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Senate Finance Committee Chair John A. DeFrancisco and Assembly Ways and Means Committee Chair Herman D. Farrell, Jr. today announced Joint Legislative Budget Hearings will continue on Tuesday, February 15 and will focus on Elementary & Secondary Education.

Joint legislative hearings will continue through March 3, 2011 and are available for live viewing on the Senate and Assembly websites and the Legislative Channel (available on cable systems throughout the state), but will be preempted when the houses are in session. At the conclusion of the legislative deliberations, live televised coverage of the hearings will resume.

Witnesses scheduled to testify include:

Lieutenant Governor Robert Duffy

New York State Education Department Commissioner David M. Steiner

New York City Department of Education Chancellor Cathleen Black

Archdiocese of New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan

New York State United Teachers Executive Vice President Andy Pallotta

United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew

Conference Big 5 Schools
Executive Director Georgia Asciutto
Big 5 Chairperson Louis Petrucci
Buffalo Public Schools CFO Barbara Smith
Rochester City School District CFO Joyce Martelli
Syracuse City School District Deputy Superintendent Christine Vogelsang
Yonkers Public School Superintendent Bernard Pierorazio

NY Library Association Executive Director Michael Borges

NYS Council of School Superintendents Deputy Director Robert Lowry

NYS Association of School Business Officials Director of Government Relations Steven VanHoesen

NYS School Board Association
Executive Director Timothy Kremer
Director of Government Relations David Little

Alliance for Quality Education & Campaign for Fiscal Equity
Communication Director Nikki Jones
Parent Organizer Zakiyah Ansari

4201 School’s Association Chair Dr. Harold Mowl

NYS School Administrators Consortium
Council of School Supervisors & Administrators Vice President Peter McNally
School Administrators Association of NYS Executive Director Kevin Casey

Capital Region BOCES School Library System
SLS Director Jamie Foust
Staff Development Consultant Mary Ratzer

NY Association for Pupil Transportation Executive Director Pete Mannella

NY School Bus Contractors Association Executive Vice President & Board Member Robert Pape

New York City Charter School Center CEO James Merriman

Success Charter Network CEO Eva Moskowitz

Western NY Independent Living, Inc.
Disability Rights Advocate Melissa Golpl
Director of Public Policy Todd Voorwerk

Center for Independence of the Disabled of New York Director of Advocacy Lourdes Rosa-Carrasquillo

Bard High School Early College Dean of Administration Martha Olson