Why Are They Lying About the 1997 Fill for Fields Deal?

We have again confirmed with former superintendent Frank Ehrhart that in 1997 the board considered what he called "a similar deal".

In 1997 the Westcheter County Health Department advised the precautions and procedures that would be required to enter into a fill for fields deal. The board knew in 1997, three of the same board members were on the board in 2002. They knew and they allowed an illegal landfill to be created anyway. Now the board president is lying into the camera and vice president sits in silence.

We urge all present board members to call Mr. Ehrhart. His story has not changed, he has not equivicated or obfuscated. The evidence is right there in the report prepared by Gannet Fleming for the "Town Meeting". There was a similar proposal in 1997. The board was fully aware and turned it down. Gannet Fleming saw 1997 documents that led them to put the similar deal reference in their report. We have foiled for the documents and as usual are being stretched to the legal limit before we can get the information. Seems the only legal limits Valhalla recognizes are those that restrain information from getting to the public.

Who should be accountable?

The Gentlemen's Agreement

What is your view and your understanding of the gentlemen's agreement in the Valhalla School District? Is it meant to ensure equal or proportional representation among the three towns? Is it meant to limit the number of representatives from each of the towns? By law, any resident can from any town can run for any seat. Perhaps long ago it was a way for the founders of the district to get three different towns and three different interest groups to be comfortable with each other. Now, however, it serves only to perpetuate the election of special interest candidates, it is meant to personalize any campaign to be an attack on the incumbent. It is meant to discourage participation.

The Greenburgh section selects candidates that primarily run unopposed for two seats. There is only a choice of candidates if there is a problem with in the two groups that do the pre-election selection. Most years, the Parkway Homes Civic Assosiation and the Mayfair Knowlwood Civic Assosiation annoint one person to run unopposed. As a result those candidates never talk to residents of North White Plains or Valhalla, they never have to campaign. The areas along Virginia Road and in Valimar have no such representation or access to the annointing process. Even if you do live in Parkway Home or Mayfair Knollwood, you must wait until your incumbent steps down before running. Why can't you run for another seat? Well there is that Gentlement's Agreement after all.

Candidates from North White Plains have historically voted against the will and wishes of their own town. That is because they can easily be elected and relected by the special interests in the other two towns.

There have been elections with multiple candidates running for one seat while another runs unopposed taking the seat with less votes than the losers of the other race. Is this fair, equitable or democratic? Are we one district or a series of mini Balkan states?

New Softball Field in Wrong Place

As Valhalla's Fields are contaminated, and everyone is realizing that we have been lied to and continue to be lied to, it should not be lost that Valhalla has been cited by the NY state comptroller for violating the law by entering into a capital project (the fill for fields deal) with out voter approval, operating an illegal and we know now toxic dump with out state permit. That may sound strange, a school district needing a permit to operate a toxic dump but this is Valhalla and strange is commonplace. They were cited for illegally spending money on the fill for fields deal, illegally leasing the artifical turf, illegally purchasing the artifical turf when they realized they were illegally leasing it.

We also point out in the Valhalla Voice, the back stop for the new softball field sits in play in the baseball centerfield. When team benches, ondeck areas and fan bleachers are added, the softball field starts to extend toward the baseball shortstop. As a result, if every these fields are reopenend after we spend miilions to remedy the toxic mess (Eastchester will spend $2.5 million on one field alone) We will have to maintain four fields to play two games as two games can not be played simultaneously on the $2.5 million fields (plus what ever has been spent to date)

Too bad these issues continue to cost the taxpayers to correct the mistakes of an incompetent administration.

Well the fields are contaminated, with carcinogens. The DEP has taken over control of the Fields, the What Me Worry superintendent is talking about the spring season being played on the contaminents and the parents are, as usual, silent. They will not even speak out to protect their children from these educrats. Congratualtion to the parents who are now speaking out.

The Contaminated Fill- Where is the outrage?

Here is some information on three of those carcinogens that are on the field:

They send home a notice if someone in your child's class is exposed to lice.
Here is just some of what our children played on last year. And what the children at the Kensico School are a few feet from every day, (copied from the New Jersey Department of Health Website) and brought to your children compliments of the Valhalla Board of Education:

Benzo(b)fluoranthene is a PROBABLE CARCINOGEN in humans. There may be no safe level of exposure to a carcinogen, so all contact should be reduced to the lowest possible level.
* The above exposure limits are for air levels only. When skin contact also occurs, you may be overexposed, even though air levels are less than the limits listed above.

