(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – Buffalo Teachers Federation (BTF) President Phil Rumore (Pictured Above/WNYLaborToday.com File Photo)has released a letter that the Union Leader has sent to Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown and the City’s Common Council, saying the City’s funding for its Public School is “disgraceful.”

Rumore released charts (letter and chart pictured below) that showed Buffalo’s funding for its students was $30.6 million to $93.1 million behind the Cities of Syracuse, Rochester and Yonkers.

The chart shows that while Buffalo contributes 15% of its budget to support its students, Yonkers provides 34%, Rochester 24% and Syracuse 21%.

“It is ‘disgraceful’ that Buffalo Public School students receive between ($30.6 million to $93.1 million) ‘less’ from their City than school children ‘in those other cities,’” Rumore said.  “We call upon the mayor and the Common Council to ‘reverse’ the City’s ‘unacceptable underfunding’ of our students and to ‘support them on the same level’ as Yonkers, Rochester and Syracuse funds their students.”

Added Rumore: “Our students ‘deserve more, nothing less.’”

The BTF represents more than 3,600 Members.