(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) - Buffalo Teachers Federation (BTF) President Phil Rumore is blasting Republican New York State Senator Chris Jacobs’ attack on the Buffalo School District and the City Teachers contract, saying: “Senator Jacobs, an ‘anti-public school, anti-Teacher, pro-charter school advocate, has again shown his contempt’ for our schools and Teachers.”

In October 2016, and after 12 years of fighting for a new contract - ending what the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) said was the longest contract stalemate in the history of Public-Sector Collective Bargaining in New York State, the BTF negotiated a new three-year agreement with the Buffalo School District that called for its 3,600-plus Membership to receive a 10% raise in 2016, as well as a one-time, back pay bonus of between $2,000 and $9,000 each.

Rumore told WNYLaborToday.com he was responding to comments made by Jacobs in an article published over the weekend in The Buffalo News, which he said Jacobs told the newspaper that New York State “shouldn’t be funding the City of Buffalo for a Teachers’ Contract that it can’t afford.”

“To use (Teachers) as an ‘excuse’ not to fund (the contract), ‘it’s sick,’” Rumore said. “It’s an ‘attack’ on a contract for ‘dedicated’ Teachers ‘who work under some of the most difficult conditions,’ who were ‘twenty thousand dollars behind’ their colleagues and who had been ‘stone-walled for twelve years.’  It shows Senator Jacobs ‘contempt’ for Buffalo’s Teachers.  (Jacobs) ‘turns his back’ on our Teachers and students while ‘refusing to acknowledge the outstanding progress we are making, despite severe underfunding’ from New York State ‘in violation’ of its constitution.”

“(Jacobs) has ‘somehow ignored’ the information which we provided him,” added Rumore, “such as:”

• New York State is the second worst in the USA in the funding disparity between rich and poor districts.
• New York State is the sixth worst in the United States in funding disparity between high percentages of students of color districts and low percentages of students of color districts.
• The Buffalo Public Schools are owed more than a billion dollars in Foundation Aid - aid allocated for poor school districts.
• Governor Andrew Cuomo’s and the Senate’s budget would do away with the current Foundation Aid formula, thus further hurting our students.
• Lifting the Charter School Tuition Cap will cost the Buffalo Public Schools an additional $14 million dollars, while Buffalo’s Charter Schools have amassed more than $80 million in unrestricted net assets.
• The Buffalo Public Schools send Charter Schools $70 million more than it would cost if those students returned to the Buffalo Public Schools.

“While Charter Schools have few, if any, (English as a New Language-ENL) students and students with special needs, they also expel “undesirable” students and send them back to the Buffalo Public Schools,” Rumore said.

Buffalo Teachers Federation News Editor’s Note: The Above Facts and Figures Come From The Education Trust, Washington D.C., www.edtrust.com - See “Funding Gaps” - “Too Many States Still Spend Less on Educating Students Who Need The Most” 

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: For More, Read Your On-Line Labor Newspaper’s October 18, 2016 Labor News Story, Headlined: After 12 ‘Very Long Years,’ The Buffalo Teachers Federation Finally Has A New Contract… Teachers Receive 10% Raise This Year, With One-Time Back Pay Bonus Of As Much As $9,000 – BTF Setting Contract Deadline & ‘Massive’ Downtown Rally Held In September Played Important Roles In Union’s Campaign To Achieve New Three-Year Deal - www.wnylabortoday.com/news/2016/10/18/national-labor-news/after-12-very-long-years-the-buffalo-teachers-federation-finally-has-a-new-contract/