Lobby Legislators on Schools Teachers Trek to Albany To Make Budget Case

Lobby Legislators on Schools
Teachers Trek to Albany To Make Budget Case

The Chief-Leader/David Sims FIELD TRIP: A delegation of United Federation of Teachers members journeyed to Albany, where they urged legislative leaders and individual lawmakers to treat education well despite the climate of austerity.

Fifteen-hundred United Federation of Teachers members descended on Albany March 17 to lobby their lawmakers about the direction of Federal stimulus money and a progressive income tax on the wealthy, with delegations of Teachers meeting the State Assembly and Senate representatives of their school districts two weeks before the deadline for adopting a budget likely to include some painful cuts.

At a rally in the Washington Ave. Armory before the legislative meetings, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith assured the Teachers that they were in their corner.

Makes Case for Taxing Wealthy

"I and my colleagues are your strongest partners and best friends… to us every day is an education advocacy day," said Mr. Silver. "It's time for New York to decide; is it better to balance the budget on the backs of classrooms, or ask the wealthiest to pay a little more?"

The Chief-Leader/David Sims 'JUST BACK TO EVEN': State Sen. Daniel Squadron said he was particularly concerned about keeping education aid consistent with the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit settlement because that deal ended years of 'chronic underfunding.'

"You will see adequate funding to do all that you need to do your job well," added Mr. Smith in his speech. "This is a very exciting period…we have the opportunity to change how we govern ourselves as a legislature." In a subsequent interview, Mr. Smith acknowledged that there were "some restrictions" on education funding because of the tight budget but said he wanted to "make sure [education resources] grow, especially in meeting the Campaign for Fiscal Equity requirements."

UFT President Randi Weingarten then prepped members for their meetings with specific legislators. She said that the union's participation in the March 5 rallies statewide for a fair budget had been "huge in changing Albany's mind in terms of having a progressive income tax," telling Teachers to point out that "even with Federal stimulus money, revenues in this state are so fragile that there will be cuts unless we get more revenue."

'Connect With Them'

She acknowledged that it would not be easy to convince some of the lawmakers, Democrats and Republicans alike, that they were visiting. "Have a personal story, have a way of connecting," she advised. "There's so many things competing for that same dollar." As well as a progressive income tax, Ms. Weingarten also told her members to push for retirement incentives and strong health-care programs.

"Instead of them looking for a Tier 5, they should look for a way that if people want to retire, they can… that's a dignified way to run this school system," she said. "And it's time to make sure that the lifeline and respect shown by having decent pensions and health care stays intact."

These were the messages Teachers took to their representatives at the statehouse. One Manhattan delegation visited Assemblymen Micah Z. Kellner and Jonathan L. Bing and State Senator Daniel L. Squadron.

Sees An Inequity

"We have a tax structure where an individual making $20,000 a year pays the same amount as someone making $20 million a year," Mr. Bing told Teachers. The Upper East Side Assemblyman, who represents more millionaires than any other representative, said that he approved of changing the state's income taxes. "It's difficult to fund everything we want to fund without something along those lines," he acknowledged.

He also said that his constituents had no intention of fleeing the state even if they had to pay a little more. "People get it … in return, you keep libraries open, you put more money into schools," he said. "My people aren't saying to me, 'If you do it, I'm going to leave town.' "

Mr. Kellner, who also represents part of the Upper East Side, said that he was "very upset with the [Schools] Chancellor," blaming Joel I. Klein for many of the city's education woes. "The Department of Education has a credibility issue … by now, they're saying 'we've reformed the reforms of the reforms,' " he said. The Assemblyman said that when mayoral control came up for renewal in Albany, he wanted to make some specific changes. "I want it clearly stated that the City Comptroller has the ability to audit any part of the DOE… they've used loopholes to avoid audits and oversight."

'Schools Underfunded'

Mr. Squadron, who represents lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn, said that the success of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit was "proof that we have been underfunding schools in the city." Although the newly elected State Senator, a co-sponsor of the tax-hike bill in Albany, said he was aware that this year was unlike other budget years, he emphasized that "cuts to New York City public schools have already happened in the past, it's been through chronic underfunding for years and years… the increases just get us back to parity."

On the buses back to the city, Teachers exhausted from awaking well before dawn to leave for Albany by 6 a.m. said they were satisfied with how the day had gone. "I think today was rewarding. They really understand our issues, our point of view, and I feel like we have strong advocates up here," said Dennis Gault, who teaches at P.S. 19 in Manhattan. "They were able to crystallize our concerns, and they had a strong grasp of the issues, and therefore I'm confident in my leadership up here."

'Got Our Points Across'

"I was very pleased. It's always nice to have more time, but overall we did get our points across," said Joe D'Amico, who teaches at New Explorations into Science Technology and Math on the Lower East Side. "We're facing some very serious issues, and I really appreciate that they took time out of their schedule to listen to us today."

UFT Manhattan representative Evelyn DeJesus, who coordinated her members in their visits, said that she thought the union had been taken seriously. "In the classroom, to know that the union is lobbying for you, to have the voice of the elected chapter leaders seeing how their officials are thinking in Albany… this is so important," she said. "I'm very impressed with all the representatives I saw… they were candid and frank about the cuts."