The Summit also gives us an opportunity to share with you the findings from Ed Voters’ latest report.  Last summer we set out to capture what New Yorkers had to say about NYC’s public school system. This “Blueprint for Education Reform” synthesizes the hopes, fears, priorities, and recommendations of hundreds of ordinary New Yorkers from all five boroughs, from high school students to senior citizens, and offers policymakers , educators and community members alike a community-driven road map for reform.

Community Conversations in Education Project’s Summit on Innovation in Education

Saturday, June 12, 12:00-4:00 p.m.

Scholastic Auditorium

557 Broadway, New York, NY

• Panel: NY budget crisis, Race to the Top, charter schools, community engagement, teacher preparation and development, and current federal efforts to replace No Child Left Behind
• Presentation: Primary Sources-results of the Gates Foundation and Scholastic Inc.’s survey of 40,000 teachers
• Presentation: Green roof technology curriculum in the South Bronx

Other panelists include:

• NYC Councilman Robert Jackson, Education Committee Chair
• Dr. Sabrina King, Chief Academic Officer, NYC Dept. of Education
• Dr. Edward Fergus, Deputy Director, NYU Metro Center for Urban Education
• Dr. Evelyn Castro, Associate Dean, Long Island University School of Education

To RSVP, please email nyinfo@edvoters.org.

We look forward to seeing you on Saturday. Come ready to learn, inquire and participate!

In 2010, our elected leaders must hear from each of us that we are not going to sit back and let our children fail. We hope you will join us as we continue to build momentum throughout 2010.

The time to engage is now.  Send a message to our leaders that cuts to education turn the clock back on New York children’s future.

The amazing group of people who gathered last night was proof that young professionals are key to progressive reforms to education in New York.   We left the event motivated to work as hard as we can to improve our system’s educational outcomes, and we hope you did too.

Last night, YPN member Erinn Smart challenged all of us to help support this movement by donating our last round of drinks to education.  If you were not able to contribute last night please consider making an online donation today of $20, $10 or even $5.

Your support will help us organize, empower and mobilize thousands of fellow New Yorkers to change the debate on public education reform, and force our elected leaders to focus on helping New York’s children succeed in the classroom and beyond.

We look forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas on expanding the YPN to reach more young professionals throughout New York.  The stronger we are, the bigger a difference we can make.

Do you believe that all children deserve a high quality education? Are you trying to figure out how you can still have an impact after the 2008 election?

Join us at BLVD on April 15 at 6pm to launch the Education Voters Young Professional Network.

Education Voters Young Professional Network is a group of young professionals working together to leverage our skills, talent and relationships to advocate for sound education policy, so that all of our children receive the high quality learning opportunities they need and deserve.

Click here to RSVP for this event.

Equity Symposium Asks: Where Is $100 Billion in Education Aid Going?

States Are Using Education Stimulus Money for Budget Gaps Instead of Equity, Teachers College Study Suggests

States are using federal stimulus money intended to promote innovation and equity reforms in schools to instead plug holes in education budgets ravaged by the economic recession.

That’s the finding of at least one major study that will be presented at “Stimulating Equity? The Impact of the Federal Stimulus Act on Educational Opportunity,” a symposium that will be held at Teachers College, Columbia University on February 8th and 9th.

The event convened by the College’s Campaign for Educational Equity, is the first major national symposium to analyze the impact of The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA), which is enabling the U.S. Department of Education to distribute $100 billion to states over the next two years for public schools suffering from the effects of the recession.

The symposium will discuss whether this windfall of federal cash – more than double the Department’s 2009 budget – will improve equity and opportunity for low-income students.

Click here to read more.

Join Us February 19

Please join us in Cleveland on Friday, February 19 as we celebrate Ohio’s commitment to providing a quality education for every child!

Our special guest for the evening will be Governor Ted Strickland.

Click here to RSVP. ]]> http://edvotersofohio.org/join-us-february-19/feed 0 http://www.edvotersofny.org/parents-and-advocates-protest-governor%E2%80%99s-budget/ http://www.edvotersofny.org/parents-and-advocates-protest-governor%E2%80%99s-budget/#comments Fri, 22 Jan 2010 13:38:30 +0000 Editor http://www.edvotersofny.org/?p=260 The Alliance for Quality Education
The Campaign for Fiscal Equity
Citizen Action of New York
New York City Coalition for Educational Justice
Education Voters of New York

For Immediate Release

Parents and Advocates Protest Governor’s $1.4 Billion Cut to Schools On Top of The Broken CFE Promise

Deliver Over 1000 Broken Pencils to Governor Symbolizing Broken CFE Promise

(Albany, NY) The Alliance for Quality Education (AQE), the Campaign for Fiscal Equity (CFE), Citizen Action of New York (CANY), New York City Coalition for Educational Justice (NY-CEJ), and Education Voters of New York called Governor Paterson’s 2010 executive budget a colossal step in the wrong direction. The governor’s budget proposal would slash $1.4 billion in funding from schools and stretch the original four-year CFE phase-in to ten years. This cut is the biggest cut proposal to education in the history of the state of New York. These cuts come on top of the state’s failure to deliver any of the promised CFE funding for the current year.

