Dear Friends,

Every now and then it’s good to step back from the give and take of the political arena and reflect on how best to practice that give and take such that it does not endanger either the cohesiveness of our community or the value of our individual relations. What better place than a Friends column. For in a representative democracy the best that could ever be said of one chosen to represent is that that person went about advocating for his or her constituents as if each individual one was a friend. By and large I have been able to keep this thought in the foreground during my 20-year legislative odyssey. For having the type of constituents that made this possible I consequently owe a debt of gratitude. This gratitude extends to those who not only have played the affirming role of true friend but also to those who have played that of principled foe.

While I have not been so large as to have always suffered the slings and arrows of those with whom I have disagreed in good cheer neither have I been so small as to dismiss their arguments out of hand. This fact has so contributed to whatever effectiveness I have had as a legislator that at the end of the day very, very few of my foes will not be thought of by me as friends. For in far more cases than not I have granted my opponents the same assumption that hopefully they have granted to me. And that is that their opposition was grounded in principle as opposed to petty personal dislike or cheap political gain. So I owe the debt of gratitude to both friend and foe alike.

None of us are immune from mistakes. Over a long career of having to choose between A and B only the most pathetically self-deluded would think themselves to have every time chosen correctly. Therefore the very best we can hope for is to have always made our choices in good faith, to have always chosen because at the moment of decision we thought we were making the correct choice. This, the redeeming quality of good faith, is what ultimately allows us to disagree without being disagreeable. Therefore, to the many of my constituents who have in our disagreements allowed me the assumption of good-faith I am again deeply indebted. And I pledge to continue waging battles on your behalf in good faith.

Chief Douglas R. Ziegler (pictured right) is the first uniformed Chief to head the NYPD’s Community Affairs Bureau recently expanded to include the School Safety Division. Chief Ziegler met with Assemblywoman Clark to discuss school and community safety.

In my ongoing effort to help provide safe learning environments for our kids, I met with some of New York’s finest-key officers in the New York Police Department-to discuss ways to maintain and improve safety both inside and outside of our local public schools.

Citywide news reports indicate that students in high school, middle school and even elementary school are increasingly becoming targets for gang recruitment. And often it is the young "wannabe" gang members that wreak more havoc than regular gang members. To promote safety and awareness, on April 7, 2006, I convened a meeting in my district office with Community District Education Council 29 President John Tillman; Chief Doug Zeigler, head of the NYPD Community Affairs Bureau and School Safety Division; Commanding Officer of the School Safety Division Assistant Chief Gerald Nelson; Deputy Inspector Stephen O’Brien (105th Pct.); Deputy Inspector Edward Mullen (113th Pct.); Captain Stephen Capasso (103rd Pct.); Captain Kevin Catalina (114th Pct.); Detective Alvin Stevens (One Police Plaza); Detective Jovoda Cooper (113th Pct.); and P.O. Richard Lowe (103rd Pct.).

Issues tackled included training School Safety Agents to know what to look for to recognize potential gang activity; addressing safety issues that may arise due to the wide age range of students in K-8 schools; pinpointing a confidential place where students can go to report intimidation and suspected gang activity; and developing a cadre of helpful, fully trained and screened volunteers to assist in maintaining order and providing support to teachers, principals and students. Parents, guardians, PTA members and retirees are especially encouraged to volunteer.

The first line of prevention starts with school principals and administrators who are key in setting a school tone of respect and order. Special attention should be given to new, incoming classes so that behavioral expectations are established early on.

In addition, information gleaned from this meeting and from my talks with other community members showed that increased order can be gained with better monitoring of hallways and bathrooms to discourage loitering by unsupervised students; establishing and enforcing lateness policies that avoid class disruption but still allow latecomers to obtain their education; and developing effective classroom management strategies.

We also need more school crossing officers. Apparently, not enough people are applying for the job of school crossing guard. This is leading to a shortage of crossing guards, which in turn puts our children at risk of danger. School crossing guards not only help our children cross streets safely, they also provide an adult presence and another set of eyes and ears to help protect our children. Community members interested in applying for a job as a school crossing guard may contact my district office for more information.

Students can minimize their risk of becoming targets of violence by not bringing iPods, MP3 players and personal electronic devices to school. Students should also avoid wearing "colors" to school as that may spark unwanted tensions between rival groups. Parents, students and schools wishing to report particular cases of gang activity may pass the information on to the Commanding Officer of NYPD’s School Safety Division.

Despite significant increases, I remain disappointed with the budget package recently passed by the State legislature (Budget Bills A9553-C and A9558-B) because it fails to allocate $2.82 billion in operating aid for New York City schools this year as required by the Campaign for Fiscal Equity (CFE) court order. The order requires that the funds be phased in over four years, meaning that $1.41 billion is past due from last year. While the legislature should be commended for doing much more than the Governor, the legislature has nonetheless decided to compromise on CFE by only partially addressing the 13 year old struggle.

