The Remarks Of Speaker Sheldon Silver

Education Rally

City Hall
Friday, May 16, 2008

{As Prepared For Delivery}

If you thought that the CFE fight was over, guess again.

I am honored to be joined at this rally for the children in this City's classrooms by Councilman Robert Jackson, "the father of the CFE case," and a great champion of New York's school children.

All around us are our colleagues from the City Council and from this City's State Assembly Delegation, each and every one an education leader committed to keeping the CFE promise.

Although she could not be here, our Education Committee Chair, Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan - a great champion of school children in her own right - is here with us in spirit.

Speaking of great leaders, we are joined here by one of the best friends this City's parents, students and teachers have ever had, the UFT's own Randi Weingarten, and with Randi are community leaders and education advocates from around this City.

We who have struggled for 15 years to make this state commit to CFE so that each and every child will have the education they need to succeed are here on the steps of City Hall to tell the Mayor and to tell the City Council to:

• Keep the CFE promise this City made to its school children last year.

• Restore the $180 million cut in the budget for the this school year.

• Restore the $324 million cut proposed for the next school year.

• Honor the Contracts for Excellence.

• Keep your promise to reduce class sizes in our schools.

• Take action to relieve the overcrowding in Lower Manhattan's schools.

• And give the children in our classrooms the sound, basic education that they are owed and that they need to be successful in this new millennium.

It is a sad reality that the education of an entire generation of this City's school children was shortchanged;

That an entire generation of this City's school children were "left behind" by President George W. Bush;

That an entire generation of this City's school children were told by Governor George Pataki that an eighth grade education was all that they deserved.

We must and we will not allow another generation to be cheated of the education they need and deserve.

We are sympathetic to the fact that these are difficult economic times.

We appreciate that difficult times call for difficult decisions; that priorities must be set.

But, as any family in this City can tell you, there are certain priorities that must be addressed whether the budget is flush or the budget is tight.

Any family can tell you there are certain priorities that are in fact, moral obligations.

The education of our children is our moral obligation and we must fulfill that obligation regardless of whether the economy is up or down.

In the state budget, we honored our moral obligation.

We kept the CFE promise to our school children.

With the support of Governor David Paterson, we delivered to this City an historic level of education funding through Foundation Aid:

• A $470-million increase for 2007-2008;

• And a $622-million increase for the 2008-2009 school year.

That is the leadership our school children need to become this City's leaders of tomorrow.

There is real urgency in our plea.

The Class of 2020 is sitting in our kindergarten classrooms right now.

They don't know it, but they are already in competition with their counterparts in India and China, in Europe and Asia, in Canada and in the other 49 states for the opportunities and the jobs of tomorrow.

Do we want to send our young students the message that this City has money to build baseball stadiums, that we have money to bail out financial institutions, but that we have neither the will nor the sense of obligation to ensure that they win that competition for the careers of the 21st Century?

Do we want to send the message to our school children and their parents that there are more serious priorities than easing overcrowded classrooms, than repairing crumbling school buildings, than giving each and every student access to modern learning tools?

Is that the message the greatest city on Earth wants to send its children?

No! The message must be that we will not fail them.

To that end, we have come here to City Hall with a legislative resolution calling upon the Mayor and the City Council to keep the promise, to restore the education cuts, to honor the obligation, and to make the investment in our children that will keep this City strong and vibrant for decades to come.

This is our commitment. This must always be the commitment of New York City.

Let me close by reminding all New Yorkers that public education built this city that we cherish.

Generations of children have entered our schools as foreigners, as immigrants, and graduated as one American people; many who went on to serve, fight and give their lives to preserve our liberty and our democracy.

From our public schools have come the leaders who have made New York a world capital of finance and commerce, arts and entertainment, political leadership and social justice.

Ours is a legacy of achievement and advancement. Our public schools deserve to be treated with the respect befitting such a legacy.