Andrew Cuomo met in private, advocates for increased support for public education made a last-ditch effort to push for a $1.3 billion boost in funding the sum requested months ago by the state Board of Regents. Cuomo's budget proposal calls for an increase of $807 million."The leadership of this state does not want to engage on the topic" of funding inequality across the state's school districts, said Billy Easton, executive director of the Alliance for Quality Education. The group,World of Warcraft US - Jade Panther which is supported by teachers unions, has been among the most vocal calling for increased spending.Even so, Monday's rhetoric from AQE was especially sharp, with Easton accusing Cuomo of mounting "diversion after diversion" to distract from conditions that advocates say have led school districts to the edge of insolvency.
"Gov. Cuomo's education policies have been disastrous," said Easton, backed by education leaders including Superintendent Larry Spring of the City of Schenectady School District. " The Legislature can and must intervene."Also on hand was actress Cynthia Nixon, the former "Sex in the City" star who in recent years has made periodic visits to Albany to back Cuomo's agenda on same-sex marriage and the Women's Equality Act. On Monday, she said that the governor's recent educational initiatives had disillusioned her."This is not the Andrew Cuomo I voted for," she said. " ... World of Warcraft US - Ruby Panther I voted for the Andrew Cuomo who said that stuff about how educational inequality is the greatest civil rights issue facing us, and how it's the state's responsibility to fix it. I want him back."
In an email, Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi said the governor's priority "is providing education funding based on the number of students it helps, not growing the education bureaucracy to serve the demands of the special interests."
A few hours later, another set of advocates gathered to oppose the Education Investment Incentive Act, which would provide tax credits to individuals, corporations or partnerships that make donations to public, charter or religious schools. The $500 million proposal, which has knocked around the Legislature for several years, was a late inclusion in the state Senate's one-house budget resolution.