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'My school really needs help' Students appeal for support for May 3 march for public ed 
April 23, 2003 Dominique Chappelle, a seventh-grader at Hackett Middle School in Albany, speaks at a news conference on the May 3 march as NYSUT Executive Vice President Alan Lubin listens. As a junior at Troy High in the capital district, Ashli Fragomeni figures she can probably weather her final school year if public education suffers the unprecedented cuts outlined in Gov. Pataki's proposed budget. It's her younger brother and two cousins she worries about. "They've still got a few more years to go," Fragomeni told reporters at a news conference announcing a May 3 march in Albany to support public education, pre-K through post-grad. "My school really needs help." Three students, including a seventh-grader and a SUNY Albany senior, spoke about the impact the governor's proposed $1.24 billion in education cuts would have on their schools. The news conference was sponsored by a broad coalition of educational organizations - including New York State United Teachers - that is organizing the May 3 march. It's expected to be the largest ever held at the capital's Empire State Plaza, with the program starting at 1 p.m. If there is a budget agreement before May 3, as some reports indicate, the demonstration will still be held, NYSUT Executive Vice President Alan Lubin stressed. "It's not just about the budget," Lubin said. "It's a chance for people to say,'We care about education.'" Support for the March for Public Education is coming from many quarters. Members of the Albany Police Benevolent Association are donating their overtime for working the Saturday demonstration, Lubin noted, and a local bottler has donated 60,000 bottles of water for participants. The news conference came on the heels of a new poll by Peter D. Hart Reseach Associates that shows New Yorkers overwhelmingly reject the governor's proposed education cuts and feel the state spends too little on public education. The poll of 460 registered voters found that 53 percent think the state spends too little on education, while 46 percent feel the same about state spending on higher education. Fifty-nine percent of those polled agree that instead of cutting funds for public schools and colleges, corporations and individuals with the highest incomes should "help carry the load by paying their fair share of taxes." - John Strachan |
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