Benz(a)Anthracene may be a CARCINOGEN in humans.
There may be no safe level of exposure to a carcinogen, so all contact should be reduced to the lowest possible level.
WAYS OF REDUCING EXPOSURE
* Enclose operations and use local exhaust ventilation at the site of chemical release. If local exhaust ventilation or enclosure is not used, respirators should be worn.
A regulated, marked area should be established where Benz(a)Anthracene is handled, used, or stored.
* Wear protective work clothing.
* When using small quantities of Benz(a)Anthracene use in
a glove box.
* Wash thoroughly immediately after exposure to Benz(a)
Anthracene and at the end of the workshift.
* Post hazard and warning information in the work area. In addition, as part of an ongoing education and training effort, communicate all information on the health and safety hazards of Benz(a)Anthracene to potentially exposed workers.
Chronic Health Effects
The following chronic (long-term) health effects can occur at some time after exposure to Benzo(a)pyrene and can last for months or years:
Cancer Hazard
* Benzo(a)pyrene is a PROBABLE CARCINOGEN in humans. There is some evidence that it causes skin, lung, and bladder cancer in humans and in animals.
* Benzo(a)pyrene has caused CANCER in the offspring of animals exposed to the substance during pregnancy.
* Many scientists believe there is no safe level of exposure to a carcinogen.
Reproductive Hazard
* Benzo(a)pyrene may damage the developing fetus.
* There is some evidence that Benzo(a)pyrene may affect sperm and testes (male reproductive glands).
* Benzo(a)pyrene may be transferred to nursing infants through the exposed mother's milk.
Other Long-Term Effects
* Repeated exposure to Benzo(a)pyrene can cause skin changes such as thickening, darkening, and pimples. Later skin changes include loss of color, reddish areas, thinning of the skin, and warts.

Chryzene
Acute Health Effects
The following acute (short-term) health effects may occur
immediately or shortly after exposure to Chrysene:
* If skin contaminated with Chrysene is exposed to sunlight, a rash or sunburn effect can occur, sometimes with blisters.
Chronic Health Effects
The following chronic (long-term) health effects can occur at some time after exposure to Chrysene and can last for months or years:
Cancer Hazard
* There is limited evidence that Chrysene causes cancer in animals. It may cause skin cancer.
* Many scientists believe there is no safe level of exposure to a carcinogen. Such substances may also have the potential for causing reproductive damage in humans.
Reproductive Hazard
* According to the information presently available to the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, Chrysene has not been tested for its ability to affect reproduction.

Other Long-Term Effects
* Permanent changes in skin pigment can occur if contaminated skin is exposed to sunlight.
Where is the outrage?

Now we know the board knew the fields were contaminated a year ago and made the children play on the contaminated fields. Is that criminal? Yes it is. Did the lawyers make them do it? Did they do it for the children? Are they respoinsible for exposing children to cancer causing elements? This illegal contaminated dump is on the edge of the Kensico watershed. They made a conscious decision to put children at risk and to hide this information. When we asked to see the results of the 2004 tests, the snoking gun letter proving that they were told that the fiels was with held. You can see the smoking gun link below.The Smoking gun they hid from our FOIL

Real Estate Amateur Hour

Here are the facts regarding the $1 a year Columbus Avenue Lease shown in the documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Law:

1. The Valhalla School district is leasing the entire Columbus Avenue School Property to Easter Seals of NY for $1 a year.

2. The $1 a year lease was prepared by a school attorney at the direction of Tom Kelly and Brian Wolfson, who offered it to Easter Seals five months before the school board voted to "enter in to negotiations" on leasing the school.

3. Dr. Kelly even applied, with his tenant, Easter Seals, to the New York State Office of Children and Family Services for a day care license before the board voted to enter into negotiations on a lease.

4. It is a ten year lease, with a ten year option. There is no provision increasing the $1 a year rent over twenty years

5. Valhalla pays for maintenance and utilities on the building. The $90,000 annual payment which the district claims as rent is a reimbursement for utilities, snow removal and maintenance that any other tenant would pay in addition to market rent and it is all that Easter Seals pays. The district also claims that Easter Seals was planning to renovate the playground for community use. Take a walk to the playground. The fence is in disrepair and coming apart. Sections of the top rail are disconnected and present a dangerous condition. Several of the swings are are broken and have not been replaced and a whole section of the old playground is mission. Easter Seals in in the third year of it's lease. It has cost the taxpayer over $1 million dollars to keep the school since it closed and Easter Seals can not even keep the swing set in tact.

6. The superintendent’s claim that Easter Seals paid $500,000 for "improvements" to Columbus Avenue, is completely undocumented. The lease requires Easter Seals to provide such documentation to the school district and the New York State office of Children and Family services must review and approve such improvements. Neither the district nor the Office of Children and Family services has any proposal, permit, invoice or correspondence evidencing any major capital improvements.

