From Mary Daley:
“Here is latest update and thank you letter to all of your petitioners. We are so grateful!
As of today, with great relief, we can tell you that the final New York State budget reduces our funding by 10% rather than the 50% cut announced the week before last. This amount will mean that we have to cut some student numbers in each of the schools and will have to eliminate some non-essentials, like T-shirts, etc. – but I am confident that we can maintain the same quality of programming for both students and staff. Of course, we would have loved to have 100% of last year’s initial funding, but understand that this is part of the “shared sacrifice” of the time we are in – and that we need to be thankful that we have only the 10%.
This funding restoration was accomplished through the hard work of the students and staff who have been and will be part of the schools. Your voices were heard loud and clear – and I am hearing from the State Division of the Budget, the Legislature and even a few in the Governor’s office that they were really surprised by the numbers and the deep feelings generated by so many people associated with the program. I think that many of them realize how truly unique and valuable this partnership is with our greatest artists – and how wonderful their dedication is to the development of the next generation of artists.
In just two weeks, over six new Facebook groups have been developed and over 2000 members (students, staff, alums, etc.) have written, called and Twittered about this to everyone who will listen. A parent blog with a petition was also started and grew by leaps and bounds. With the help of the New York State Alliance for Arts Education (they immediately put up an advocacy alert, sample letter, email addresses and suggestions) they were able to write to Legislative leaders, their individual legislators and the Governor – and then they started to call! Now, they are on to a new advocacy effort to get a bill passed soon that will raise fees in the State Cultural Education Account to stabilize our funding source and we are hoping that supporters will again let their voices be heard. With you and your colleagues as tomorrow’s leaders, we have good reason to be optimistic! Check out the new message from NYSAAE at http://www.nysaae.org/Support_NYSSSA.htm
At the same time, our “high-powered” advocates were working the phones and emails – and we owe so much to you! – Damian, Heather, Jenifer, Daniel, all of the dancers who created a virtual spider web of contacts! We also had Lanford Wilson, John Ashton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Dan Futterman, Brady McDonald – and others who also called, wrote, etc.
We are overwhelmed by this! I am confident that next year, not only will we not be cut again, maybe we can get back to our 08-09 funding level
Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for all that you have done. Please pass this message on to the rest of the wonderful parents that signed the petition and we will keep in touch with any news.”
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