James Rose, the recently ousted treasurer of the East Ramapo school district, said that he’s fine with the Board of Education’s decision to replace him with long-time district critic Israel Bier.“There’s just always a lot to do,” said Rose, who remains the district’s business administrator. “I am only pleased to have someone else taking over a fraction of that workload.”The board’s abrupt appointment of Bier, a former school board member, on Wednesday stunned many who attended the meeting. Some criticized the board’s decision to pay $25,000 to Bier for duties that Rose had performed for no additional compensation.

Rose is paid about $124,000 a year. Reached Sunday night at his Scarsdale home, he said he felt the board’s decision to replace him was “nothing personal.”

“The board should have someone in whom they have confidence,” he said. “It’s obvious from the vote Wednesday that I’m not that person anymore, so it’s perfectly proper for the board to appoint someone in whom it does have confidence.”

Board member Richard Stone said last week that Bier had more “depth of knowledge” than Rose.

For more than a decade, Bier has been a vocal critic of rising school taxes. As an Orthodox Jew, he and others have often argued that it’s difficult for them to afford the yearly school tax increases along with their children’s yeshiva tuition. Members of the Orthodox Jewish community hold seven of the board’s nine seats.

Rose said that Bier “will represent the board’s interests and agenda and do that better than I could.”

Rose said he understood why some reacted strongly to the board’s decision.

“I think it was the sudden nature of the decision that certainly concerned people. I think they just have to get accustomed to the idea,” he said.

Vivian Corlett, a Spring Valley parent, said yesterday that the district should have advertised the treasurer’s position before filling it with Bier. “My personal opinion is that a lot of fishy stuff is going on in the district with the Board of Education behind closed doors,” she said.

Rose, a graduate of Yale University who holds master’s degrees from Pace and Columbia universities, joined the district as business administrator and treasurer in 1997.

In East Ramapo, the district treasurer is responsible for receiving tax revenue, state and federal aid, and other funds; spending and investing the district’s money; handling bond issues; working with auditors; and preparing a monthly report for the school board, among other duties, Rose said.

An official with the state Association of School Business Officials said last week that the posts of chief business official and treasurer were usually held by separate people.

Rose said that “it made sense” for him to serve as both, as business administrator was not the top business position in the district. That distinction in East Ramapo goes to the assistant superintendent of business, a position that has been vacant for years.

Bier, of Monsey, is expected to take over as treasurer on Saturday.

Rose described his successor as a man with good people skills and “unusual intellectual abilities.”

Rose added though that Bier had sued the district about five years ago over his property tax bill and said he worried that Bier could use his new position to launch new lawsuits against East Ramapo.

Bier could not be reached for comment yesterday. In an interview last week, he noted that his legal disputes with the district took place years ago and said that “we have to look at what’s happening now.”

“I’m ready to start and take a fresh look without any preconceptions and an open mind,” he said.