Ramapo board adopts $348 million budget after weeks of dispute over prior year's levy