A radio ad paid for by the New York State United Teachers, NYSUT says, “Governor Paterson’s deep budget cuts could bring on a devastating storm that rips apart public education.”

Pateron has proposed $480 million in cuts to education. New York State United Teachers says targeting schools is not the answer.

Richard Iannuzzi, NYSUT president says, “It seems impossible for me to conceive how school districts will be able to make it through the year without having to do personnel cuts.”

Ianuzzi says the state has the money, it’s just not using it.

“It’s raining and it’s been raining in NYS economy for a while,” Ianuzzi said. “Now is the time to reach out to the rainy day fund.”

But that’s what Paterson is saying to schools…tap into your reserve funds.

“The State is not taping its reserve funds because the state is going to need the money. Because the state is broke,” said E.J. Mc Mahon, Empire Center for NYS Executive Director.

New York has some major bills due by mid-December. A big chunk of those are school aid payments.

“The only way they can afford to make any school aid payments in December is to reduce it,” Mc Mahon said.

In an effort the educate people on how bad the current budget crisis is the Governor’s office releases daily deficit reduction facts. Wednesday, a day after NYSUT launched its ad geared at legislators, the ‘fact’ focuses on how much New York overspends on education.

Mc Mahon says, “We’re about 60 percent above the national average. We don’t produce outcomes commensurate with our spending.”

Ianuzzi disagrees saying the state’s exorbitant school bill is well worth it.

“New York’s citizens are happy with their educational system because it’s an investment that works for them and to dismantle that is just foolish,” he said

Senate democrats, echo the concerns of education advocates, doubting whether things are as bad as the Governor says they are. They say there may be a way around mid-year education cuts

“Don’t just take the knife out and cut. Let’s make sure that we are strategic and we carve around certain parts of the body that we don’t have to touch,” said Senate Temporary President Malcolm Smith (D).

“Senate democrats apparently live in an alternative universe,” McMahon said.

McMahon says not only are the Governor’s education cuts necessary. But they may not be enough.

McMahon said, “This is the worst cash crisis the state has had in at least 20 years. It could soon be the worst cash crisis the state has ever had.”

Besides tapping into the rainy day fund NYSUT says the state can find revenue through savings in energy, prescription drugs and other economies that do not affect students.

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