Minisink Valley educators are hoping "CPR" will help promote transparency between the school board and the Orange County community and encourage a more positive relationship between educators and administrators.

Saratoga Springs teachers are counting on residents to see the value in the education students receive and vote "yes" to show their continued support.

Educators and their unions across New York are working hard to get out the "yes" votes on May 15, when voters statewide cast their ballots on their school budgets and candidates for school board.

The statewide union is also promoting get-out-the-vote efforts. NYSUT has launched a television and radio ad campaign urging New Yorkers to support students and their local schools. The union is also offering postcards on its Web site, www.nysut.org.

"The privilege of living in a democracy carries with it the obligation to vote," said NYSUT President Dick Iannuzzi.

Voters in every district except the Big Five - Syracuse, Rochester, Yonkers, Buffalo and New York City - vote annually on the third Tuesday in May.

While schools received a record aid commitment from the state this year, Iannuzzi said, districts will still need support at the local level.

CPR

CPR may be just what the Minisink Valley district needs, said MVTA President Lisa Keller-Decker.

Along with calling for "yes" votes on their school budget, the union is supporting three candidates for the local school board whose last names begin with the letters C, P and R. The current board conducts too much business behind closed doors, union leaders say.

"I'm looking for more independent thinkers. When you have vote after vote where the decision is 9-0, everyone is voting in a bloc and there is no serious discussion," Keller-Decker said. "Three seats could be a huge impact."

In the Saratoga Springs district, local leaders want residents to remember and continue to support the good programs their schools offer.

"We feel the district budget proposal is extremely responsible, and we want to do everything we can to see it successfully passed," said Mike Huchro, first vice president of the Saratoga Springs Teachers Association.

The district is proposing a 4.2 percent tax increase.

The local, led by Walter Jennings, is using phone banks and fliers to get its message out. The TA is also running a "Take me out to vote" campaign that has students take their parents to vote or ask their parents to allow the students to tag along.

"We want to get the students involved in the process to exercise their civic responsibilities," Huchro said.