7. The school district has a continuing bond payment of $300,000 for work done on the Columbus Avenue School in 1991. The district pays $300,000 out of funds meant for children’s education to pay the bond so that Easter Seals can rent the building for $1.

8. According to the district's Voyages newsletter, only 24 Valhalla students use the after school program offered by Easter Seals exclusively for Valhalla residents.

9. To secure board approval of the $1 a year lease, school board members were told that if the district received market rent, the district would have to pay School, Town and County real estate taxes on the property. The truth is school districts are never subject to paying real estate taxes.

School Districts are government agencies organized to operate under the laws of the State of New York. Employees of the school district and even boards of education are not permitted to use tax dollars to subsidize privately run, un-mandated pre-school and after-school programs. By ignoring state law requiring districts to lease property belonging to the taxpayers at market rent, the board of education is effectively subsidizing Easter Seals, a Park Ave corporation, and its clients. Should school tax dollars subsidize similar programs at Holy Name of Jesus and the Methodist Church? After all, these benefit working mothers, too.

The resources of the school district must be directed to the education of the children of the district who are of age and only as prescribed by law. This matter has been brought to the attention of the New York State Comptroller's Department and after completion of their audit, the board should sell the property, applying all proceeds to outstanding debt of the district.

We continue to press the state comptrollers office to do a full audit on this district that has been illegally and fraudualently run since 1998. Please feel free to contact Jack Dougherty at the state comptroller's office and let him know you want an audit JDOUGHERTY@osc.state.ny.us

More Unethical Practices

Consistent with their unethical fiscal practices, the Valhalla School District has shown their partisanship in the area of information dissemination. Here are some examples:

1. The Valhalla School District, which is run totally by Superintendent Tom Kelly, refuses to make Board of Education meetings available for viewing on cable access. Even though the ability to broadcast is available by cablevision and requests to do so have been made at several board meetings, Tom Kelly still says no. This, of course, is to keep any resident who does not have children attending Valhalla schools in the dark.

2. The residents who do have children attending Valhalla schools are spoon fed only the information that would encourage parents to support Valhalla's upcoming budget. We may then refer to this as propaganda. Only improvements in student performance are stated in this propaganda and anything that reflects poorly on student performance is left out. The district has a new four page mailing called "Voyages" which displays the same kind of selective dissemination of information and it is at the taxpayers expense.

3. Last year, the Valhalla school District has been provided with a service by Verizon that enables them to call all parents simultaneously with a recorded message. This would be useful on snow days or if there is an emergency, but curiously it has not been used in that capacity. Instead the Valhalla School District used this service to remind parents to vote on the three consecutive days prior to the vote. Remember, only parents of children attending Valhalla schools were reminded to vote and no one else!

Drinking Drugs Weapons Harassment- "A Healthy Cross Section” of Valhalla Students

We are shocked to read the latest letter home to the Middle School High School parents telling of student fights, excessive drinking and drug use, unsupervised weekend events, weapons, and harassment among a “healthy cross section” of Valhalla students.

These incidents are somehow impacting on “our ability to remain focused on the business of educating our students”.

Focused? This is a district where unethical behavior and skirting the law are commonplace. A district where budgets are padded, where the superintendent and business manager negotiate $1 a year leases without board of education direction. Where buildings are leased to Park Avenue corporation at $1 a year in violation of the New York State Education Law. Where “off the books” deals are made to dump contaminated fill on school property with no records kept. Where an unneeded $300,000 artificial turf field is purchased through an equipment lease agreement to evade the legal requirement of a taxpayer referendum. This is a district that no longer has a track because we are waiting for a million dollars in foreign money from a pyramid scheme involving the cousin of the dirt broker who brought thousands of tons of untested landfill onto school property. No this can’t be happening in ethical Valhalla, where board members are so keenly focused on their, excuse me, “the” children.

Wake up parents, there are no grown ups home. Through a series of very bad decisions, the High School gym is at the 3rd graders school, the High School track is missing, the new baseball and softball fields are locked, contaminated and the state has come in and taken over the site. In the past two years the district has built and rebuilt and elaborate 500 foot decorative wall at the high school that is so unsafe it requires signs posted through out the grounds warning that anyone sitting on the wall will be removed by directive of the board of education. Meanwhile people attending games sit back into the woods on bleachers borrowed from the local little league. There is now an elaborate, unnecessary and dangerous playplaground at the high school involving rock climbing and high wire acts. Teacher training on the equipment is taking weeks, while uncertified substitutes fill-in in the classrooms. Did you know the pressure treated wood is contaminated with arsinec?

Whatever these student issues are they should be the focus of the administration and staff, not the dirt brokering, property management and circus ring leading that have taken so much time and money away from the children.