“Today in 2010, we know that preparing all students for success in college and their career is the educational justice issue of our day, and the Coalition for Educational Justice has a clear proposal for redesigning and expanding the school day that would bring our school system to the 21st century. With the Governor proposing the biggest cut in our state’s history, we would be taking a huge step backwards, that will not only be more expensive later down the road but would instantly hurt our children across the state,” said Gail Gadsden, Parent leader with AQE and CEJ.

“The Governor’s budget would make a record funding cut to our schools.  The Governor has called for a 21st Century knowledge-based economy, which we need, but these cuts would push knowledge to the back of the class.  $1.4 billion in cuts will mean larger class sizes, less programs to get students prepared for college, cutbacks in the arts. The legislature must say no and we are confident they will say no,” said Billy Easton, Executive Director, AQE.

“In 2007, the governor and legislature set out a four year plan to remedy the insufficient and inequitably distributed education resources and provide for the constitutional right to a sound basic education. Instead of making good on that original IOU to our children that was to be paid in full this year, Governor Paterson proposes $1.4 billion dollars in cuts to schools this year and stretching out fulfilling the Campaign for Fiscal Equity promise to 10 years.  This means six more years of insufficient resources which will fall most heavily on the neediest schools and students.  The increase in school spending referred to by the Governor was catch-up money to begin to address chronic deficiencies.  In New York City alone, the sad facts show:  254,603 students attend a school identified as low-performing by the state.  That’s more students than the Houston School District enrolls;  215,278 students did not meet ELA and/or Math standards.  That’s more students than the Philadelphia School District enrolls; According to CFE Maxed Out report, 167,274 students attend overcrowded schools designated as low performing by the state.  That’s more than the Dallas School District enrolls; Class sizes are the largest in the state.  On the key classes needed for a NYS Regents diploma: HS students in classes of 34 or more – 21.6% English; 21.2% Math; 23.4% Science and 24.8% Social Science.  Citywide – more than 25% of Kindergarten students are in classes of 25 or more.  In the middle school years – some of the most challenging years of schooling – more than 80% of 6th, 7th and 8th grade students are in classes of 25 or more.  These facts are mirrored throughout the state.  While the Governor cites high per capita spending for students, averages mask the critical truth that New York has one of the largest gaps in the nation in per capita funding between high and low wealth schools.  In 2005-06, the gap was $2576.  Only fulfilling the CFE promise by equitably distributing funds sufficient to provide the instrumentalities of learning will solve this problem.  New York cannot afford this proposal that condemns another generation of students to an inadequate education,” said Helaine Doran, Deputy Director, Campaign for Fiscal Equity.

Last year, the legislature delivered flat-level school aid payments forcing school districts across the state to cut vital teaching positions and proven educational programs. Due to the size of the governor’s proposed cuts, it is expected that this year even more program and teaching positions would be eliminated.

“Yes, we agree with the Governor, these are indeed some of the hardest economic times many of us have ever lived through.   Even before this current fiscal crisis hit, there were far too many barriers to lifting families out of poverty and too many were struggling to make ends meet.  A quality education has been a life line for many but the reality is that the Governor’s proposed budget will take vital resources from the neediest students.   What is lacking in the Governor’s Executive Budget is a plan to not only address the state’s fiscal reality but also to fully address the resources needed to transform the way we educate every child regardless of race, ethnicity or socio-economic background…  If we are going to recover from the failures of Wall Street and prepare a workforce ready for a knowledge based economy, we must reignite the engines of economic prosperity by providing every child with an excellent public school education,” said Glynda C. Carr, Executive Director of Education Voters of New York.

“The Governor’s ‘Recovery Budget fails to provide the most important ingredient for economic recovery – investment in New Yorkers.  School cuts are not only a huge step backward for our kids — they will also drive our economy even further down. Our children can’t wait ten years for a quality education, and our state can’t afford the economic impact of layoffs and failing schools,” said Karen Scharff, Executive Director, Citizen Action of New York.

AQE has previously endorsed a set of cost savings and revenue alternatives which include; an elimination of the Empire Zone program, bulk purchasing of prescription drugs, and energy saving programs in schools and state agencies. After a full review of the governor’s proposed budget as well as his cost savings package, AQE will issue a new set of cost saving revenue options for the 2010 budget in the coming weeks and call on the legislature to adopt them.

The press conference was one of five press events being held simultaneously across the state including; Buffalo Rochester, Syracuse, Albany and Long Island. In Albany over a thousand broken pencils symbolizing the state’s broken CFE promise to school children were delivered to the governor’s office.