KIDS PROTEST PROJECT

Dear Chancellor Klein,

As concerned parents of public school children, we have organized a Kids Protest Project. We would like to take this opportunity to let you know about it.

Each school-day children from different schools around New York City, accompanied by their parents, will be arriving at Tweed Courthouse to voice their opposition to the planned DOE budget cuts. These New York City school children will be delivering their own hand-written letters and signed posters expressing their concern about the impact that the cuts will have upon their schools and the schools of all of our city's children.

We and the children are advocating for the full restoration of the $450 million cut from Department of Education budget. The school cuts are unacceptable. They would hurt our schools, our children, and our city.

As I am sure you know, New York City has a projected surplus of over four billion dollars for next year. Why then should our city's schools be forced to cut teachers (creating even more overcrowded classrooms), support staff, literacy programs, after-school tutoring programs, etc. and be left with insufficient funding for even books and basic supplies?

As the Schools Chancellor, you have the responsibility of looking after the best interest of all of our city's school children. Clearly, the budget cuts are not in their best interest. We look forward to hearing you proclaim the full restoration of the budget from the steps of Tweed Courthouse. On that day, you will win our praise and that of all other New York City school-children and their parents.

Sincerely,

Cynthia Wachtell & Paula Seefeldt

cc: Mayor Michael Bloomberg

Next in importance to freedom and justice is popular education, without which neither freedom nor justice can be permanently maintained.

~James A. Garfield, July 12, 1880
20th president of the United States