Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio have joined forced to try to get more funding for urban school districts.
Miner says the leaders of the two cities believe the state has a moral and legal responsibility, to come through with just over $5.8 billion for municipalities across the state which they say is mandated from the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuits several years ago.
“We’re urging the governor and legislature to meet their constitutional obligations to enforce the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuits, which says schools across the state should have much more funding than they have had for decades now,” said Miner.
The Syracuse mayor says the state owes here city just over $87 million dollars because of those court decisions.
With those funds, Miner and de Blasio say cities could provide programming that would lift students and families out of poverty, which is what’s they say is one of the biggest issues facing their cities.
"Poverty causes incredible impacts on students and families. One of the ways we want to alleviate these impacts is by using school districts to do that -- so with longer days, and more creative and innovative programs. The only way we can do that is if we get our funding that again, the Court of Appeals says we’re entitled to,’’ said Miner.
Miner and de Blasio the state can afford it because it’s sitting billions of dollars of surplus this year.
“If we were to have that funding, we would be able to have longer school days, summer learning, hiring more teachers, expanding our technical and science education, as well as career and technological education, and arts education programming.”
Miner also says the money could also help fully fund the “Say Yes to Education” program in Syracuse City Schools.
Miner says there’s been no response from the governor’s office yet.
