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REPORTS
Countdown For Justice
By Martine Guerrier
Waving bright red balloons imprinted with the slogan “Countdown for
Justice,” advocates and elected officials stood shoulder to shoulder
in front of City Hall on Thursday, April 1, 2004. Noreen Connell, Executive
Director of EPP stood flanked by Hector Gesualdo of ASPIRA and Hazel Dukes
of the NAACP calling upon the New York State Legislature to fund the City’s
capital plan to build more schools, and set a down payment on the courts’
CFE ruling. Hector Gesualdo received cheers with his message that the
citizens of New York City will no longer stand by and allow its children
to be `denied their civil right to a sound basic education. “This
is a countdown for justice,” stated Hazel Dukes. “We call on
the NYS Legislature and the Governor to fully fund the five year Capital
Plan so that enough schools will be created to end overcrowding and reduce
class size. We can not condemn another group of students to inadequate
and unequal funding of public schools in New York City.”
“Our children deserve
the best!”
Noreen Connell blasted the state for allowing New York City's school children
to be denied fair and adequate school funding, creating the crises of
school overcrowding and the lack of access to good schools in many communities.
She stated that “the children who started kindergarten in 1993 [when
CFE filed its first legal papers], who only have a 50 percent chance of
graduating next year, should at least have the benefit of knowing that
the students who come after them will have better opportunities to learn.”
Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz demanded the state not only
recognize that New York City pays its fair share in taxes, but should
return to New York City its fair allocation of school funding because
everyone agrees “our schools and our kids need it.” “Our
children deserve the best!” declared Queens Borough President Helen
Marshall in her speech. Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields
recognized, “…until New York City receives … equitable
… state funding, we will be unable to provide our students with the
resources they need to meet Regents standards.” City Councilman Robert
Jackson lauded Michael Rebell for making the case that New York City school
children have been denied adequate funding and resources by the state
of New York for more than 30 years. Recognizing the potential for delay
in providing New York City school children with an equitable solution
to the systemic failure of New York State’s funding practices, Councilman
Jackson suggested “we should put them in a room, lock the door and
don’t let them out until it's done,” invoking the image of the
founding fathers of America holed up in a room constructing the U.S. Constitution.
Focus on the future
Public school parent Cecilia Blewer said, “we are in a period where
school reform is not enough … what CFE represents is the point at
which the system crosses over from a 19th century model to a 21st century
model… CFE means coming to terms with the future. It is the privilege
of legislators to usher in this historical moment the political economy
demands. To quote Victor Hugo, ‘an invasion of armies can be resisted,
but not an idea whose time has come’.”
The gray skies above and drizzles of rain did not dampen the resolve of
those present. Likening the rain to the funds needed for schools to flourish
and children to fulfill their potential, Councilwoman Margarita Lopez
used the rain to inspire the crowd in her impassioned speech and plea
to the governor, “…let the children grow.”
The rally was attended by elected officials and advocates, Bronx Borough
President Adolfo Carrion; Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum; Councilman Joel
Rivera; EPP Chair Marilyn Braveman, Dr. Roscoe Brown of The Graduate Center
for Urban Education Policy; May del Rio; Jill Levy, CSA; Randi Weingarten,
UFT; Larry Wood of Goddard-Riverside Houses; Maggie Jacobs of American
Jewish Committee; Jill Chaifetz of Advocates for Children; Teresa Ying
Hsu of Asian-American Communication; Robin Brown of UPA; Stephen Boese
of Healthy Schools Network; Natatia Griffith of Coalition of 100 Black
Women of NYC; Students and Ronn Jordan of NW Bronx Community & Clergy
Coalition; Nicky Heller, EPP Founder representing
the League of Women Voters of NYC; Ellie Stier of Women's City Club; Joan
Scheuer of EPP; Anthony Ng of United Neighborhood Houses; Rhonda Carlos
Smith of National Black Child Development Institute of NY; Roni Wattman
of City Club of New York; Julie Kleczszewski of American Association of
University Women; Jose Davila of NY Immigration Coalition; and Heidi Siegfried
of New York City Partnership for the Homeless. •
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