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State Budget: On time, on target
April 13, 2006 Responding to a massive grass-roots campaign by union activists around the state, state lawmakers came through with a budget plan that is on time, on target and a tremendous step forward for students — pre-K through post-grad. Dick Iannuzzi, president of New York State United Teachers, thanked the union's thousands of members who made personal calls and visits to win support from legislators. Visitors to the NYSUT Web site sent thousands of letters to lawmakers — more than 50,000 alone protesting the governor's backdoor voucher plan that would have used public dollars for private and parochial school education.
NYSUT Executive Vice President Alan Lubin praised the Legislature for what he called "the best higher education budget in a long, long time." He singled out Assembly Higher Education Chairman Ron Canestari, D-Cohoes, and his Senate counterpart, Ken LaValle, R-Suffolk, for leadership in reversing the negative trend for higher ed and earmarking funding to allow both the State University and City University to hire more full-time faculty. In her first year chairing the Assembly Education Committee, Cathy Nolan, D-Queens, proved herself a strong advocate. "Cathy is a great friend of education and the mother of a second-grader in public schools," Lubin said. "She stepped right up to the plate in her new role as education chairwoman and hit a home run." Nolan and Senate Education Committee Chairman Steve Saland, R-Poughkeepsie, chaired the panel that came through with an education budget that delivers the highest-ever annual increase.The package now awaits the governor's signature. |
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