Meeting
Minutes
Monday, November 11, 2002
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Don Scarl introduced Michael Kent, Long Island
Coordinator for the Alliance for Quality Education.
The Alliance, a state-wide organization is part of
the Long Island Progressive Coalition. They would like to see increased
representation from Long Island communities. Their informational
brochure reads: "The AQE is a statewide coalition of 200 organizations
of parents, children's advocates, schools, teachers, clergy, labor
unions, business leaders and others who believe that every child in New
York State deserves a quality education. We seek to unite everyone who
cares about education around a common agenda: the needs of our
children."
The Alliance is working towards a new adequately
funded school aid formula, small class sizes, more qualified teachers,
clean, safe and technologically up-to-date schools and full funding of
pre-kindergarten programs. They want to ensure that "schools use
increased resources in ways proven to improve student achievement".
The Alliance has been particularly active in the
"Campaign for Fiscal Equity". This 1993 lawsuit was recently
overturned Instead of providing funding which would ensure all
districts throughout the state would be able to educate their students
through the 12th grade, the latest decision makes the state responsible
for providing the means to an 8th grade education. The Alliance will
support the counter appeal when it is filed. More information can be
found at
www.cfequity.org
The Alliance has organized rallies in New York
City, Long Island, Buffalo and Albany and received considerable press
coverage with celebrities such as Cynthia Nixon and Russell Simmons. A
group will be attending a lobby day in Albany in March.
A local committee is being formed in order to bring
together many people for a large scale community dialogue with a focus
on 5 or 6 Long Island communities.
Don Scarl will attend the November 12th local
committee meeting. Anyone interested is invited to attend the next
local committee meeting on Wednesday, December 11 at 7:30 at the Long
Island Progressive Coalition (90 Pennsylvania Ave., Massapequa).
Minutes submitted by Helen Kotzky |