At a time when we are experiencing a budget surplus, inaction on the CFE order is inexcusable and irresponsible. With an estimated surplus of up to $4 billion, the legislature has regrettably decided to squander it by offering an excessive tax cut package. The Assembly’s tax package totals $2.4 billion. A large portion comes from the child tax credit that offers a $300 credit to families with children ages 4 to 17 and incomes under $110,000. The package presents a "safer" option than Governor Pataki’s education tax credit proposal, as the Governor’s proposal is clearly a back door to vouchers. While the child tax credit is not a voucher, it is still talked of in terms of an educational expense. The greater benefit would be to directly invest those funds into our public schools.

It is especially important that we fulfill our obligations to our children, as the gaps of opportunity continue to widen. New York City’s children, along with children from other struggling school districts, are being left behind and their ability to succeed upon leaving school is questionable. In an effort to avoid litigation, the State University of New York (SUNY) has opened up two of its minority aid programs to all students in the state. While trying to minimize legal entanglements, SUNY is ignoring the problems of elementary and secondary education as these public schools are the gateway to higher education. Without an adequate middle school and high school education, minority students will not be able to compete for scholarships against students that come from wealthy districts that spend twice as much or more on their education.

I believe that now is not the time to compromise our responsibility to our children in order to ensure a timely but inadequate budget. We must stand up for the CFE decision, and make sure that all $27 billion gets delivered to New York City over the next four years.

I have been engaged in the Campaign for Fiscal Equity’s struggle to secure equitable state funding for the City’s schools so long that I am told I mumble CFE in my sleep. This quest for judicial intervention has been a tale of ups and downs. On the heels of each favorable court ruling something has come along to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. The NYS Court of Appeals’ latest decision is again less than satisfying.

In ruling that the state "should" increase school funding to the levels previously directed as opposed to ruling that it "must" do so, the Court of Appeals has clarified the moral point but left the legal one clouded. As a result, each of the opposing sides is claiming victory. Nevertheless, there is some reason to hope that the light at the end of the tunnel is growing brighter.

Despite having attacked the recently passed State budget with an unprecedented blitz of vetoes, the governor left the legislature’s significant increase in school aid untouched. Since there was no legal compulsion for having done so, let us hope this is an indication of how morally compelling the argument for increased school aid has become. Let us hope as we fight on!

Professor Denise C. Morgan (1965-2006).

A famous stanza from a poem by John Donne says, "No Man is an island ... every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main.... Any man’s death diminishes me because I am involved in Mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee." On April 8, 2006, at the tender age of 41, the bell tolled for Professor Denise C. Morgan. On that date, I - for one -was particularly diminished.

Professor Morgan struggled in her short but monumentally meaningful life to make those who were decidedly not a part of the main a part. She was the attorney who drafted the amicus briefs the NYS Black, Puerto Rican and Hispanic Legislative Caucus submitted in the Campaign for Fiscal Equity case. In addition, many of you may have seen her when she served as a panelist on the 2001 and 2003 Education Workshops during Caucus weekend or when she appeared with me on Queens Cable TV to discuss the CFE case. Denise Morgan, for me, has often been the brightest light in the darkest moments of this 13 year struggle to bring equity to the means of funding this state’s inequitable system of public education. She was a living refutation of the thought that youth is wasted on the young.

Aside from being a warrior for social justice, Denise was also a wife and mother. A fund has been established for the education of her lovely 3-year-old daughter, Sylvan. Those wishing to contribute can send checks to "Denise Morgan Memorial Trust" c/o Lisa Ferrari, 54 West 16th Street, Apt. 2B, NY, NY 10011.

Let those of us who in life struggled at her side in the cause of CFE be moved by her death to struggle with renewed vigor.

Assemblywoman Clark looks on as CDEC 29 President John Tillman discusses the parents’ perspective at the 35th Annual Caucus Education Seminar. Also pictured are UFT President Randi Weingarten and moderator Dr. Evelyn Jones Rich (far right).

On February 18, 2006, I chaired the Education Seminar of the 35th Annual Legislative Conference of the NYS Association of Black & Puerto Rican Legislators, Inc. (commonly known as Caucus Weekend). The seminar-entitled Our Children Can’t Wait: Campaign for Fiscal Equity and the New York State Budget-focused on examining the harm caused by delay in implementing court-ordered increases in public school funding and mobilizing at the grass roots to force the State to obey the court order.

