 "Today,
we have brought thunder and lightning to Albany. Now we need all of you to roar
- not just today, but every day." Tom Hobart, president, New York State
United Teachers. |
 "We've
got to preserve the opportunity to go to college and get a higher education."
Carl McCall, chairman, New York State Public Higher Education Conference Board. |
 "Good
things happen when we come together." Denis Hughes, president, New York
State AFL-CIO. |
 "Ten
years ago today we sued the state because it said that an eighth-grade education
was good enough. An eighth-grade education is not good enough." Samira
Ahmed, deputy director, Campaign for Fiscal Equity. |
 "I
regret that all of us need to be here . . . Why is public education constantly
battling for support?" Susan Hirst, president, School Administrators Association
of New York State. |
 "George,
we want you to know - all New Yorkers are your teachers. Learn your lesson, do
your homework, sign the bill." Greg Nash, president, National Education
Association - NY. |
 "Education
is a need, not just a right. To make us fight for it is obscene." Barbara
Bowen, president, Professional Staff Congress. |
 "The
schoolhouse is being held accountable. The statehouse needs to be held accountable,
too." Tim Kremer, executive director, New York State School Boards Association.
|
 "People
say people don't care about the state budget - it's inside baseball. We've got
thousands of
voices who say they're wrong." Tom Rogers, executive director,
New York State Council of School Superintendents. |
 "The
governor will get an education if he vetoes these bills. We'll hold him accountable."
Danny Donohue, president, Civil Service Employees Association.
|
 "We
are one voice for all children. That's why we are all here today." Penny
Leask, president, New York State PTA. |
 "Did
he (Gov. Pataki) forget that education was going to be his top priority? I think
our being here is going to jog his memory." Blaise Salerno, chairman,
Educational Conference Board. |
 "This
is amazing. I've never seen anything like this here. We hope the governor gets
the message that the future of the state depends on what this historic event shows
- that for New Yorkers of all walks of life, education is New Yorkers' No. 1 priority."
Regina Eaton, executive director, The Alliance for Quality Education. |
 "State
lawmakers must respond to their constituents by making public higher education
a higher priority." William Scheuerman, president, United University Professions.
|
 "You
go back and tell your students that you made history for them!" Randi
Weingarten, president, United Federation of Teachers. |
