Hundreds of public school students and parents have rallied at the New York state Capitol to urge lawmakers to boost school funding and reject Gov. Andrew Cuomo's education reforms.
Cuomo has suggested $1.1 billion in additional education spending — but only if lawmakers agree to implement tougher tenure rules, teacher evaluations more reliant on student test performance and the authorization of more charter schools.
Wednesday's rally was organized by the Alliance for Quality Education. Billy Easton, the group's executive director, called for nearly $2 billion in new school spending. He says overall funding remains $5.9 billion below levels prescribed in a 2006 court ruling.
Easton said Cuomo's reforms are "cockamamie" ideas that will hurt schools.
(C) 2015 AP
