More than 1,300 city teachers and parents lobby for education funding in Albany
Mar 13, 2008 3:43 PM
This 3-minute video created by the Bronx UFT Office documents the highlights of Lobby
Day 2008.
More than 1,300 teachers, parents and education advocates traveled by bus from New York City to Albany on March 11 to lobby state legislators to provide the promised increases in state operational aid and building aid for New York City public schools.
The UFT is a founding member of the Keep the Promises Coalition, which was formed in February in response to $700 million in immediate and proposed city and state education budget cuts. The coalition is seeking full funding of promised state operational and building aid; and is fighting against more than half a billion dollars in proposed New York City cuts to education.
The buses left from central locations from all five boroughs of the city at 6:30 a.m. and arrived at about 10 a.m. at the Armory in Albany where UFT President Randi Weingarten, legislative leaders and other representatives of the coalition addressed the crowd of more than a thousand in a rousing rally before UFT members and parents left to meet with their local legislators.
Coalition organizers thanked Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver for the Assembly’s approval the previous week of a budget plan that keeps the three central promises: restoring state foundation aid, fully funding aid to build more schools, and requiring the city to restore proposed budget cuts of more than $500 million. The Assembly plan also calls for a modest, temporary tax surcharge on individuals earning more than $1 million annually. Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno promised the crowd that the State Senate, which has yet to formulate a budget plan, would propose a record-breaking statewide increase in education aid.
Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith committed to fully support aid increases and encouraged participants to get commitments in writing from legislators.
The Keep the Promises Coalition will continue to lobby state and city elected officials throughout their respective budget deliberations in the weeks ahead.
