Advice from a City Council member: what parents can do to reverse the cuts

Posted by Philissa at 10:09 PM

At a strategy meeting tonight at Brooklyn Borough Hall, City Council member Bill deBlasio emphasized that the recent budget cuts are "huge, reversible, and represent broken promises," staying on point with the message of the Keep the Promises Coalition, which held an inaugural press conference on Sunday.

DeBlasio noted that the cuts result in real losses, not just symbolic ones, for schools and students; but could be reversed, because the state and city budgets for next year have yet to be approved. "When local entities start to add up ... that has a huge impact," he said, suggesting several steps parents, principals, and community leaders can take to pressure lawmakers to undo the cuts in next year’s budget:

Write to your elected officials and local newspaper, demanding that the state keep its promise to increase operating and building aid to the city and that the mayor restore the city’s school cuts.

Attend the massive rally the Keep the Promises Coalition is planning for March outside City Hall.

Get your PTA, Community Education Council, and Community Board to pass resolutions supporting the Keep the Promises agenda.

Tools for completing these goals were handed out at the meeting tonight; I’ll link to the sample PTA resolution, letter to the editor, and letter to elected officials as soon as they go online. Next, I’ll share other highlights from the meeting.