The consequences of Governor Cuomo’s unfair proposal will be felt in homeowners’ wallets.  This poor decision blatantly discriminates against our kids on the basis of their parents living on Long Island.  Nothing shocks the conscience more.  It’s typical Albany lunacy.  Our working families and seniors shouldn’t have to pick up the expense for the accelerating cost of education statewide, especially while other regions are seeing proposed increases in their state school aid.  Long Islanders deserve better.

I recently wrote to Governor Cuomo for his immediate and necessary restoration of funding cut to our schools.  The cuts in his proposal place undue hardships on school districts facing significant challenges and increased costs, especially after Hurricane Sandy.  My request had one message: restore our school aid.  I’ve yet to hear back from him.

Governor Cuomo’s current distribution of school aid is simply unacceptable.  I believe that we need to fight together so that our voices will be heard and our children will get their fair share.

For example, Oceanside, a community whose schools needed to close due to massive Sandy-related damage and flooding, was all over the news due to the superstorm’s utter destruction of the community.  They too received a startling reduction in school aid – a decrease of almost $700,000. I don’t understand why the governor would choose to penalize school districts whose schools had to close because of the widespread flooding and damage.

There’s no question that this must be fixed by the governor.  All of Nassau County’s children deserve the same opportunities and funds as school children in other parts of New York State.  There is no acceptable rationale why students in New York City, Buffalo or Middletown receive more school funding than we do.  Picking on Long Island’s schools and students is wrong.  A disproportionate share of state education funds comes from Long Island – and the amount by Albany returned continues to get smaller and smaller every year.  This can’t continue.