At a Feb. 21 press conference, members of the Long Island Assembly Minority Delegation and local education advocates spoke out about concerns they had after reviewing Gov. Cuomo’s 2013-2014 Executive Budget, which proposes to redistribute school aid away from Long Island.
The Assembly members have launched a petition drive at bit.ly/LISchools, which has already collected over 1,004 signatures, urging Gov. Cuomo to give Long Island students their fair share of school aid.
The group argues that under the governor’s current proposal, Long Island students would receive an average of $66 in new funding per student, far below the statewide average of $119 and the New York City average of $129 per student.
This new redistribution of aid puts a further squeeze on our overburdened taxpayers and takes crucial resources away from our children. Through this event and public support, we can send a message that our children deserve the same amount of aid as those across the state.
Residents who would like to join the cause can sign the petition by visiting http://bit.ly/LISchools.
Assemblyman Edward Ra is a member of the New York State Assembly representing the 21st District. Due to 2012 redistricting, the new 19th District will cover portions of New Hyde Park, Garden City Park and Mineola. He is a Republican from Franklin Square.
