The threat of bad weather on Saturday, March 1 didn't stop over 1,500 taxpayers from voicing their opposition to Governor Spitzer's cuts to Long Island school districts. At an Education and Taxpayer Rally at Allen Park in Farmingdale, hundreds of taxpayers, educators, students and business and labor leaders partnered with Senator Kemp Hannon to call upon Governor Spitzer to restore the funding he cut to Long Island schools in his proposed education budget.

Many attendees held up signs that read, "We Want Our Fair Share!" in support of more funding to Long Island schools. According to Hannon, 17 percent of New York State's children are enrolled in Long Island schools, only 8.2 percent (down from 13 percent) of the governor's proposed increase is targeted for Long Island school funding.

Education groups and taxpayers came to Long Island's senators offering to partner in the rally after they saw the drastic cuts in the governor's budget and confident that they can help restore the funding as they did last year when the governor proposed cutting Long Island school aid.

Senator Kemp Hannon (6th S.D.) said, "The governor is trying to move Long Island's share of education funds to New York City. If we do not stand united with one voice, we risk losing funding which will cause an even more dramatic rise in school taxes."

Vincent Lyons and Judith Chen, co-chairs of the Long Island Education Coalition, said in a joint statement, "Simply stated, Governor Spitzer's 2008 school aid formula is built upon the myth that Long Island taxpayers are able to bear a disproportionate share of the cost of public education. The truth is that this region's inequitable share of state aid endangers its high quality public schools and overburdens the local property tax base. It was only through the successful efforts of the Long Island Senate Majority delegation that last year Long Island districts were rescued from being 'flat-lined' under the governor's budget, thereby mitigating local property tax increases. The governor has targeted Long Island for even further cuts this year and we are once again calling upon our Senate delegation to spearhead the resistance to the state's shifting more of its school funding responsibility onto the local property tax base."

Matt Crosson, president, Long Island Association added, "All Long Islanders ask for from the state is fairness. In Governor Spitzer's budget, they did not get it. Sixty percent of all districts statewide that would suffer a cut in aid under the budget are on Long Island. Is that fair? Ten lower-wealth school districts educating 73,000 children would receive only the minimum. Is that fair? In the budget debate to come in Albany, all Long Islanders will stand united behind our legislative delegation to demand fairness for Long Island, for its children, and for its taxpayers. The rally today is only the beginning of our fight."

According to Hannon, taxpayers expressed great frustration that Long Island's average aid increase is one-third of the state average with 39 percent of state school aid headed for New York City schools. Budget breakdowns show that the governor's budget has $9.1 million less in High Tax Aid, which will be detrimental in high tax communities, Hannon stated. Overall, 46 out of 77 or 60 percent of schools in New York State with a projected aid loss are on Long Island.

Also, Hannon said that $18.5 million less in BOCES aid and $8.7 million less in Supplemental Excess Cost Aid means school districts would have to bear a greater share of these costs. The Governor's Foundation Aid proposal pours money into New York City to the detriment of Long Island schools. This proposal comes only months after school districts were promised that Foundation Aid would be predictable and dependable for future years. According to Hannon, the governor originally promised a $1.25 billion increase this year in the formula but, instead offers only $899 million and cut the maximum increase districts may receive.