Join fellow DFNYCers and others from progressive groups, educat ion groups and labor groups for a bus trip from NYC to Albany! UPKNYC, the group that is promoting Mayor de Blasio's Pre-K plan, is organizing this b us trip.
When: Tue sday, March 4th, 2014
Time:< /strong> Buses will leave various NYC locations at 6:30am and be back in NY C at approximately 6ish pm.
6:30 in the morning?! Yes. You could do it if you needed to catch a plane, right? Like other lobbying trips to our state capital, we need t o get on a bus in the early morning, where we will meet other progressives and learn the talking points of UPK and tax policy, then arrive in Albany a nd convince them that NYC should be able to enact its own Pre-K plan with a dedicated funding stream.
R SVP & Questions: Please RSVP to DFNYC at info -at- DFNYC.org. We are in constant communication with the UPKNYC people and we'll be able to give you updates on bus pick up locations.
The UPK plan - to provide Pre-K to all 4 year olds and afterschool programs for middle school students - needs a dedicated funding stream. Mayor de Blasio has pro posed a small marginal income tax increase on incomes over 1/2 million doll ars a year, which would only apply to city residents in that tax bracket. H owever, due to "home rule" laws, Albany actually has to give NYC permission to raise it's own city taxes. So we need to convince legislators, many of whom are outside NYC, that they should vote to allow NYC to do this slight tax increase to pay for a very valuable program.
Media's Cuomo vs. de Blasio Narrative:
Many news articles about universal P re-K have framed the UPK debate as a battle between Gov. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio. It may appear as if they are both offering the same thing, with th e only difference being that the Mayor wants to raise taxes and the Governo r does not. However, Gov. Cuomo's plan allocates an amount of money over 5 years that is a fraction of the cost of providing quality Pre-K in NYC, le t alone the state. Also, if NYC's Pre-K funding comes from the state, it wi ll be subjected to the yearly budget process in Albany, which makes it near ly impossible for providers and teachers to make plans and run their school s effectively. We have admired Gov. Cuomo's decisions and policies on seve ral issues, but in the area of UPK for NYC, we think a dedicated funding st ream from a specific tax makes more sense. (To be clear, the UPKNYC coaliti on is independent and not part of the mayor's office.)