Budget Cuts Hurt Our Children's Education

A promise Kept, A promise Broken

A message on behalf of the United Federation of Teachers

 

A Promise Kept: Last year, the City and State of New York made a historic commitment to reverse years of shortchanging city schools. The governor and state Legislature, despite falling revenues and daunting budget deficits, kept that promise. In April, the governor and Legislature actually exceeded their commitment with an increase more than $600 million for New York City public schools.

A Promise Broken: The City of New York also promised our students additional funding. However, the mayor, while sitting on a multi-billion-dollar budget surplus, put forth a school budget for the 2008-09 school year that is $450 million less than what was promised.

A Promise Restored: Looming state aid reductions are no longer a valid excuse. We fought a 13-year legal battle for school funding that is sufficient to deliver a sound, basic education. Part of the purpose of that fight was to protect our students from the ups and downs of the economy. The mayor and City Council can protect the schoolchildren of New York City by making sure that every dime of city funding that the schools rightly expected for next school year is delivered – and goes directly for services to children. The city made promises that parents, teachers, principals and the community counted on and that the state took as a gesture of good faith in the Campaign for Fiscal Equity agreement. Now we ask the mayor and the Council to make sure those promises are kept.

Reverse the executive budgets proposed

$428 million education budget cut.

 

The Staff of P.S. 101 will be picketing on May 13^th on Queens Boulevard.

 

The following schools will also be picketing on that day;

JHS 157, 190, MS 217, PS 99, 101, 117, 139, 144, 174, 175, 196, 206, 220

We will be picketing at 3:30 and 4:30 following extended day and the after school program. We will be stationed on the corner of Queens Blvd by the 71st street station and the Midway Theatre.

 

PLEASE JOIN US ON THAT DAY!

WE WILL HAVE TO FACE AN 8% CUT IN SEPTEMBER IF WE ARE NOT PROACTIVE!

                                                              

On May 19th, we will have our school wide action.

We will all need to call 311 and flood them with calls telling the mayor to restore our budget. We will need to call the mayor at 1-800-961-6198 and our council member,

Melinda Katz, at 212-788-6981. There will be a district wide action on May 28^th when we will be picketing in the afternoon.

Every Wednesday we will wear RED to show our rage regarding these cuts!

Help us help your children!