Green Party Candidates McCourt and Duncan Say State Must Provide Mandated Education Funds; Spend Money for Schools, Not Prisons

Green Party of New York State
www.gpnys.org

October 10, 2006

Contact:
Alex Montanez (310) 650-7481 montanez.alex@gmail.com
Ann Link (347) 226-1195 eastst@hotmail.com

NEW YORK, NY - "Schools should be joyful places of inspiration, with books, poetry and songs, and where teachers and librarians are honored," said  Malachy McCourt, Green Party candidate for Governor of New York. "Kids are overtested in schools today. It is test enough just to be born," said  McCourt, who dropped out of school when he was 13 and says the fact that he  was an "omnivorous reader" saved his life. 

McCourt and Lieutenant Governor candidate Alison Duncan spoke in support of  increasing state funding for education last night at a forum in Brooklyn hosted by the Park Slope Greens. The Court of Appeals will hear arguments today on whether to force the State of New York to spend between $4.7 billion and $5.63 billion more on New York City schools to provide a "sound  basic education."

"The McCourt/Duncan administration will provide the state funds mandated by the Campaign for Fiscal Equity court decision if we are elected," said Duncan. "Schools should get the funding they need, not what parents in their district can afford." "We must stop sending education money to other states," she added, noting that educating children with special needs who are moved out of state, because of a lack of services in New York, can cost school districts up to $100,000 per child each year. "If we meet the needs of all New Yorkers here, at home, we can provide jobs for all New Yorkers."

"We spend so few dollars for education and then spend $50,000 a year to keep a person in prison," said McCourt. "The prison industry that is flourishing upstate feeds on kids from the cities who have dropped out. Children love to learn. Let's work to improve our schools and prevent kids from dropping out."

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PEACE SLATE CANDIDATE WEBSITES

Malachy McCourt for Governor
http://votemalachymccourt.org/ 

Alison Duncan for Lieutenant Governor
http://www.alisonduncan.org/ 

Rachel Treichler for Attorney General
http://www.voterachel.org/ 

Julia Willebrand for Comptroller
http://www.juliaforcomptroller.org/ 

Howie Hawkins for US Senate from New York
http://www.hawkinsforsenate.org