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Faced with a $35 million budget deficit, Syracuse schools superintendent Sharon Contreras has sent out an urgent appeal to parents, teachers and taxpayers trying to turn them all into advocates who will pressure state lawmakers to restore funding to the district.  In the appeal, Contreras outlines how advocates for the district can get involved and even includes sample language that could be used when calling, emailing or writing to state lawmakers in Albany.

The advocates are being told to ask state lawmakers to do four specific things:  Shift $250 million of Competitive Grant Funds to Foundation Aid which will have an estimated impact of $5 or more million for Syracuse, remove the Gap Elimination Adjustment for Syracuse which will provide an additional $15 million in funding, support two pending bills that would send $4 million to Syracuse based on increased enrollment, and align the tuition the district is required to pay for Charter Schools with the amount the district gets from Albany.

In an open letter to supporters, the superintendent writes, "This budget gap could result in the reduction of an additional 350 to 450 positions. Such a substantial decrease in staff is disheartening and could undeniably prohibit us from providing high, quality education for all students."

State lawmakers are set to vote on the Governor's budget plan March 19.  Syracuse superintendent Contreras is asking those who will advocate on behalf of the district to make contact with lawmakers before that.