Via Nick Reisman and Spectrum News:
NYSUT Ad: Don't Cut Education Spending
By Nick Reisman New York State
PUBLISHED 6:38 AM ET Mar. 30, 2020
The state budget this week will force state lawmakers into making some difficult choices, including cuts to education aid amid the coronavirus pandemic as the crisis has led to plummeting revenue for New York and soaring costs.
NYSUT on Monday will unveil a 30-second ad pushing back against any cuts this week.
“With $2 billion in stimulus it makes no sense to sacrifice [our students'] future,” the ad says, which also highlights the remote learning efforts teachers have undertaken in recent weeks.
The ad will be running on TV and in digital space between now and the state budget deadline on Wednesday.
Education spending is the second costliest item in the budget next to health care spending.
Governor Andrew Cuomo has resisted calls from progressive advocates to raise taxes on the rich in order to make up revenue gaps created by the public health crisis.
EMERGENCY PHONE ACTION
We need 5,000 phone calls TODAY! Call your lawmakers and tell them that they absolutely MUST NOT balance New York's budget on the backs of our students!
Use our CLICK-TO-CALL tool here: mac.nysut.org/action/602