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Dear Editor;
Now that our children have returned to school from Spring Break, it is imperative that we turn our attention to working together diligently to stop the potentially devastating education budget cuts that lame-duck Mayor Michael Bloomberg has proposed in next years New York City budget.
Mayor Bloomberg has failed our children with his power grab for Mayoral control of the school system.
Parents and education advocates have been successful through lobbying, phone calls, letters and in unity with the "Keep the Promise" coalition to stop the funding cuts to education in the New York State budget and we must do the same in the New York City budget.
I strongly believe that we must keep the pressure on our City elected officials, especially the City Council, who must negotiate for the FULL restoration of education funding with the Mayor before they vote to approve the City budget by the mid-June deadline.
The worst case scenario is that up to 8% of their budgets will be cut, in addition to previously enacted cuts by our "education" Mayor.
Mayor Bloomberg has already cut education funding directly from our schools in the current 2007-08 fiscal year by 1.7% or $180 million and has proposed cutting an additional 8% or over $600 million in fiscal year 2008-09. This is a total cut of over three-quarters of a billion dollars in education funding
I feel that it is essential that we successfully lobby the City Council to reverse the Mayors cuts and restore all education funding for our children to successfully achieve their full career potentials.
Parent groups throughout the City are calling for a "Mobilization Week" (during the week of May 19 to May 23) to lobby elected officials. The Keep the Promise coalition is also planning additional advocacy activities to pressure the Mayor and City Council.
As one part of the “Mobilization Week,” all parent and advocacy groups (Parents Associations, President Councils, Teachers, etc) are asked to engage and lobby the members of the New York City Council who represent their respective school districts.
I would implore that all concerned parties participate in other activities, such as planned rallies and show their support by attending the overnight vigil at City Hall which is being organized to send a clear, strong message to Mayor Bloomberg and the City Council that funding cuts to education are totally unacceptable to the voters of this great City!
One budget cut I would propose is that the DOE reduce their over bloated press/public relations department (over 15 employees making over $150,000) which is used to spin the truth and convince the citizenry of New York City that the Mayor and the Chancellor are doing a great job when the all rational evidence points to a completely contrary view. The DOE public relations spin-meisters are only out numbered in City government by the Mayor’s Office itself.
The time for inaction and civility is over it’s important that all interested parties and individuals are fully engaged and that we make a concerted activity between now and when the City Council votes on the City budget in June so we can win restoration of the education budget for the future of our children and our City.
Sincerely,
David M. Quintana
Ozone Park
5 years ago
