Governor Andrew Cuomo in his 2012 State of the State Address said he would be taking on a second job this year, as “lobbyist for students”. But members of several local lobbying groups have taken offense to the governor’s “moonlighting”. They say the governor needs to put his money where his mouth is concerning funding education.

“We are offended by the governor giving himself the mantle of ‘student advocate’,” said Gerry Lotierz, retired school teacher and member of the Syracuse chapter of Citizen Action New York (CANY) and Alliance for Quality Education (AQE) during a recent lobby visits to State Assemblymen Sam Roberts’ and William Magnarelli’s offices.

“Money is an issue to education, despite what he thinks.”

CANY and AQE are non-profit organizations that lobby for a number of groups statewide, including students in public schools.

Lotierz accompanied Syracuse CANY and AQE chapter organizer, Tanika Jones-Cole and four other chapter members to the offices of State Assemblymen Sam Roberts and William Magnarelli to lobby for additional funding for public schools on Thursday, February 9, 2012, asserting that the governor’s executive budget is insufficient.

The group said the provisions for education in the 2012-2013 budget do not support Cuomo’s declaration during his 2012 State of the State Address in which he said, “I learned my most important lesson in my first year as governor in the area of public education.  I learned that everyone in public education has lobbyist.”

Then after naming several individual groups from superintendents to maintenance workers and bus drivers, saying that they each had their own lobbying group, he said the students were only group without a lobbyist.

“This year I will take on a second job – consider me the lobbyist for students.”

As his first action as lobbyist for the students Cuomo released his 2012-2013 Executive Budget on January 17, 2012.  It restores $805 million of the $1.3 billion in school funding he cut last year, proposes a cost savings initiative through a statewide school bus purchasing contract, and returns students opportunity to take the January Regents exams that were eliminated in 2011.

It also subtracts $250 million for competitive performance grants from the $805 million restoration. After subtracting $250 million for competitive performance grants from the $805 million restoration there is only $555 million left for the schools.

The NYS Board of Regents’ proposal prioritizes $720 million in school aid to average and high needs districts, but the Executive budget falls short by approximately $188 million.  It also does not increase Pre-Kindergarten funding by $53 million as proposed by the NYS Board of Regents. Instead it maintains funding at the 2011 level.

The group went to urge the assemblymen to make three specific demands of the governor:
1. An increase aid to schools that is more than the $805 million in current executive budget
2. The $250 million set aside as grant money be redirected to general support and foundation aid
3. Increase Pre-Kindergarten aid by $53 million as recommended by the NYS Board of Regents.

“Our city schools have been devastated enough by the governor’s budget cuts,” Lotierz told Roberts and 17th Ward Democratic Chair David Kirby, referring to last year’s $2.7 billion cut.

“The governor talks about being a student advocate,” he said.  “We are the real student advocates.”

“AQE is out there in from of the teachers and the parents.”

Talina Jones, a parent with a son at Salem-Hyde Elementary School told Roberts that her family moved to Syracuse from Brooklyn because Syracuse was known as a “beacon for children with disabilities.”

“My son’s speech therapist was let go due to budget cuts,” Jones told Roberts, who is also the parent of children in Syracuse City public schools.
 
“Tell the governor that you can talk about being a children’s advocate all day, but you must put your money where your mouth is!”

Jones-Cole, who has a daughter at Nottingham High School, expressed her dissatisfaction with the $250 million that the governor’s budget designates for competitive grants.

“We’re not going to receive any of these grants, the Superintendent made that point,”
Jones-Cole said.

“We can’t play games, making our children part of some type of lottery system.”

“We are asking the governor to put the $250 million in grants back into the main budget,” Kirby said.

“It is the governor’s budget,” said Roberts who noted that he is also a product of an SCSD education.

“Last year we were able to restore some money, but it was not enough,” he admitted.

“We are relying on you and your colleagues to push this in Albany and to make sure that our students will be successful citizens,” Barbara Matthews, who volunteers at Elmwood Elementary School told Roberts.

“In this area we’ve not had a champion [for education funding],” Jones said before asking, “Can we count on you to be a champion for this agenda if we need you?”

“I will be the strongest advocate for it,” Roberts said.  “I wish I could guarantee it, but I can’t.”

Magnarelli was not available when the group showed up for their scheduled meeting with him.  His staff said he was unexpectedly called away to handle an emergency.  In his absence the representatives of CANY and AQE met with Magnarelli’s chief of staff, Chris Slocum and legislative director, Craig Swiecki.

“My child should not have to compete for an education,” Jones-Cole told Magnarelli’s staff as the group immediately began discussing the issue of competitive grants.

“We want the money to be shared equally by all,” Lotierz said.  “It should not be something we have to compete for.”

“We don’t accept the argument that we all have to bear the burden.  We have born the burden long enough!”

“Students have been denied entrance into competitive schools because they did not have AP courses [which were cut because of the budget],” Lotierz said. “Our schools are bleeding.  It’s devastating!”

Jones pointed out that, in addition to her son losing the speech therapist that had been the one constant in his life at school as he moved from one grade to another, a number of aids have been cut.

“While the classroom sizes are increasing the adults in the classroom are decreasing,” she said.  “These cuts translate into my son’s life!”

“We want our children to have a chance to get a quality education,” Matthews said.

 “We want Assemblyman Magnarelli to be more vocal so that we know that he’s a champion  for our students,” Jones said as the group wrapped up their meeting with Magnarelli’s staff.

After listening to the groups concerns Slocum assured them that Assemblyman Magnarelli’s number one priority is restoring the $250 million set aside for grants to the budget.  She said that Magnarelli recently met with the teachers’ union to discuss the impact of this issue on our schools.

Magnarelli has also written a letter to the Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver addressing the issues of funding to our schools Slocum said. 

“We’re asking for the moon and hoping that we get something,” said Slocum, who assured the group that education funding is important to the assembly democrats.  She noted that Magnarelli is sponsoring two bills, 604 (which Provides for the apportionment of certain school aid) and 680-A (which requests an amendment to the education law in relation to the Syracuse City School District).

Slocum also assured them that Magnarelli has been a huge proponent of Pre-K. 

“I know he’s in favor of it,” she said.  “The  assembly has been the champion of that.”

Jones-Cole said that in previous meetings with Magnarelli he did not give them impression that he was going to a champion for the SCSD children and their educational funding needs.

“Last year when we met with him he was not willing to make a commitment to stand up against the cuts to education,” she said.  “It’s refreshing to know that he is willing to now.”

Both Jones-Cole and Pastor Phyllis Lee-Williams, a retired Syracuse school teacher, asked that there be more sharing of information.

Lee-Williams specifically requested that the letter to Speaker Silver be published.

“We have to have people stand up to this governor,” Lotierz said, reiterating the need for Magnarelli and all state lawmakers to stand strong on our children’s behalf.

“He’s been bullying us too long.  We must stand up to his bullying!”