Education Groups Plan Rally to Oppose State Cuts

Teachers, school administrators and parents from southern Westchester County will rally at LMK Middle School Thursday evening to take a stand against proposed state aid cuts they say will be devastating to New York's education system.

Supporters will rally for about an hour at 5:30 p.m., one of several rallies planned by schools, teachers and unions across the state to oppose New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo's proposed $1.5 billion cut to state education aid. The Harrison rally will take place one day after rallies were held in Albany, Utica and Queensbury.

"Westchester County residents are proud of their excellent public schools, and oppose budget cuts that will erase years of progress,” said Harrison Board of Education member Abby Mendelsohn.

Like many other districts in the state, the Harrison Board of Education has already publicly scrutinized the state cuts. In a board meeting earlier this month Harrison Superintendent Louis Wool called obstacles for the 2011-12 budget a "". The Harrison Board of Education has already jointly signed a declaration to Cuomo, outlining opposition to a proposed tax cap in 2012-13 unless it includes some form of mandate relief.

In a district-issued press release, Wool said the school district is committed to reducing property taxes, but he hopes the state legislature will stay away from "quick fixes" that do not fix underlying problems in the state education system.

"The current proposed tax cap would not solve the problem and would cause extraordinary hardship for local districts and their students," he said. "We ask our legislators for a thoughtful dialogue on tax reform and to refrain from villainizing teachers and civil servants."

According to Cuomo's proposed executive budget, Harrison's aid will be reduced by $400,000, but the district estimates that number to be closer to $700,000 because the state included unrelated filings in their estimates. 

Thursday's rally is scheduled to be held in the fields outside the school, but could be moved to the school's auditorium in the event of rain, a school spokesperson said. It is co-sponsored by The Harrison Central School District, Harrison Parent-Teacher Council, Harrison Association of Teachers, Harrison Administrators Association, Harrison CSEA and Harrison CSEA Teacher Aids and Assistants.

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