|
|
PRESS: New York State Cuts to Education Hurts Long Island’s Children and Teachers
|
|
| Date Released: 11/25/2008 |
|
New York State Governor David Paterson and the state legislature have a daunting task to address when they reconvene in Albany today, Tuesday, November 18th. The state is facing an additional $2 billion dollar deficit as a result of the poor national economy, which is clearly in a recession. Previously, Governor Paterson and the legislature approved reductions in funding for New York’s public colleges. Now, the Governor seeks an additional $2 billion in reductions to offset projected shortfalls in revenue, the Governor is proposing to cut aid to K-12 education, which will severely impact the quality of education in many of Long Island’s school districts. He is also proposing additional cuts to SUNY and CUNY that will force tuition increases. Governor Paterson is proposing major cuts to what he has defined as affluent school districts. Many of these so called affluent districts are located in suburban areas such as Long Island, and some of these school districts are not really very affluent at all. At the same time, Paterson is proposing to lessen cuts to poorer school districts across the state, basically setting up a class struggle between what he perceives as the “haves and have nots.” Pitting school districts against one another is not the solution to New York State’s fiscal crisis. The Governor’s proposals to reduce aid to education will have a profound and long-lasting impact on the quality of education on Long Island. “The cuts that the Governor is proposing could result in loss of education jobs, increased class sizes, lost elective programs, and diminished resources that benefit our local communities, regardless of whether or not the district is considered poor or rich,” said Jeff Rozran of the Long Island Presidents Council, President of the Syosset Teachers’ Association. Members of The Long Island Presidents’ Council have been calling upon the legislature to oppose any further cuts to education and advocating that the state consider re-implementing a graduated income tax and pressing Congress for increased federal funding to support costs associated with mandated special education and the No Child Left Behind Act. “Long Island receives far less financial support from Albany than we contribute to the state budget, and cuts alone will not resolve the problem,” said Rozran. “The Governor was correct in going to Washington to request that the federal government consider aid for New York. Just by funding special education and No Child Left Behind at the levels promised when these bills were passed, the Federal Government could alleviate a significant portion of the problem.” The Council is calling upon the Long Island state legislative delegation to continue to reject the Governor’s plan to reduce aid to education, especially during these difficult fiscal times. The Long Island Presidents' Council is a consortium of Long Island public school teachers and support staff who are committed to public school education. The Council is committed to: informing the public about important educational issues; promoting the value and importance of public education; promoting the value, contributions and importance of public school teachers; informing the public about school budgets; and enabling local teacher unions to communicate more effectively. For more information on the Long Island President’s Council, log onto www.yourschools.org
|
|
| |
|
About Nightingale & Nightingale, Inc.
|
|
|
|
POST YOUR PRESS
|
Post your Press Releases and get more exposure to your business. Thousands of professionals
network and market their business online leveraging Social Media. Get Started Today.
|
|
