Journal News Endorses Steven White for
East Ramapo School Board


Steven White his wife Emilia and sons Eric and Anthony

May 14, 2008  With about a week to go before the election, the Journal News explained their decision to back Steven White for the school board. "White champions the district and believes that it can provide all children with a top-quality education. What a breath of fresh air." Further, they wrote, "White lauded the district's support for students with special needs and English language learners. 'The structure is there with the district to be the best,' White said in an Editorial Board interview. 'I would like to help the community and children bridge the gap that remains.'" You can read the entire editorial here.

We have followed Steve's efforts in Spring Valley for a number of years, including his efforts against the air and noise pollution of the trains on Maple Avenue and the spot downzoning at the other side of the village. We agree that Steve deserves the community's support this Tuesday, May 20.

Brief Bio and Steve's reasons for running

Steven White, a resident of Rockland County since 1969, attended East Ramapo Central School District schools from elementary school through high school. Steve holds an AAS in Food Service Administration, Dietetic Technology, and Nutrition Care from SUNY Rockland, and graduated Magna Cum Laude from SUNY Excelsior College in Albany, NY with a BS in Liberal Arts.

Steven White is currently employed as a Nutritionist with the Rockland County Health Department WIC program, providing counseling and assistance to low income families with small children.　

　Steven White has been an active member of the Spring Valley community, participating in many organizations such as: Haitian Flag Day/Parade of Unity, Spring Valley Concerned Citizens Coalition, Amnesty International, Rockland County Sheriff’s Crime Awareness Program Youth Court, and the Rockland Coalition for Peace and Justice, and is a volunteer with the PASS program in East Ramapo.

Steven White is a percussionist trained in Afro-Cuban and Afro-Haitian Drumming. As an RCC student, he led an ensemble called Afro-Jazz, that shared the stage with Dizzy Gillespie at Rockland Community College. He later joined New York’s premier Haitian Folkloric Dance and Drum group "La Troupe Makandal". He is fluent in Haitian Creole and competent in Spanish.

Steven White is married to Emilia White owner of Happy Kids Family Child Care. She is also active in the community, with the CSEA/VOICE day care providers union and a volunteer counselor with VCS in New City. Their oldest son, Eric, an East Ramapo graduate, attends SUNY Rockland and Anthony, their youngest is a student at Chestnut Ridge Middle School, and a trumpet player in the East Ramapo Marching Band.

Why am I running to be a school board trustee?

A school board trustee is an elected representative of the community to the school administration and the school system. A candidate for school board should be someone who understands the issues which confront families, the concerns and needs of the parents, and the benefits derived to society as a whole when children are nurtured, protected, and stimulated intellectually.

I present myself as a candidate who knows the East Ramapo school district inside and out, as a student, as a parent, and as a community activist and public school advocate. As a student in the district I benefited from the very fine honors programs offered to students who are able to do more advanced work. As a parent I have experienced the sense of partnership offered by the dedicated employees of the district in the education of my two sons.

Many of my friends and colleagues in the organizations I am active in are also involved and aware, whether as parents, educators, administrators or board members. Through my work as a nutritionist with the health department, I have seen every day the relationship between family dynamics, availability of quality education, and the development of young children. As a volunteer with the VCS PASS program, I work with students who have experienced some difficulty, and I learn from them.

All of these varied experiences have led me to form my own opinions about our school district and about education in general. I also have a network of very fine friends and supporters who believe in me and who believe they can express their wishes and concerns through me as a trustee of the school board.

VOTE TUESDAY, MAY 20TH, 2008