At the Committee of 100 briefing, six (6) former educators (three senators - Jabari Brisport, John Mannion, Lea Webb and three assembly members - Christopher Eachus, William Conrad, Chantel Jackson) talked about education. Assemblymember Patrick Burke had also planned to be at the meeting but was sick. The briefing also included a review of talking points to discuss with the legislators:
- Fixing Tier Six pension plan (educators will have ½ the pension of Tier 4 when retiring at 63 years of age hurting the retention of teachers)
- Investing more in public higher education (increase is needed after years of underfunding of SUNY, CUNY& SUNY teaching hospitals)
- Funding Teacher Centers (they are not in the governor’s budget and need funding like last year)
- Elimination of APPR (burdensome, time consuming, expensive and no longer required by the federal government) and returning control to local schools
- Ensuring local school districts, the ability to approve charter schools’ applications and renewal (limiting the financial burden on the public-school districts)
- Providing universal free school meals to all students (end student hunger)
- Growing community schools (provide funding outside of Foundation Aid since only 60% of the Community School aid for them is now going to them)
The briefing ended with a quote from the New York Post:
“NYSUT isn’t a 500-pound gorilla in the room,” said one insider. “They’re a two-ton Godzilla in Albany and you mess with them at your own peril.”
After the initial briefing my group met with staff members from Senator Lea Webb, and from Assembly member Anna Kelles because the legislators were in budget meetings. The staff members were very attentive and took many notes to discuss with their legislators. Assemblymember Donna Lupardo met with us just before she also had to go to a budget meeting. She agreed with our talking points and was very interested in what we were saying but said the budget is a give and take process and she is not sure what will happen.
Respectfully submitted,
~Diana Torta
Committee of 100 delegate