Cover story: Education advocates ready to march toward history

It’s being billed as the biggest march in Albany’s history, and it’s up to UUPers to help make it just that.

Education advocates around the state have set Saturday, May 3, as the date for the “March for Public Education: From Pre-K to Post-Grad.” They expect thousands to gather at Empire State Plaza for the rally to protest the Executive Budget’s proposed cuts to public education, including SUNY, CUNY and local school districts.

The Executive Budget would cut funding to public schools and colleges by about $1.8 billion. SUNY faces a $183.5 million cut. The proposal would also eliminate the financial aid portion of opportunity programs and would cut TAP by $161 million.

UUP President William Scheuerman said he is already getting word that UUP members will turn out in force on May 3, both as a protest of the cuts and as a show of support for their fellow education supporters. Every member who can make it to the march will help send an important message, Scheuerman said.

“To say that this is a fight for our lives is no exaggeration,” Scheuerman said. “Cuts to public education affect us all, at all levels. The expression ‘strength in numbers’ has never been more applicable to the SUNY budget. We will speak with one voice, many thousands strong, on May 3 to tell the governor and our legislators that we will not stand back and let public education be shredded in New York state.”

The march is co-sponsored by the New York State Public Higher Education Conference Board — of which UUP is a founding member — the New York State Education Conference Board and other education advocates, including unionists, health care workers, administrators, faculty groups, retirees, students and parents.

“This is a local, grassroots operation, which means that every district and every campus needs to come together in coalition for transportation,” said NYSUT Executive Vice President Alan Lubin.

Information on the Albany march is posted on a special Web site: www.marchforpubliceducation.org.

Chapters will continue to receive updates and details on the plans, but for now, they should each plan to fill at least one bus for the trip to downtown Albany. The program is tentatively set to begin at the Empire State Plaza at 1 p.m. and last until about 2:30 p.m. Members should bring their chapter banners.

Chapters should select a march coordinator and give that person’s e-mail address to Secretary Eileen Landy at elandy@uupmail.org. The coordinator should preferably not be someone who is also attending that weekend’s Delegate Assembly, also in Albany. Additional information will be forthcoming.

“I cannot stress enough the importance of a strong showing at the march,” Scheuerman said. “This is our chance to prevent irreversible damage to SUNY. From public elementary schools to our state’s public university, we are all in this together. Be there on May 3!”

— Darryl McGrath