Spin Cycle

SKELOS STATEMENT

At a news conference in Mineola today, Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and Senator Kemp Hannon reiterated their strong opposition to any mid-year cuts in state school aid and repudiated comments by Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith who said that he and his conference support mid-year cuts in school aid.

“Senator Smith’s comments about mid-year school aid cuts should concern every property taxpayer in Nassau County and across the state,” Senator Hannon said. “I am not going to go back on my commitment to education or my commitment to property tax relief. Mid-year school aid cuts would hurt our classrooms, reduce the quality of education and result in higher property taxes that we simply cannot afford. At a time when the economy is in trouble and people are losing their jobs, increasing taxes would only inflict more pain on New York families.”

“The bottom line is Senator Smith looks at the suburbs as the first place to cut financial assistance and the last place to add financial assistance,” Senator Hannon added. “The loser is the hardworking homeowner paying the real property tax. This is the ultimate unfunded mandate. The result will be school districts proposing astronomical tax increases in May 2009, resulting in an sharp tax increases or more districts running on austerity. Given this economy, Long Island cannot afford either.”

“It is clear from his statements today in the Buffalo News, that Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith and his conference support mid-year cuts in state school aid, a move that would be disastrous for our schools, our children and for property taxpayers,” Senator Skelos said. “Senator Smith obviously does not understand that this not about politics, it's about protecting taxpayers."

"Mid-year cuts to education aid must be taken off the table. Their effect would be devastating to Long Island schools,” Matt Crosson, President of the Long Island Association, said. “Our school districts still bear the scars of the last round of mid-year cuts, and that was in the early 1990s. We cannot move New York forward in this economic downturn by undermining education."

“I have said for months that the Senate Majority does not support increasing taxes to close the budget deficit and we oppose mid-year cuts in school aid because it would force school districts to increase property tax increases,” Senator Skelos said. “While Senator Smith and Governor Paterson have indicated that they are willing to go back on their commitment to education, the Senate Majority conference is not.”

“The school aid we receive from our Long Island Senators is vital to our ability to maintain high quality programs that our communities want, expect and value, and which are required for our students to remain a success,” Dr. Robert Feirsen, Superintendent of the Garden City School District, said. “Cutting this aid would have a significant impact on the programs we provide for students and which our educators provide in our school district."

STATEMENT FROM MALCOLM SMITH

"Senate Democrats are not cutting education funding. The only special interest Senate Democrats care about is New York's children and we're going to protect them. The Senate Republicans have been as good for education in New York as Bush has been for the economy. Politician Dean Skelos and the Republican-controlled Senate have protected their special interest fundraising friends instead of taxpayers for 40 years, and now they're spreading lies because they can't win with the truth- that they've failed New York. This new lie proves it's really time for change."