School Cuts Hurt: A Recap • Citizen Action of New York

Last week, we held our statewide “School Cuts Hurt” week of action with the Alliance For Quality Education. In cities ranging from Buffalo to Massena, organizations, activists, unions, elected officials, and concerned citizens gathered to discuss the devastating impact that recent budget cuts have had on education, our students, and our communities.

Governor Cuomo has recently cut $1.3 billion dollars from New York schools. As a result, more than 10,000 educator jobs were eliminated from schools, along with cuts in arts, sports, music, Advanced Placement Classes, prekindergarten, and career and technology courses. He implemented these cuts while at the same time giving the wealthiest three percent of New Yorkers a roughly $4.5 billion dollar tax cut.

Students are not receiving the education they need in order to be adequaltely prepared for college and successful careers. Class sizes continue to grow, with some classes reaching up to forty students. Chemistry classes are no longer conducting labs and instead simply copying down notes. Instead of electives, some students have three study halls a day (where they simply sit in an empty classroom). Students are forced to pay for their own musical instruments and sports equipment (barring low-income students from participating). Cuomo’s 2% property tax cap is severely slowing recovery in school districts that have been ravaged by Hurricane Irene’s flooding. To quote Martin Messner, the president of Scoharie’s teachers union: “It is said that it takes ten years to recover from a flood. How long does it take to recover from a flood with a 2% tax cap?”

Below, you’ll find our press coverage from the events:

Long Island: