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OCSBA
2012
Legislative Platform
The purpose of
this
platform is to educate our
legislators and school board members
about the
effects of pending or existing legislation upon the children in our schools.
Our schools educate today’s
children to be
tomorrow’s work force and tomorrow’s leaders.
The current fiscal situation makes us believe the future of public
education in New York is at serious risk, and without an
educated populace, we have no viable future.
Given the reality of a cap on the tax levy, the
infusion of Common Core Standards
and other costly and unfunded mandates, and reduced state aid,
the legislature has created the perfect storm for our schools
—a storm that has the potential to dismantle public education in New
York.
It is illogical and irrational to think otherwise.
Our local school leaders need our legislators to take the following
actions:
*Establish an
immediate statewide wage freeze for all public employees
including employees of
public school systems
*Provide meaningful reform
of the Triborough Amendment
to the Taylor Law
*Create a defined
statewide contribution to the pension system
*Set a statewide minimum
contribution for public
employees for health care
costs
*Authorize schools to
provide the level of service and program to students
with disabilities as
required by the federal government.
We endorse and support the critical need
for improved student achievement,
but this goal cannot be achieved without the necessary
tools.
We support the belief expressed by Governor Andrew
Cuomo that this legislature
can be the best legislature in the nation if the members put aside
politics
and special interests, place themselves as New
Yorkers first, and work together
to prevent the destruction of public education in New York State.
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