NEW YORK, NY March 20, 2008 —Thousands of parents, educators and students gathered at City Hall yesterday to protest the current and proposed $729 million in school budget cuts. They, along with council members say they're going to fight it.
WNYC's Elaine Rivera reports.
The protesters rallied in a steady rain, as they clogged several blocks around City Hall.
They say the cuts will adversely affect much needed services in the public schools such as after-school, tutoring and training programs.
Brooklyn City Councilman Bill DeBlasio says the Bloomberg administration is taking back the hard-fought money that advocates won in last year's Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit. He says the mayor should be ready for a battle.
DEBLASIO: We're going to roll back these budget cuts. We already have 43 of the 51 members of the council already on a resolution calling for the mayor to rescind these cuts.
REPORTER: Department of Education officials say sparing schools would drastically hurt other city agencies that would further reduce city services.
For WNYC, I'm Elaine Rivera.
