The TEACH-NYS coalition (Educational Alliance for Children in New York State), representing New Yorks non-public school community, recently organized a leadership mission to Albany that met with 45 state legislators, including Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos. Thirty-five leaders of yeshivahs and of national and regional organizations participated.
TEACH-NYS President Elliot Gibber said, The total outstanding debt owed to non-public schools is approximately $350 million for all mandated services.
Families are suffering from record debt and financial stress due to the high cost of educating their children. What we are doing is not just acknowledging that there is a problem; we are actively seeking solutions to help struggling families, said Sam Sutton, Co-Chairman of TEACH-NYS and President of the Sephardic Community Federation.
In the Senate, delegations met with Senators David Carlucci, Martin Dilan, Education Committee Chairman John Flanagan, Assistant Majority Whip Martin Golden, Ruth Hassell-Thompson, Independent Democratic Conference leader Jeffrey Klein, Jack Martins, Kevin Parker, and Majority Leader Skelos.
In the Assembly, delegations met with Members, Peter Abbate, Alec Brook-Krasny, Karim Camara, Michael Cusick, Steven Cymbrowitz, Jeffrey Dinowitz, Phil Goldfeder, Aileen Gunther, Dov Hikind, Rhoda Jacobs, Ellen Jaffee, Steve Katz, Minority Leader Brian Kolb, Rory Lancman, George Latimer, Vito Lopez, Alan Maisel, Nicole Malliotakis, John McEneny, Joan Millman, Speaker Silver, Michael Simanowitz, Harvey Weisenberg, David Weprin, and Kenneth Zebrowski.
PARTICIPATING in the TEACH NYS LOBBY DAY
Sephardic Community Federation
National Council of Young Israel
Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America
UJA Federation of New York
Ahi Ezer Yeshiva
Barkai Yeshivah
Bnot Shulamith of Long Island
Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway (HAFTR)
Magen David Yeshivah
Manhattan Day School
Yeshiva Darchei Torah
Yeshiva of South Shore
Yeshivah of Flatbush
Yeshivat Darchei Eres.
_________________
Shai Franklin is the executive director of TEACH-NYS.
