By Andrew Hackmack
A bipartisan contingent of legislators took to a microphone to urge Paterson to restore proposed cuts to school districts and relieve the burden of unfunded mandates. Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) said that Paterson is planning to cut 40 percent more from Long Island schools than from schools in the rest of the state.
"That's not our fair share," Skelos said. "This is not about Republicans or Democrats or independents, it's about our children. We're sending a message to the governor that every single dollar he sought to take away from us will be restored."
District 13 Board of Education Trustee Dr. Frank Chiachiere, who also attended last year's rally, said his biggest concern is how education is financed. "If we have to go every year with our hat in our hand, the system is broken," he said.
Chiachiere said that there is inequity in state support to schools among different regions. In District 13, he said, at least 80 percent of the budget is funded through property taxes. As a board member, he wanted to be at the rally to represent those who pay those taxes.
With people losing their incomes, Chiachiere said, it is unreasonable to expect homeowners to make up for the loss of state aid. "I just don't know how much longer we can continue to operate using this model," he said. "I think people have reached their maximum ability to pay."
District 30 Superintendent Dr. Elaine Kanas said she was pleased to see representation from a variety of constituencies - administrators, board members, teachers, parents and students - at the rally. "People on Long Island really do care about education," she said.
As a superintendent, Kanas, said it was important for her to represent the district, which serves approximately 1,500 children. "We have to be advocates," she said. "We all have a stake and an investment in the success of our students."
Dr. Edward Fale, superintendent of District 24, who attended last year's rally as well, noted how much larger the turnout was this year. "I think that made a very strong statement to Governor Paterson and all of the other legislators not from Long Island," Fale said. "Hopefully the message will be heard."
Tony Spezio, president of the Central/Memorial PTSA, said that cuts to Long Island schools would be harmful, because students from Long Island are competing against others from across the state and the country to get into college. If Long Island does not get its fair share of school funding, that puts those students at a disadvantage, he explained.
Spezio attended the rally with his wife, Jane, on behalf of all parents and students from Central High School and Memorial Junior High. "As PTSA president, it's my responsibility, I feel, to be there," he said.
June Innella, a special education teacher at Clear Stream Avenue School, has attended rallies across New York state over the years and was in Farmingdale with Kanas on Saturday. She said that it is unfair for the governor to cut funding to Long Island schools, given the high cost of living in the region. She also said it isn't right to try and supplement state aid with federal stimulus money.
A 36-year teaching veteran, Innella said there is only one reason she attend the rally - the kids. "This is not about teachers, it's not about parents," she said. "If we don't work together, our kids are the losers."
Mamie Eng and other staff members from the Henry Waldinger Memorial Library joined several dozen representatives from more than 20 Nassau County libraries to fight their own cuts. The governor's proposal would reduce aid to library systems by 18 percent.
Eng, the library's director, said that in order for the Nassau Library System to maintain its level of services, local libraries would have to chip in more, with Valley Stream's share being about $3,000. "Where is it going to come from?" she asked.
The library system provides valuable services, Eng said, including interlibrary loans and the online catalog. Because Valley Stream's library is small, she said, patrons rely on the ability to get materials through other county libraries. She also noted that the turnover time is relatively fast - two to three days from the time a patron requests an item to when it is in his or her hands. "If we cut back the service, people would be very unhappy," she said.
Eng said the libraries were invited to participate because they are a part of the educational system.
Kanas, who is in her first year as a superintendent on Long Island, said that the rally gave her the chance to meet several local legislators for the first time. Fale added that he appreciates the efforts of the lawmakers - most notably Skelos and Assemblymen Bob Barra and Tom Alfano - in organizing the rally and listening to the concerns of educators and parents. "All of us who are involved in schools appreciate what the whole Long Island delegation put together," he said.
Innella said the rally is just one part of the battle - that parents, teachers and anyone else involved in the school system must call or write letters to the governor. "I think it's great that everybody got together," she said. "What we have to do now is keep that pressure on."
Comments about this story? AHackmack@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 265.
