Greece PTA Council - PTA Advocacy

March is PTA Advocacy Month

NYS PTA Virtual Lobby Day - March 17th
All children in New York State need your help!

We are asking all our members to email and/or fax their legislators.

As most people know this year is a very tough year for New York Schools. Please take the necessary time to understand the choices presented by the difficult financial situation we are in and consider the consequences of not making an adequate investment in our schools and our children's future.

NYS PTA requests that members take action and email and/or fax their legislators. The easiest way to do that is from the NYS PTA Advocacy CapWiz site http://www.capwiz.com/npta2/ny/home/

At the bottom of that link is a form to enter your address or 9-digit zip code to look up the legislators that represent you.

You can submit the default message or compose your own.

Consider this message GreeceSampleLetter [doc] based on information received from Lou Alaimo, Assistant Superintendent, GSCD. It contains information specific to Greece. Just revise, copy the body, and paste it into the CapWiz form.

Complete letter from Lou Alaimo.

We need the following from our legislators:

an on-time, realistic budget (no mid-year cuts)
equitable sharing of State Aid to districts
relief from unfunded mandates
relief from Contract For Excellence spending requirements
relief from costly reporting and paperwork

If you prefer to send a hard-copy letter or post card consider these examples.

State Aid and the Proposed State Budget - Sample Letter [pdf]

Post Cards for State Aid and the Proposed State Budget and Charter Schools [pdf]

State Aid and the Proposed State Budget - Issue Brief

State Aid and the Proposed State Budget - Talking Points

State Representative Contact information

Sen. Joseph Robach (R-NY 56th District)
2300 West Ridge Road
Rochester, New York 14626
Phone: (585) 225-3650
Fax: (518) 426-6938
www.nysenate.gov/senator/joseph-e-robach

Asm. Bill Reilich (R-NY 134th District)
2465 West Ridge Road
Rochester, New York 14626
Phone: (585) 225-4190
Fax: (518) 455-3093
assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=134

Advocacy positions of the NYS PTA may be found at
http://nyspta.neric.org/advocacy/advocacy.cfm

current Resolutions and Position Papers may be found at:
Where We Stand (http://nyspta.neric.org/advocacy/wherewestand.cfm)

More state spending on Education can reduce local property tax and preserve employment of educators and support personnel.

NYS PTA Virtual Lobby Day - March 17th

March is PTA Advocacy Month All children in New York State need your help!

The Governor's proposed budget contains some items that are of concern to New York State PTA. NYS PTA is mounting a campaign to address two of those issues: education funding and charter schools. We are asking every PTA member to participate in our electronic legislative campaign.

Virtual Lobby Day is March 17th

We are asking all our members to email and/or fax their legislators. Tell them you support full funding for public schools and want to see changes in the funding and accountability of charter schools! Contact your State Legislators! We need thousands of voices to ensure our message is heard.

This is our opportunity to mobilize so that all children have access to a sound education! This is Advocacy Action!

Together we can send a powerful message to Albany

To send a message, Click here

Thank you! New York State PTA

Property Tax Relief

To Board Presidents, Legislative Committee Members, Superintendents

By this time you should have received your district's packet of postcards presenting our position on property tax relief--to be signed and mailed to 4 Albany leaders. In case you'd like to expand your district's efforts to include PTSAs, community groups, or even friends and neighbors, I've attached the Powerpoint master, from which you can make further copies. We have a few extra copies which we can make available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Since we've been told that as few as 10 letters or post cards can be influential, we're hoping that several hundred or more may make a difference. Thanks for your help with this initiative. jaw

Judy Wadsworth
Assistant to Executive Director
Monroe County School Boards Association
220 Idlewood Road, Rochester, NY 14618
(585) 328-1972 (585) 328-2494 fax
Judy_Wadsworth@boces.monroe.edu

Post card template [ppt] 2-sided document

NYS PTA Opposes Tax Caps
http://www.capwiz.com/npta2/ny/issues/alert/?alertid=11151056

“New York State PTA recognizes the need to examine property tax relief options for NY's overburdened taxpayer. However, imposing property tax caps on school districts has the potential to erode the long held belief in local control and undermine the ability to provide quality education for every child.”

Tax Caps have hurt education in other states
they have increased gaps in student achievement
between high and low need schools
NYS PTA believes in the value of local control of schools
NYS PTA believes there are alternative to tax caps
that have not been sufficiently explored.

http://www.capwiz.com/npta2/ny/issues/alert/?alertid=1115156

	Proposed Executive Budget

The intent of the Foundation Aid formula was to level up the playing field for all NY's children to have access to quality public education. While NYS PTA acknowledges the economic crisis we face as a state and nation, proposed delay of the Foundation Aid phase-in would derail recent gains in student achievement and disproportionately damage low wealth high needs school districts. Adding a tax cap as proposed by the Governor would utterly devastate such districts. This is not a shared sacrifice but a sacrifice of our future. We ask that you use Federal Stimulus money wisely to support a foundation formula that gives every child a chance to succeed by continuing New York's investment in our public schools.

To sign-up to speak at Board meetings
call Lynne Armstrong at (585) 966-2311.