During this morning’s press conference, members of the Long Island Assembly Minority Delegation and local education advocates spoke out about concerns they had after reviewing Gov. Cuomo’s 2013-2014 Executive Budget, which proposes to redistribute school aid away from Long Island. The Assembly members have launched a petition drive at bit.ly/LISchools, which already has collected over 1,004 signatures, urging Gov. Cuomo to give Long Island students their fair share of school aid.

The group argues that under the governor’s current proposal, Long Island students would receive an average of $66 in new funding per student, far below the statewide average of $119 and the New York City average of $129 per student.

“The school children of Nassau County deserve the same opportunities and funds as school children in other parts of New York State. The governor's proposed cuts to school funding are flawed and discriminate against our kids for living on Long Island. It’s ludicrous to think that the working families and seniors of the 21st District should pick up the expense for the accelerating cost of education statewide, while other regions are seeing proposed increases in their state school aid. It is time to stand up and fight for the kids of Nassau County,” said Assemblyman Brian Curran (Lynbrook-21st AD).

“Homeowners on Long Island are constantly feeling the onerous burden of rising property taxes. The governor’s proposed 2013-2014 Executive Budget would prevent our local schools and children from receiving the state education aid they need and deserve. It is my hope that we, on Long Island, can stand up to this injustice and show the governor his mistake by signing this crucial petition,” said Assemblyman Michael Fitzpatrick (R,C,I-Smithtown).

“Long Island's students are second to none, and we cannot afford to gamble with their futures,” said Assemblyman Andrew Garbarino (R,C,I-Sayville). “The governor's distribution of school aid is simply unacceptable, and I believe that, if we all band together, our voices will be heard and our children will get their fair share.”

“Once again, the governor is seeking to disproportionately pick on Long Island's schools, and once again, I'd like to remind the governor that Long Island is not the piggy bank for the rest of the state,” said Assemblyman Al Graf (R,C,I-Holbrook). “A disproportionate share of education funds comes from the people of Long Island and the amount returned gets smaller and smaller every year. I urge the members of our community to sign this petition and tell the governor that this pattern cannot continue.”

“As someone who spent the past eight years trying to balance the rising cost of education from the top down, I can assure you our current system is broken. Albany bureaucrats certainly don’t know what’s best for our children and shipping our hard-earned tax dollars away from Long Island doesn’t help anyone. The governor’s proposal is not only irresponsible but will have a negative impact for years to come. Long Island residents already pay some of the highest taxes in the nation, and our children deserve their fair share of school aid. But even more importantly, we must take the necessary steps so our school administrators don’t have to put a state mandate before new text books. Without reform of the current system, students and residents across Long Island will continue to suffer with an unfair and burdensome system,” said Assemblyman Chad Lupinacci (R,C,WF,I-Huntington Station).

“Long Island homeowners are among the highest taxed in the nation, yet the governor proposes to redistribute aid away from our children and redirect it to students he has deemed ‘higher-need.’ My colleagues and I find this unacceptable, and we are standing together to ensure our children receive the fair share of aid they need to guarantee a successful future,” said Assemblyman Michael Montesano (R,I,C-Glen Head).

“This new redistribution of aid puts a further squeeze on our overburdened taxpayers and takes crucial resources away from our children. Through this event and public support, we can send a message that our children deserve the same amount of aid as those across the state,” said Assemblyman Edward P. Ra (19th Assembly District).

“For generations, Long Island's schools have helped shape leaders, innovators and scholars. We need to equip our educators with the resources it takes to continue this history of service to our children,” said Assemblyman Andrew Raia (R,I,C-East Northport). “Long Islanders are faced with crippling property tax rates, and we deserve a return on our investment.”

“Long Island represents 17 percent of the school-age children in our state. Therefore, we deserve our fair share by receiving 17 percent of all education funding in the budget. Anything less would be discrimination. The legislature must provide real mandate relief for our schools. This is required to strike a balance between commitment to quality education and protection of our property taxpayers,” said Assemblyman Joseph Saladino.

Residents who would like to join the cause can sign the petition by visiting http://bit.ly/LISchools.