Panelists included NYC Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott, Councilman and CFE Plaintiff Robert Jackson, Vice Chancellor of the NYS Board of Regents Dr. Adelaide Sanford, Associate State Education Commissioner Sheila Evans-Tranumn, New York State United Teachers 1st Vice President Maria Neira, United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, Community District Education Council 29 President John Tillman, Buffalo Board of Education Central District Representative Janique Curry, Syracuse University Trustee Professor of Economics John Yinger, and author of Cheating our Kids, Joe Williams. Dr. Evelyn Jones Rich moderated the event.

Overall, the participants agreed that the key to getting the State to meet its responsibility is grassroots activism on a massive scale.

In celebration of one of this country’s greatest heroes, Queens Hospital Center’s Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday festivities included the "Queens Campaign Against Cancer" kick-off press conference and free symposium at the newly established Queens Cancer Center. I thought it was particularly fitting that we address the dire health concerns of the Queens community on a day that celebrates a man who fought for equal opportunities and adequate social services for all people.

The "Queens Campaign Against Cancer" is part of a borough-wide initiative to dramatically reduce the number of patients in Queens who are diagnosed with late-stage cancers. Sadly, we have been losing the battle to ensure that residents receive vital early-detection screenings for cancer. Cancer rates in Queens are two to three times higher than the national average. A primary campaign goal is to solidify a PET-CT scanner to further the Queens Cancer Center’s ability to detect cancer. I am proud to say that we are near to reaching that goal with the one million dollars that I was able to secure in cooperation with Speaker Silver, and await the fulfillment of funding commitments from other community leaders.

The PET-CT scanner has become an integral component of cancer care and is considered the latest in cutting-edge technology used to identify cancerous cells. It is the foremost tool to screen patients for metastases as well as monitor the efficacy of chemotherapy. This initiative will bring the very first PET-CT scanner to a public hospital in New York City. Queens Cancer Center is the only comprehensive public cancer center in the metropolitan area and one of only a handful of public cancer centers in the country. I encourage you to utilize the resources available at the Queens Cancer Center and join the Queens Campaign Against Cancer.

One of the things I am so proud of as your elected representative is the pride homeowners take in the appearance of the community. It is a pleasure to drive around the community with its well manicured lawns, beautiful landscaping and overall aesthetic appearance.

However, there are some private and public areas that distract from the overall beauty and need sprucing up. Community members are asked to identify areas that need special attention by calling Mary Gilpin in my district office at (718) 479-2333.

The clean-up will take place on Saturday, May 20, 2006. Tools, plants and garbage bags needed for the clean up will be available starting at 8:00 A.M. the day of the clean up at my district office located at 97-01 Springfield Blvd., Queens Village, NY. Plants are available for communal areas only.

For information or to sign up, call Mary Gilpin, coordinator, at (718) 479-2333.

This Clean-up Day is being co-sponsored by Citibank, Community Federal Savings Bank, Community Care Development, Inc., Mayor’s Community Assistance Unit, Community Boards 12 and 13, the New York City Departments of Sanitation, Parks, Transportation, and Environmental Protection, the 103rd, 105th and the 113th Precincts, Boy and Girl Scouts, OTB and the Long Island Railroad.

These days we have so little time that it is more important than ever that we join in this shared civic activity. It’s part of what keeps our community strong!

Help with Rx Drug Coverage

Do you have Medicare? Do you need help paying for your prescription drugs? Is your monthly income below $1,300 ($1,700 for couples)? Are your assets below $11,500 ($23,000 for couples)?

If you answered yes to these questions, you may be eligible for a federal program called "Extra Help." Extra Help can help pay for some or most of the costs of Medicare prescription drug coverage. (Even if your income or assets are above the set limits you may still qualify because certain types of income and assets may not be counted.)

The Medicare Rights Center, in collaboration with AARP, offers free telephone counseling to New Yorkers who need help applying for Medicare’s Extra Help subsidy. Counselors can be reached by calling 888-RX-LINCS (888-795-4627).

For more information about Medicare prescription drug coverage and the plans in your area:

• Speak with a live operator 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or

• Call the New York State Health Insurance Information, Counseling & Assistance Program (HIICAP) at 1-800-701-0501.

Members of the Steering Committee

The Andrew Jackson Campus Magnet High Schools Steering Committee is seeking new, dedicated, visionary members. During the school year, the Steering Committee meets every 3rd Thursday of the month at 3:00 PM in the library of the Campus to discuss issues and formulate policy for the 4 high schools that make up the Campus (Humanities and the Arts H.S., Business, Computer Applications & Entrepreneurship H.S., Math, Science, Research & Technology H.S., and the Law, Government & Community Service H.S.). If you are interested in joining, please call Assemblywoman Clark’s office at (718) 479-2333.